Cornwall ON – “So here’s to dreams. May they sparkle. Well at least for a couple of days.”
With my prophetic words, the dreams of the USA and England supporters alike, sparkled and then died for another four years. Both teams can hold their heads high, the USA defeated by the will of Africa and the English by the hand of God yet again.
On their respective days, they both lost to teams who were technically better and more determined. To say that the England result was a travesty is to once again call for FIFA to wake up to the reality of the world. If we viewers, spread around the globe, can see within seconds that the ball was clearly, unambiguously, over the goal line, then why not share this knowledge with the match referee and his assistants who just as clearly did not see it spin back out of the goal. Such an easy decision with our technology such an impossible decision for the two officials involved.
So what have I been doing since the England result?
I have the weed-whacker; it is made like a 9-iron with a serrated-edged blade that you can swing back and forward – a sort of cross between a scythe and a golf club. The many weeds in the garden were dispatched as I let out some of the frustration.
I have the weed-whacker; it is made like a 9-iron with a serrated-edged blade that you can swing back and forward – a sort of cross between a scythe and a golf club. The many weeds in the garden were dispatched as I let out some of the frustration.
If you come back from two down to tie it up 2-2 by half time then you are the favorite to go on and win. But we shall never know what might have been, it like all the other possibilities that hung in the air were as easily dispatched to oblivion as the weeds in my garden.
Of course, the up side for you the reader is that I can be more objective now, and wander if anything can prevent an Argentina/Brazil showdown in the final on July 11th.
David Rawnsley is President of the Char Lan Minor Soccer Association as well as Executive Director of FOSS, Friends of SD&SG Soccer and a district Referee, as well as co-founder of Char-Lan Women’s Soccer.
Soccer is his Passion, and we’re hoping to get several reports from him during the 2010 Fifa World Cup!
I remember the 1966 final game. Towards the close, Germany was leading England 2 – 1, but in the final minutes, England scored, to tie the game. The ball hit the cross bar, then bounced straight down to the goal line. The goal was controversial, and personally, I’m not sure it should have counted. However, in the referee’s eyes it did, and England went on to win 4 – 2 in overtime.
I guess what comes around, goes around.
Personally, I would not want to be the ref in a game like this. I used to referee intramural games at university, and it’s a bloody hard job.
Thanks for your coverage, David. I’m looking forward to what comes next. Sprechen Sie Deutsche?
Thats okay Richard, they may have beaten us at our national sport but we’ve beaten them twice at theirs!