But crying does not help that in any way. People playing soccer are going to fall down. Whether it happens for real, or the fall itself is an act, the crying after the fact is unnecessary. A ref can still fix the match by issuing cards, penalty kicks, or whatever, just based on a foul without any major injury.
I even saw a ref issue a yellow card to a player who kicked, and in the process of kicking had his spikes pointing up too high. No falling down or acting necessary. It's actually a correct adjudication of the rules of soccer, but still.
It's certainly one of the things I think is bullshit about professional soccer. I understand sometimes people actually get hurt but generally I don't want to watch people pretend to be hurt to sway the flow of a game.
I guess it sorta happens to a degree in most professional sports.
But crying does not help that in any way. People playing soccer are going to fall down. Whether it happens for real, or the fall itself is an act, the crying after the fact is unnecessary. A ref can still fix the match by issuing cards, penalty kicks, or whatever, just based on a foul without any major injury.
Crying in soccer happens for the same reason quarterbacks in the NFL yell at the ref when they think an opponent has gone after his knees. It's all a way of getting attention. I suppose that soccer players may resort to crying as yelling at the ref "hey, ref, you missed it when that guy spiked me in the shins!" would result in the complaining player getting penalized for yelling at the ref whereas crying may have the result of thinking the crying player was actually hurt by the real or fake foul.
Some sports give more leeway than others when it comes to players complaining to the ref. The NFL seems to give a good bit of leeway so long as the complaining isn't too rude. The NHL allows team captains to complain to the ref, even if not necessarily the regular players, again, so long as the complaining isn't too rude. Soccer appears to be very, very strict about complaining to the ref about a missed call.
You have to be able to talk to the ref in any sport, as long as you don't touch them, spit on them, or some other ludicrous behavior.
Talking, sure, you can talk to the ref in soccer, so long as it's basically "Hey, how are you doing? How are the kids? Hope you have a good match today." sort of thing. However, and it's totally up to the ref's discretion, any complaining to the ref can be an instant red card. Even something as benign as saying "what the heck," without even aiming it at the ref, when you disagree with the ref's decision can get you sent off.
I was chatting to my girlfriend about the super awkward "crossing arms" player introduction clips during the world cup this year, and I'm so glad that someone has done a full writeup:
A bit about the idea that "something is broken with the sport if there is a blowout of this proportion between two top level teams."
The fact is that soccer has developed so far as a defensive game, that it's normally almost impossible to score. What we saw with Germany vs Brazil is when a team is broken, not the sport is broken. Brazil built their team around a strong captain and a star striker, which isn't a bad formula at all, except when the captain is missing due to a yellow card in a previous game and the star striker has a broken spine.
While all the focus before the match was about who would lead Brazil's team from the front, the real problem with Brazil in this tournament has been at the back. Star strikers can make up for shoddy defense against lower rated teams, but not against Germany.
The first goal of the match set the tone, with Germany's star striker, Müller, standing by himself with zero cover. Bump, into the net. So easy.
Then the next five goals all shared a common theme: any of two to four players were available to take a shot on goal. There is nothing the goal keeper can do in that situation! When a cross comes in and TWO German players let it roll past, when either could have taken a shot, and they leave it for the third player, the goal keeper literally can't be in position to save it. With three of the goals, a player could have taken a shot, but the goal keeper was approaching. Normally it's best just to take the shot, as passing in the penalty zone is normally too tricky or risky. But the German players were free to pass to another striker, neatly bypassing any attempt by the keeper to stop anything.
Normally it's hard enough to get one player into position to score, but last night Germany consistently had three. That's unheard of in football of this level, and it's a 50-50 split between amazing teamwork on Germany's part and terrible teamwork on Brazil's.
The last goal was unique in that it was a classic drive. Some said it was the goal of the match, because it looked the most impressive. But the other goals really showcased what a very good team can do against an almost non-existent defense.
Brazil could have scored a few more times than they did, but Germany's keeper Neuer was playing like someone inspired. The only reason he let a goal in at the end because he and the German defenders were fucking about. He kept running so far out, just to intimidate the Brazil strikers, and was caught napping.
Okay, Berlin, it's time to shut the fuck up now. We need some sleep! Nice goal in extra time, and all that, but my girlfriend has an important exam in the morning...
Comments
I even saw a ref issue a yellow card to a player who kicked, and in the process of kicking had his spikes pointing up too high. No falling down or acting necessary. It's actually a correct adjudication of the rules of soccer, but still.
I guess it sorta happens to a degree in most professional sports.
Some sports give more leeway than others when it comes to players complaining to the ref. The NFL seems to give a good bit of leeway so long as the complaining isn't too rude. The NHL allows team captains to complain to the ref, even if not necessarily the regular players, again, so long as the complaining isn't too rude. Soccer appears to be very, very strict about complaining to the ref about a missed call.
Minions playing soccer:
Who Won the World Cup of Arm-Folding?
Some of my favourites:
The fact is that soccer has developed so far as a defensive game, that it's normally almost impossible to score. What we saw with Germany vs Brazil is when a team is broken, not the sport is broken. Brazil built their team around a strong captain and a star striker, which isn't a bad formula at all, except when the captain is missing due to a yellow card in a previous game and the star striker has a broken spine.
While all the focus before the match was about who would lead Brazil's team from the front, the real problem with Brazil in this tournament has been at the back. Star strikers can make up for shoddy defense against lower rated teams, but not against Germany.
The first goal of the match set the tone, with Germany's star striker, Müller, standing by himself with zero cover. Bump, into the net. So easy.
Then the next five goals all shared a common theme: any of two to four players were available to take a shot on goal. There is nothing the goal keeper can do in that situation! When a cross comes in and TWO German players let it roll past, when either could have taken a shot, and they leave it for the third player, the goal keeper literally can't be in position to save it. With three of the goals, a player could have taken a shot, but the goal keeper was approaching. Normally it's best just to take the shot, as passing in the penalty zone is normally too tricky or risky. But the German players were free to pass to another striker, neatly bypassing any attempt by the keeper to stop anything.
Normally it's hard enough to get one player into position to score, but last night Germany consistently had three. That's unheard of in football of this level, and it's a 50-50 split between amazing teamwork on Germany's part and terrible teamwork on Brazil's.
The last goal was unique in that it was a classic drive. Some said it was the goal of the match, because it looked the most impressive. But the other goals really showcased what a very good team can do against an almost non-existent defense.
Brazil could have scored a few more times than they did, but Germany's keeper Neuer was playing like someone inspired. The only reason he let a goal in at the end because he and the German defenders were fucking about. He kept running so far out, just to intimidate the Brazil strikers, and was caught napping.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/sports/soccer/fifa-officials-face-corruption-charges-in-us.html