Thursday, January 21, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: Soundoff: Greatest World Cup Goal.

World Cup 2010 Blog: Soundoff: Greatest World Cup Goal.

Link to World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010

Soundoff: Greatest World Cup Goal.

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST

ITV compiled this little gem of the 50 greatest goals in World Cup history a few years back, which then made it to YouTube and then to our doorstep. Given that ITV is a proper media outlet, this should be rather accurate. However, it’s likely that there a few worthy omissions – notably those when television cameras weren’t quite so abundant. Which those are, it’s impossible to say at the moment (except for that rather stellar Argentine movement 4 years ago).

But it’s still a jumping off point to ask the eternal question: what’s the greatest goal in World Cup history? Some will say Diego, others will say Roberto, and some will say Diego again. Fortunately there’s no right answer. Unless there is.
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NBA midseason report: First-half surprises and awards, plus projecting second-half trades, conference races

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: Angola and (Especially) Algeria Make the Case for Goal Difference Over Head to Head

World Cup 2010 Blog: Angola and (Especially) Algeria Make the Case for Goal Difference Over Head to Head

Link to World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010

Angola and (Especially) Algeria Make the Case for Goal Difference Over Head to Head

Posted: 19 Jan 2010 06:10 AM PST

ANGOLA AFRICAN CUP SOCCER


Angola went into their final Africa Cup of Nations Group A game last night, knowing that a 0-0 draw would send them both through to the quarterfinals. Algeria knew that a 0-0 draw would suffice, provided Mali beat Malawi. So when news filtered through that Mali were beating Malawi… Angola vs Algeria deteriorated into one of the most eye-hurtingly boring games of football I’ve endured a long time. Highlights are above.

The last ten minutes were especially painful, with the Algerian defenders passing the ball along their back four while the Angola stood and watched.

I don’t blame either team. You do what you need to do to go through, right?

I do blame the tie-breaker system at the Africa Cup of Nations, which uses head to heads records to rank teams with the same number of points.

Algeria had beaten Mali 1-0, and so they knew that even if Mali finished level with them on 4 points (which they did) there was absolutely no way Mali were going to climb above them. Hence the boredom, and the fact that Algeria have qualified from Group A by scoring just one and conceding three. Final Group A table looks like this:

group a jan 19


Head to head records sound fairer on paper. It ensures teams will qualify ahead of teams they have beaten. But the big downside is that teams can go into their final group games feeling too safe, and so not really trying to win. It also means that teams like Mali go into the final group game at a serious disadvantage.

If the tie-breaker last night had been goal difference instead, Mali’s much more exciting 3-1 win over Malawi…

…would have been enough to send them through, which would have meant Algeria needing to score against Angola, which would have meant better football for everyone to enjoy.

So you’ll probably be pleased to hear that the first tie-breaker for teams level on points at World Cup 2010 will be goal difference, followed by goals scored, and then head to head.
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For three teams, road to Super Bowl starts with pass rush

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: “FIFA Won’t Punish Thierry Henry for Handball” plus 1 more

World Cup 2010 Blog: “FIFA Won’t Punish Thierry Henry for Handball” plus 1 more

Link to World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010

FIFA Won’t Punish Thierry Henry for Handball

Posted: 19 Jan 2010 04:12 AM PST

henryhandball


Thierry Henry will not be punished by FIFA for his handball against Ireland in last November’s World Cup 2010 playoff. He won’t be suspended, sanctioned or even sent to his room without supper.

For those unfamiliar with the incident… where’ve you been? Back in November 2009, Thierry Henry was Public Enemy Numéro Un for committing a blatant handball France for World Cup 2010 at Ireland’s expense. Click here and relive the moment if needed.

There were calls for a France vs Ireland replay, and even a bizarre request that Ireland be included in World Cup 2010 as the 33rd team. FIFA said no to both. Some thought maybe FIFA would punish Henry individually, but here’s what they decided yesterday:

“The Disciplinary Committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials.”

All of which means Thierry Henry will be at World Cup 2010 and will be free to play for France. I’m sure some people will be outraged by that. But let’s take a step back for a second.

I know this was the biggest news in the history of the universe at the time, but all Thierry Henry did was commit a handball offence that the ref missed. He’s not the first person to do it, and he won’t be the last. The incident was magnified to many times over because of the circumstances (World Cup qualification at stake and all that) and that possibly leads some to expect a serious punishment for Henry.

But again, it was just a handball. If the referee had caught Henry doing it, it might have been a yellow. It wouldn’t have been a ban or a fine or anything of the sort. Which is why it’s perfectly fair for Henry to escape punishment now. If anything, Henry’s real punishment is that he’s a little less loved by the average football fan than he used to be. Which is far worse than having to sit out a World Cup match or pay a fine.

FIFA Not Best Pleased With Protektorvest

Posted: 18 Jan 2010 01:26 PM PST

grand-theft-auto-iv-1You knew they’d incur FIFA’s wrath eventually, and boy have they. (If you’d missed it, read up on the stab-safe Protektorvest here.)

Of course, maybe we didn’t know. How has this thing caught such fire that it’s trickling all the way to FIFA, when it’s so…gimmicky. It’s really the type of thing which you chuckle at, wonder ever so slightly for a second if “maybe…” and then quickly dismiss the notion and spend the cash on a decent replica kit instead. Or counseling, in the event that your team didn’t make it.

But somehow, it has hit the mainstream, and those running the show aren’t quite thrilled about its place on the personal safety market:

Local World Cup organising committee spokesman Rich Mkhondo condemned the vests as an “abominable money making ploy using fear tactics”.

Mkhondo said in a statement: “Sport fans visiting South Africa have never needed stab vests. They will not and will never need them during the World Cup…The marketing of stab vests is a joke.”

Likely true. Of course the product itself it so outlandish and curiosity-inducing, Rich just hit the payroll as Protektorvest’s best advertiser. So perhaps in the future, silence is the best plan of attack.

And at the end of this little news feed, the one proclaiming the safety of visitors at the World Cup, there was a small blip on another South Africa 2010 news story:

Police were on Monday hunting two men who made threats on a local television programme to kill and rob fans at the World Cup.

Probably not the optimal choice for a footnote.
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The best of the rest: A look at MLB's remaining free agents

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