2014 World Cup

[bennocelt]

Anyway, as Bonnie notes, there were also some games today... It's been quite rare to see a keeper catch a shot at this World Cup. I was surprised when Enyeama caught a stinger towards the end of Argentina-Nigeria. It seemed such an unusual sight. Does the specific ball they use possibly play a role in the lack of catching and this apparent surge in punching? Adidas are always making the balls lighter and flightier. In slow-motion replays, you'll often see the ball swaying from side to side as it glides through the air. It reminds me of these from the glory days of youth down at the beach:



Why don't they just play with them instead already?! Is punching simply something that's a lot more common for goalkeepers outside of the UK and Ireland to do then, and so we're just not used to seeing it so much maybe? Or am I imagining an increase in its prevalence?

Whatever about his impressive catch, Enyeama didn't cover himself in glory for Messi's free-kick. It was indeed a lovely free-kick, but I thought the keeper could have done better to get across the goal. Maybe some buddies of his team-mate had been in touch...

That ball was great fun, but when it was left out in the rain it turned even more deadly.

To be fair to the Nigerian goalkeeper, the ball dipped really fast , was unstoppable IMHO

[BonnieShels]

EDIT: That was meant to be :shocked:!

[pineapple stu]

End of this group as a contest so. What an awful challenge. Dunno how the ref took so long to send Valencia off there.

[DannyInvincible]

Danny when I said that a normal person might swing a punch or throw a head butt, I meant it as as an instinctive reaction and those are generally what people do... I didnt mean a head butt was an ok thing to do.

Don't worry. I didn't suspect you to be condoning other forms of more common physical violence. I was just using what you said as an example of how some forms of violence have seemingly greater social "acceptance" or are relatively "tolerated" (to use those terms loosely, as laws obviously forbid such generally frowned-upon behaviour), whereas biting is seen as more freakish, abnormal and sub- or even anti-human. For some reason, it challenges our senses and instincts in a way that a punch mightn't. I'm not saying anyone is necessarily right or wrong in reacting to a bite differently to a punch or a headbutt. It's just an interesting observation because surely if one form of violence utterly disgusts, all forms of violence, and especially those that are more physically harmful, should do also. Sure, there was shock when Zidane head-butted Materazzi in the World Cup final, but it was a different form of shock and certainly not as scandalised. Nobody was saying Zidane had mental health issues. He just "uncharacteristically lost his head in the heat of the moment"; he wasn't framed as a savage beast.

To be honest, my own initial instinctive reaction upon it being announced during the England-Costa Rica game was one of utter shock. It caught my curiosity and I immediately switched over to the Uruguay-Italy game. If I'd heard a player had been sent off for kicking or elbowing his opponent, it probably wouldn't have captured my imagination and I wouldn't have switched over. However, looking at it in hindsight as rationally and objectively as possible, as nasty as it admittedly is, you have to question whether a relatively-harmless bite merits such an hysterical reaction when kicks and elbows are generally met with lesser condemnation? There's no talk of a two-year ban for Alex Song who did an off-the-ball elbow hatchet-job on his man during the Cameroon-Croatia game, for example.

[Razors left peg]

This is mental if true.... http://balls.ie/football/the-ghanaia...freakin-money/

I want Portugal to hammer them anyway so they have a chance of going through, but any argument over money in a world cup seems plain wrong

[pineapple stu]

I guess the nature of biting as previously discussed does make this a bigger deal.

There's also the issue of spreading disease too. You break the skin and you could (I think) transfer a disease, if Suarez (or whoever) had one. Not quite the same with an elbow or a studs up.

[pineapple stu]

Ecuador actually playing better with ten men.

[DannyInvincible]

Someone should have told that Ecaudorian you'll never score a goal with a condom on your head!

[DannyInvincible]

This is mental if true.... http://balls.ie/football/the-ghanaia...freakin-money/

I want Portugal to hammer them anyway so they have a chance of going through, but any argument over money in a world cup seems plain wrong

Or worse, over the form that money takes. In the age of digital banking, why are they so insistent on $3 million in hard cash?

[Razors left peg]

Don't worry. I didn't suspect you to be condoning other forms of more common physical violence. I was just using what you said as an example of how some forms of violence have seemingly greater social "acceptance" or are relatively "tolerated" (to use those terms loosely, as laws obviously forbid such generally frowned-upon behaviour), whereas biting is seen as more freakish, abnormal and sub- or even anti-human. For some reason, it challenges our senses and instincts in a way that a punch mightn't. I'm not saying anyone is necessarily right or wrong in reacting to a bite differently to a punch or a headbutt. It's just an interesting observation because surely if one form of violence utterly disgusts, all forms of violence, and especially those that are more physically harmful, should do also. Sure, there was shock when Zidane head-butted Materazzi in the World Cup final, but it was a different form of shock and certainly not as scandalised. Nobody was saying Zidane had mental health issues. He just "uncharacteristically lost his head in the heat of the moment"; he wasn't framed as a savage beast.

