A few World Cup questions
When France plays Italy in Germany, in what language do players argue with a Ukrainian ref? - Why do home teams do better in the World Cup? Crowd noise in soccer is more like a dull roar with constant singing and chanting from both sides —— why does that favor one team over another?
- When injuries occur, why can't they just stop the clock instead of letting it run and having to add extra time at the end?
- When they add extra time at the end, how come it is always full integers like 2 minutes or 3 minutes? There's obviously some rounding going on. Why not be precise?
- Why are they constantly using different balls each tournament? What's wrong with the traditional soccer ball?
- Why don't they use sudden death for the overtime periods?
- Why don't they allow more substitutions in overtime? Forcing tired guys to keep running around makes it less likely that goals will be scored.
- What's the point of the semi-circle around the goal box?
6 comments:
Good questions for the most part.
As for the semi-circle. It's the penalty arc. Helps mark an "exclusion zone" for all players other than the guy taking the penalty kick.
I read today the FIFA president said he supports increasing the number of yellow cards per round from two to three. Seems like a good idea. Hopefully, they'll also add a substitution for OT (the ABC/ESPN announcers seemed to support this idea during the England-Portugal match).
They should also add a second on-field ref.
They used the "golden goal"/sudden death at the last couple of World Cups and other international matches, but stopped a couple of years ago because it seemed to encourage a more defensive style of play as teams tried to force penalty kicks.
More yellow cards would be a TERRIBLE idea, akin to allowing NBA players to commit 7 fouls per game.
Well, I think the policy would still be two in one game and you're sent off. So I don't think it would necessarily encourage extra rough play. Then again, if the refs were seen as more credible (like, if they added a second on-field ref), then there probably wouldn't be a need to change. I suspect the FIFA's president's remarks were in respose to the fact that just about every top team in the knockout round either lost or risked losing several star players (France for example, could lose its top two or three players for the final if any gets a yellow card tonight).
that should say "in response" not "in repose," which conjures up a totally different image.
The time-keeping (or lack thereof) in this sport makes me crazy. These guys are so tired from running around that they have to fall down and act hurt just to stop the action. Just let them call a time out! Or allow longer pauses/TV time outs during natural stoppages in play (like before goal kicks or when a ball goes out of bounds). As much as I've enjoyed watching some of the strategy of the game, I find it really hard to respect a sport where "flopping" is such a key element in one's game plan. These guys look so tough and rugged, until they start rolling around the "pitch" pretending they sprained their pinky toe. Please. It's embarrassing.
my answers:
- French and Germans argue in English to the Ukrainian refs... it's the international language!!
- It's all about adrenaline!! people may say they feed off of "sticking it to the home fans" but that is just showboatin' ... there's a much bigger thrill when people are chearing for you!
- it gives refs needed "power" by keeping the "actual" time hidden. It prevents for that last good opportunity to occur in spite of if the actual time is done or not. opportunities are a lot more rare than most sports so it would be a shame to have a breakaway blown dead just cuz time ran out. i like the idea of ending a game when it doesn't effect the outcome.
-the anounced added time is BS and is only for the fans... it's still up to the ref... see last point.
-innovation of the ball allows for more scoring (see comments throughout the WC on how much the ball moves now). Plus it kind of has become a symbol of the WC these days...
-yes i remember reading about the defensive nature of OT... seems like a good reason to me
-i agree.. .more subs is useful. although i was always able to handle 90 minutes... granted i was also 18 yrs old back then and in much better shape....
-you futball noob.
personally i think allowing more subs and adopting something similar to 5 fouls and your out of basketball would be better. keep yellow cards as the equivalent of technicals instead of giving them out as liberally as they do.
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