Anti Americanism and the World Cup
While we would all like to think the World Cup to be an affair where winners and losers are decided by the feats of the players on the pitch. Recent events, have led me to believe otherwise, and have made me somewhat disgusted with FIFA, and the level of refereeing at this WC.
Lets take the game USA v’ Italy. Anyone who saw this match, even an Italian, will tell you that the U.S. did not deserve two expulsions. Throughout the game, the Italian side would take dives, cry to the ref for free kicks, and surely they were given to them. When the U.S. fouled, it would be a card. And while I wholeheartedly believe the Italian ejection from the match was absolutely justified, the same goes not go for the Americans. Neither one was in effect an offense that justified expulsion. The referee in that match, a Uruguayan with a history of refereeing “inconsistencies” was also banned for a time from international football, and in the farce that was U.S.A. v’ Italy gave the game to the Italians. America, even tired and with nine men, played wonderful football. And I am sure that if it would have remained 11 v’ 11, or even 10 v 10 the Americans would have come out triumphant, of this I'm certain.
Moving on, today’s match with Ghana was nothing short of disgusting. Following the blatant Anti-American display in the Italy match, the German Ref wanted to one up the fellow from Uruguay by awarding a PK for a blatant dive, one that even a local league referee would not have missed, and the horrid foul against Claudio Reyna that saw him removed from the match through injury, and which led to Ghana scoring. Simply put the Ghanaians had 12 men on the pitch today, and with 12 men it’s very hard to win. But this isn’t only my sentiment; the commentator on Spanish Radio in NY said the same thing as I am sure others around the world did the same. Today’s display was a farce!
In all, it’s simply sad, sad that blatant Anti-Americanism was touted in such a way at a sporting event of this magnitude, sad that people hate this country so much that they would go out of their way to prove a point and hurt the players, and fans who carry with them the hopes of generations of immigrants from around the world who have come to shape America for what it is today, and sad that the World Cup was at least in part ruined through the actions of a few.
Lets take the game USA v’ Italy. Anyone who saw this match, even an Italian, will tell you that the U.S. did not deserve two expulsions. Throughout the game, the Italian side would take dives, cry to the ref for free kicks, and surely they were given to them. When the U.S. fouled, it would be a card. And while I wholeheartedly believe the Italian ejection from the match was absolutely justified, the same goes not go for the Americans. Neither one was in effect an offense that justified expulsion. The referee in that match, a Uruguayan with a history of refereeing “inconsistencies” was also banned for a time from international football, and in the farce that was U.S.A. v’ Italy gave the game to the Italians. America, even tired and with nine men, played wonderful football. And I am sure that if it would have remained 11 v’ 11, or even 10 v 10 the Americans would have come out triumphant, of this I'm certain.
Moving on, today’s match with Ghana was nothing short of disgusting. Following the blatant Anti-American display in the Italy match, the German Ref wanted to one up the fellow from Uruguay by awarding a PK for a blatant dive, one that even a local league referee would not have missed, and the horrid foul against Claudio Reyna that saw him removed from the match through injury, and which led to Ghana scoring. Simply put the Ghanaians had 12 men on the pitch today, and with 12 men it’s very hard to win. But this isn’t only my sentiment; the commentator on Spanish Radio in NY said the same thing as I am sure others around the world did the same. Today’s display was a farce!
In all, it’s simply sad, sad that blatant Anti-Americanism was touted in such a way at a sporting event of this magnitude, sad that people hate this country so much that they would go out of their way to prove a point and hurt the players, and fans who carry with them the hopes of generations of immigrants from around the world who have come to shape America for what it is today, and sad that the World Cup was at least in part ruined through the actions of a few.
posted by ... j at Thursday, June 22, 2006
3 Comments:
While what happened to the USA was unfortunate, I would not be so quick to call it anti-Americanism. At the end of the day…it’s just a game.
I love futbol but do not care to watch it.. There is too much racism in European Futbol and FIFA, et. al. care not about it.
Can you imagine being a black player and having bananas thrown at you and the crowd making monkey noises?
F**king pathetic.
Chirs, people will always be idiots, and unfortunately for stupidity there is no cure.
KV - I can honeslty say that I wholeheartedly believe the refs were out to send the Americans home. To make whatever point... ?
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