To be honest, my own initial instinctive reaction upon it being announced during the England-Costa Rica game was one of utter shock. It caught my curiosity and I immediately switched over to the Uruguay-Italy game. If I'd heard a player had been sent off for kicking or elbowing his opponent, it probably wouldn't have captured my imagination and I wouldn't have switched over. However, looking at it in hindsight as rationally and objectively as possible, as nasty as it admittedly is, you have to question whether a relatively-harmless bite merits such an hysterical reaction when kicks and elbows are generally met with lesser condemnation? There's no talk of a two-year ban for Alex Song who did an off-the-ball elbow hatchet-job on his man during the Cameroon-Croatia game, for example.

Is it relatively harmless though? If a dog bites you would need to go get a tetanus shot, if a person bites you and breaks the skin I would imagine its the same thing.
I dunno, maybe because it is so weird to see some one bite it causes more of an outrage but thats the thing... it is actually really really weird!

Lashing out the way Song did for example is normal human behaviour. I know from playing football that if I was having an ongoing thing with a fella on the pitch there would be times where you would go into a challenge harder than needed and at times I probably intended to hurt the guy. But again I think that is normal human behaviour when you get angry. I wouldnt like it at the time but I could understand a guy going in hard or leaving a foot in on me for the same reasons.

But if a guy spat at me I think I would completely go bananas, that is far less dangerous than anything else that might happen on a football pitch but its disgusting and disrespectful. Most people would agree that it is completely unacceptable. To me though biting is much worse again, there is something very wrong about it. It is not normal behavior in any way at all.

I keep going back to this, but you could give the guy the benefit of the doubt if it happened once in an odd situation but for it to happen on 3 separate occasions with no provocation to me means the guy deserves an extended ban

[pineapple stu]

Is it relatively harmless though? If a dog bites you would need to go get a tetanus shot, if a person bites you and breaks the skin I would imagine its the same thing.
I dunno, maybe because it is so weird to see some one bite it causes more of an outrage but thats the thing... it is actually really really weird!

You'd need more than a tetanus shot if a dog bit you. Rabies has a mortality rate in excess of 99.5%.

The tetanus bacterium can easily be transmitted through soil - e.g. a muddy boot raking down and cutting your leg. Or by a bite. But I think there's extra infections a bite can cause - HIV or hepatitis, for example. So for that reason, it is worse than an elbow.

Anyways, 3-0 Switzerland. Shaqiri hat-trick.

France are strange. Wasn't impressed with them against Honduras. They were clinical against a poor Switzerland. And now they're much again. Wonder what France will show against Nigeria? If it's this France, and today's Nigeria, a shock could be on the cards.

[BonnieShels]

This is mental if true.... http://balls.ie/football/the-ghanaia...freakin-money/

I want Portugal to hammer them anyway so they have a chance of going through, but any argument over money in a world cup seems plain wrong

Read that this morning. And to think we go on about Saipan being a shambles.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Or worse, over the form that money takes. In the age of digital banking, why are they so insistent on $3 million in hard cash?

Because they don't trust the Federation to have the capital from just them saying so. Every tournament I hear about this sort of thing with the African sides, never any other confederation.

This game is opening up now, Ecuador finally piling forward. Will do them little good looking at the other scoreline.

[Razors left peg]

France are fond of the elbows in this game, Sahko in the first half and Giroud there both lucky to get away with it. I thought Valencias red card was a bit harsh.

[pineapple stu]

Harsh? Two feet off the ground, studs into the guy's knee? Couldn't argue with it, I thought.

Ecuador's keeper down with an injury, and they use their third sub elsewhere. Weird.

France's finishing has been brutal all game.

[pineapple stu]

Here is the red actually. Probably get taken down soon though. Valencia gets the ball, but the follow-through is nasty and unavoidable. You can't make tackles like that, even if you do get a nick on the ball first.

[BonnieShels]

First corner in the 94th minute. Madness.

[Razors left peg]

Harsh? Two feet off the ground, studs into the guy's knee? Couldn't argue with it, I thought.

Ecuador's keeper down with an injury, and they use their third sub elsewhere. Weird.

France's finishing has been brutal all game.

Thought he got his foot to the ball but when the ball was sandwiched between him and the french player it caused the foot to roll off the ball into the french guys leg.
Maybe Im wrong but thought it was a bit harsh

[pineapple stu]

RTÉ panel saying not a red. Not helping my case here!

It just looks like an unnecessary lunge to me. The slip off the ball was always likely with the way he went in

No complaints from anyone though.

[Razors left peg]

RTÉ panel saying not a red. Not helping my case here!

It just looks like an unnecessary lunge to me. The slip off the ball was always likely with the way he went in.

I cant see whos on the panel so Im not sure if Im happy or freaked out that I have the same opinion as them