Skysports is today reporting that Sports Minister Richard Caborn wants England to bid for the 2018 World Cup.
I think that this is a no brainer for England. Of course they will bid. The question is will they win it?
I really hope so.
It's a shame we have to wait so long though. Twelve years?
I think that the new rotation system is great in that it ensures that there is variety in the hosts--otherwise a European country would be getting it every other year. Plus it adds an element of fairness to the whole process.
But it makes for a long wait for the traditional hosts.
Maybe Sepp Blatter is right: the World Cup should be held every two years...
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Italia Si, Materazzi No!
Nice review.
A beautiful tournament with great and interesting moments.
I left the game for many years after Italia 90.
I think that the game has bounced back and improved.
Still, FIFA has some work to do. There is something seriously wrong when one of the best players in the world resorts to a headbutt to take justice in his own hands.
I hope that 2010 is a celebration of the kind of talent and spirit Ghana showed us and not a repeat of villainous characters like Materazzi...
Oh, and one more thing: Pessoto. An important part of the story I think: he reminded us all of the stresses of this world, the fragility of our own lives and gave the Italians many moments to reflect and become inspired.
Italia, si!
Materazzi, no, no, no!!!
(From my post to Roger Cohen's "The Best and Worst of it.")
A beautiful tournament with great and interesting moments.
I left the game for many years after Italia 90.
I think that the game has bounced back and improved.
Still, FIFA has some work to do. There is something seriously wrong when one of the best players in the world resorts to a headbutt to take justice in his own hands.
I hope that 2010 is a celebration of the kind of talent and spirit Ghana showed us and not a repeat of villainous characters like Materazzi...
Oh, and one more thing: Pessoto. An important part of the story I think: he reminded us all of the stresses of this world, the fragility of our own lives and gave the Italians many moments to reflect and become inspired.
Italia, si!
Materazzi, no, no, no!!!
(From my post to Roger Cohen's "The Best and Worst of it.")
Arrogance
In the BBC Materazzi speaks of Zidane's arrogance:
"I held his shirt, for only a few seconds. He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down."
Well, if we're having to choose between Zidane's "arrogance" or Materazzi's duplicitous game, I think that the game needs more arrogance, needs more people willing to look beyond trophies and prizes and say: this is not right...
...and headbutt the provacateur
...if FIFA and the referees cannot allow talent to shine...
"I held his shirt, for only a few seconds. He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down."
Well, if we're having to choose between Zidane's "arrogance" or Materazzi's duplicitous game, I think that the game needs more arrogance, needs more people willing to look beyond trophies and prizes and say: this is not right...
...and headbutt the provacateur
...if FIFA and the referees cannot allow talent to shine...
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Camus, Zidane and Splitting the World in Two
In his New York Times piece, Camus and Zidane Offer Views on How Things End, Roger Cohen correctly takes the opportunity provided by the Zidane headbutt incident, to invoke philosophy and the existential reality of life and football.
Football and the World Cup, it turns out is no mere game, played mindlessly and without consequence or relevance by children.
Football is a parallel world full of all of the drama of life.
Camus was in his life a dramatist as well as a writer and philosopher. He is also known to be a big football fan and player himself: a goalkeeper. He is known in the football world for this quote:
"Everything I know in life about morality and obligations, I owe to football."
There are many levels to the discussion of the "morality" of what transpired between the great Zidane and the oafish but crafty Italian defender. It would make for a great play. Perhaps Raymond Domenech could direct it--for he along with being France's national team coach, has done theatre.
The writing wouldn't be much work, the dialogue is all out there, getting churned daily on blogs and discussion boards, with everyone taking sides and taking on the characters and acting out the parts.
But what would we conclude? What would be the final message? That Zidane was wrong for his violence? That the Italian was quilty of rascism? Or something more complex?
I am anxious to see if the FIFA investigation reveals anything. If Zidane will make the charge of racism. If so, watch out. FIFA would be under pressure to back up its campaign of saying no to racism with a harsh punishment.
But if Zidane does not make the charge, then what? Does the story end? Does the world stop wondering?
