France vs Portugal
Another disgraceful display by Portugal*, who seem to have no other tactic beyond diving and appealing for their opponents to be sent off. Actually there is one player with great skill, determination and courage on the Portuguese side - unfortunately this is Ronaldo, who is also the biggest cheat. I was pleased that he was booed loudly by the French crowd every time he went near the ball (I'm obviously not the only one who drew certain conclusions from the Rooney incident) and it was satisfying to see his face at the end of the match. Sob away, son.
The team were obviously egged on by their manager Scolari, who will surely now be reprimanded for shouting at the referee after the match was over. Martin O'Neill was saying 'He'll be embarrassed when he sees the video of the match', ie when he sees that his players were faking, but I agree with Shearer who said 'No, it was a deliberate tactic'. What he hoped to gain by arguing after the match was lost I couldn't say.
In fact the refereeing was again excellent, and it is to be hoped that the next international competition it starts at this level, rather than the farcical standard with which the tournament began. FIFA had better consider their advice to officials very carefully.
In the longer term a decision will have to be made about how to deal with this cynical tactic of extensive fakery. It destroys the flow of the game, and can lead to the wrong result. Luckily tonight it didn't.
*ETA - I must, must, emphasise that when I say 'Portugal' I am talking about the specific tactics of this particular football team - I'm not talking about Portugal in general, nor Portuguese people. I take this for granted in all I say, so sometimes I don't make it explicit.
The team were obviously egged on by their manager Scolari, who will surely now be reprimanded for shouting at the referee after the match was over. Martin O'Neill was saying 'He'll be embarrassed when he sees the video of the match', ie when he sees that his players were faking, but I agree with Shearer who said 'No, it was a deliberate tactic'. What he hoped to gain by arguing after the match was lost I couldn't say.
In fact the refereeing was again excellent, and it is to be hoped that the next international competition it starts at this level, rather than the farcical standard with which the tournament began. FIFA had better consider their advice to officials very carefully.
In the longer term a decision will have to be made about how to deal with this cynical tactic of extensive fakery. It destroys the flow of the game, and can lead to the wrong result. Luckily tonight it didn't.
*ETA - I must, must, emphasise that when I say 'Portugal' I am talking about the specific tactics of this particular football team - I'm not talking about Portugal in general, nor Portuguese people. I take this for granted in all I say, so sometimes I don't make it explicit.