Doug McKenzie
After further review
I wanted to enjoy the World Cup this year. I really did. I figured with all of the expanded coverage being provided by ABC and the ESPN networks, I would never have a better opportunity to see what the rest of the world gets so excited about every four years.
So, as the tournament has marched on, I’ve gone out of my way to watch as much of the action as I can (with the aid of my trusty TiVo). I watched the ballyhooed United States team play like a jayvee squad in their first game against the Czech Republic (a 3-0 loss), and then watched them tie the squad from Italy, 1-1, in a far more spirited effort. I then watched them get eliminated by the team from Ghana, 2-1, wondering to myself just how much our national team has closed the gap on the rest of the world, as was reported by various far more knowledgeable soccer enthusiasts than myself in the weeks leading up to the World Cup.
(Watching Ghana get blitzed by Brazil, 3-0, on Tuesday didn’t make me feel much better about our progress in that regard.)
I’ve also watched the teams from England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Ecuador, Sweden, Ukraine and Switzerland at one point or another, and realized a couple of things. First, I would rather watch Brazil’s Ronaldo play than England’s David Beckham any day, and second, I’m looking forward to catching some of tomorrow’s quarterfinal round action, beginning with the Germany-Argentina matchup at 11 a.m., followed by the Italy-Ukraine showdown at 3 p.m.
But despite my diligence in viewing the action, I find that I’m not as interested in the end result as I should be. Part of that, I’m sure, has to do with the U.S. team’s swift departure, but there’s more to it than that.
My problem (one that I apparently share with quite a few people around the world) is with the officiating. Quite frankly, it has far too much influence on the outcome of these games.
At one point or another in this tournament, it seems as though every team has had a complaint, with many of them proving to be legitimate under the scrutiny of the world’s media coverage.
Not only are referees handing out yellow and red cards at an unprecedented pace (there were already 24 red cards and 298 yellow cards – both World Cup records – issued through 54 of 64 matches heading into Tuesday’s action), but there have also been quite a few blown calls, such as the missed handballs, allowing goals that were not legitimate and missing some goals that were.
The result has been a World Cup tournament marred by controversy, and one that is not as likely to capture the passion of the casual fan (such as yours truly) as it could be. There was a hope among the soccer community in this country that a strong showing by the U.S. team, coupled with an exciting, fair tournament, would help boost the popularity of the sport nationwide.
While it’s far too early to dismiss the notion, it also seems unlikely that this year’s World Cup will spark a wave of youngsters in this country looking to devote the time and energy to the sport needed to create the type of skilled, experienced players that make up the world’s top teams.
Frankly, it appears to me that we still have a long way to go before anyone can realistically expect a U.S. team to become a major force on the sport’s biggest stage. But again, that’s not what’s threatening to ruin my interest in this year’s World Cup.
That distinction belongs to the guys with the colorful cards in their pockets.
As a fan of any sport, the last thing you want to see is an official’s questionable decision or call decide the outcome of the game. Thus far in the World Cup, that’s happening too often.
I’m not a big soccer guy, I admit that. But it seems to me that a sport that has trouble attracting fans in this country needs this tournament to be more about the athletes playing the games than the referees officiating them.
So, here’s hoping the rest of this tournament goes off without any more blown calls or questionable rulings ruining otherwise exciting matches. Here’s hoping we can watch the world’s most popular sport bask in the glory that comes with its most prestigious tournament.
Here’s hoping the referees get their act together before any more teams are penalized for anything other than legitimate reasons.
There I go again – instead of choosing a team to cheer for over the last three rounds of the World Cup, I find myself rooting for the referees to make the right calls.
No wonder so many soccer fans drink.
Doug McKenzie is sports coordinator of Greater Media Newspapers. You can reach him at [email protected].