... but I do like sports. And as such I find the 2-0 win of Italy over Germany totally undeserved. I'm not a soccer fan and the Football World-Cup semi-final Italy vs. Germany proved to me again just why I'm not a soccer fan. During the whole tournament, Italy struggles to even proceed past the preliminaries. In their octavofinal, they need a penalty seconds before the end of the game to score a single goal against soccer dwarf Australia. A penalty which was also undeserved. One wonders if the soccer nation that is still shaking from mafia-type scandals involving champion Turin had a hand in the decision of the referee. In fact, champion Juventus Turino may face relegation to Italy's third division, while the other three clubs probably will have to face lighter penalties. Thirteen of Italy's 23-man "Squadra Azzurra" at the World Cup play for the four clubs facing charges. Some of the Juve players are also facing doping charges. Even the National Team coach is involved and the media are speculating that many of the decisions of who will make the team have been influenced by mobsters. Such a team should deserve to play in the World-Cup finals?
And while Germany had to wrestle with favorite Argentina, Italy faces another nobody in their quarterfinals, Ukraine. Italy doesn't even break a sweat, winning 3-0 in a scrimmage-type game, while Germany faces overtime and a penalty shoot-out after drawing 1-1. Finally, the Italian media launches a campaign against Germany's emminently important midfielder Trosten Frings, accusing him of hitting Argentinian player Cruz (who, incidentally, publicly stated he never noticed anybody hitting him). With the game-fixing, penalty-buying history, one wonders what strings needed to be pulled at the FIFA to get Frings suspended for only that one game (when the regular penalty for such offenses was 2 games!). Either Frings obviously hit Cruz (which he didn't) and then it's two games, or he didn't and then it's nothing. You don't suspend someone without reason for one single game, unless there are some shenannigans going on.
And after all this, with the German midfield severely weakened, the Italians need a whopping 119 minutes to finally score against the first real opponent Germany. Again, the score comes by sheer luck and only seconds before the end of the game, wthout a chance for the equalizer. A single lapse of concentration, or misfortune and the most offensive, most enthusiastic, most constant and most surprising team of the tournament is knocked out.
Talk about undeserved! Only in soccer! And that's why I'm not a soccer fan. In other sports, single misfortunes or lapses rarely decide games, let alone tournaments. It's usually performance, skill, endurance and the accumulation of mistakes which decide games. In soccer, all too often, the teams might as well sit down before the game and throw the dice.
I just had to get that off my chest Yes, I do feel much better now