For me, it will be of little consequence what a charge of racism might bring. It is a subject that needs to be tackled globally to be sure. But within the game itself there are more specific moral problems that need to be tackled and the biggest one is of the killing of talent.
Whether it was a racial comment or something else, like constant kicks in the ankles, shirt pulling, elbows, punches, pinches, trash talk, it is a shame that someone of great ability gets nullified by someone else out to premeditatively kill his talent and steal games and cups.
You have to wonder about premeditation when you hear the Italian defender before the game speaking directly about Zidane:
"We have players that can mark Zidane, like Gattuso...There's no need to charge him up, otherwise he is capable of splitting the world in two."
What is "marking" exactly? Is it what Portugal's Carvalho and his merry band of defenders did to Rooney to get one of World's top young players red carded in one of the biggest games of the tournament?
"Oh Rooney is a professional, he should be able to handle that," people say.
"Oh Zidane has been around long enough to know not to get phased by such tactics," people say.
And yet two of arguably the best players in the world are red carded in the World Cup knock out stages.
Knock out stages indeed.
On football's biggest stage, the world has been split in two and the brightest stars have died.
Football and the World Cup, it turns out is no mere game, played mindlessly and without consequence or relevance by children.
Football is a parallel world full of all of the drama of life.
Camus was in his life a dramatist as well as a writer and philosopher. He is also known to be a big football fan and player himself: a goalkeeper. He is known in the football world for this quote:
"Everything I know in life about morality and obligations, I owe to football."
There are many levels to the discussion of the "morality" of what transpired between the great Zidane and the oafish but crafty Italian defender. It would make for a great play. Perhaps Raymond Domenech could direct it--for he along with being France's national team coach, has done theatre.
The writing wouldn't be much work, the dialogue is all out there, getting churned daily on blogs and discussion boards, with everyone taking sides and taking on the characters and acting out the parts.
But what would we conclude? What would be the final message? That Zidane was wrong for his violence? That the Italian was quilty of rascism? Or something more complex?
I am anxious to see if the FIFA investigation reveals anything. If Zidane will make the charge of racism. If so, watch out. FIFA would be under pressure to back up its campaign of saying no to racism with a harsh punishment.
But if Zidane does not make the charge, then what? Does the story end? Does the world stop wondering?
For me, it will be of little consequence what a charge of racism might bring. It is a subject that needs to be tackled globally to be sure. But within the game itself there are more specific moral problems that need to be tackled and the biggest one is of the killing of talent.
Whether it was a racial comment or something else, like constant kicks in the ankles, shirt pulling, elbows, punches, pinches, trash talk, it is a shame that someone of great ability gets nullified by someone else out to premeditatively kill his talent and steal games and cups.
You have to wonder about premeditation when you hear the Italian defender before the game speaking directly about Zidane:
"We have players that can mark Zidane, like Gattuso...There's no need to charge him up, otherwise he is capable of splitting the world in two."
What is "marking" exactly? Is it what Portugal's Carvalho and his merry band of defenders did to Rooney to get one of World's top young players red carded in one of the biggest games of the tournament?
"Oh Rooney is a professional, he should be able to handle that," people say.
"Oh Zidane has been around long enough to know not to get phased by such tactics," people say.
And yet two of arguably the best players in the world are red carded in the World Cup knock out stages.
Knock out stages indeed.
On football's biggest stage, the world has been split in two and the brightest stars have died.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Protection Part 2
Ronaldinho openned the World Cup tournament asking FIFA and referees for "protection". It turned out he didn't need such protection as he didn't involve himself in the tournament at all.
Today, in the bbc, France coach Raymond Domenech is saying that FIFA should have done a better job of protecting Zidane:
"Materrazzi is the man of the match, not Andrea Pirlo...When one has to put up with what Zidane had to and the referee doesn't do anything, one understands. You can't excuse it, but you can understand it."
I think that FIFA needs to focus on protecting talent and openning up play as much as it focuses on diving. It is a shame when stars like Zidane have to take justice into their own hands and then come off looking like villains for it.
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