Sports Notes BRAZIL QUE PASSA??? (What's Happening?) - Zidane's Fate - July 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Monday July 31, 2006

A TV special on the success of Brazil football they showed how dancing plays a big part in their countries football success

The gleam and the fire in his eyes were missing from the bucktoothed face of Ronaldinho. The same for Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos and other members of the Brazil national team that failed in their quest to win a record sixth World Cup title. There seemed to be trouble from the start. Some questioned why they only played only one friendly warm-up match before the WC games began. With so many players with World Cup championship experience on the club why risk injury and cheap shots from the opposition that might try to injure key players so they couldn't play in the beautiful games biggest competition.

France lost their top goal scorer Djibril Cisse in their last warm-up friendly before the WC competition. It took them three games in the first round with poor showings to adjust to Cisse's loss.

Brazil is the best of all time and continued to be ranked number one in the world even after their 1-0 elimination by France in the quater-finals. When you want to win a war you go after the leaders or cut off the head of a snake so they can't attack, think and perform. In spite of it all, Brazil was and remains the leader. Ronaldinho was basically missing from the competition with his low profile performance. Compared with his electrifying goal against England in the 2002 WC competition he was AWL.

Pele noted that the team was flat and needed more pre WC test matches for the players to gel. Though they have a lot of veterans, "you can't replace experience," he pointed out, he also noted that KaKa and Ronaldinho hadn't played that much together. They needed more time to get their timing and rhythm synchronized.

In a TV special on the success of Brazil football they showed how dancing plays a part in their countries football success over the years. They showed a teenage girl bouncing the ball off her head, knees and feet that no player on the Cambodian or Thai national teams could do.

It's not age that made the difference in Brazil's poor showing this WC but it has something to do with the missing unity, heart, soul and spirit. In this WC Brazil was a wallflower, they sat this one out… they weren't dancinganymore.

SCOLARI'S ARROGANCE

In March FIFA released a statement regarding their punishment for racism..

The measures range from match suspensions and deduction of points (3 points for a first offense, 6 for a second and relegation in case of further offenses) to disqualification of a team from a competition, depending on the case.

Confederations and member associations will be compelled to incorporate these provisions in their regulations, and any association that infringes the article can be excluded from international football for two years. FULL STORY

QUESTION???:

Since FIFA is supposedly making a strong stand against racism whereupon a team can lose points or a game if the fans show racist antics should a player be suspended and fined if they make racist remarks to another player?

ROONEY SUSPENDED

England striker Wayne Rooney was suspended for stomping on the family jewels of a Portuguese player…. WHY???

After reviewing the film of the incident the way I saw it the Portuguese player had his legs LOCKED around Rooney's ankles while Rooney was trying to walk away thus the reaction of pushing his foot back to free himself.

Rooney wasn't looking at him and aiming he was just pushing himself free and the jewels were there. Unjust punishment?

The Portuguese side continually dived and cried to gain the officials sympathy. Rooney was the victim and that was a decisive factor in England's elimination. His absence took the wind out of England's sails. He is the generator of energy and fight for the side.

MORE ROONEY...

Though he is young Rooney certainly doesn't pull any punches he does know how express himself.

In a recent Rooney comment he said that he would never play for Everton boss David Moyes again. Does that seal away Moyes from being the coach of England for the next 12 years?

MORE FOULS???... GO FIGURE

Before the World Cup began FIFA emphasized that diving and elbowing be watched and the violators punished. The result was that excessive fouls were the major downside of a great tournament.

In many cases too many fouls were called, particularly against the teams from Africa resulting in them noting favoritism by the officials for the opposing side.

When Italy played the USA Brian McBride was elbowed in what was the tournaments most violent foul. A red card was given and the Italian player was ejected. In an incident like this should a player that commits such a flagrant foul be ejected from the tournament?

Zidane's head butt was Mickey Mouse compared to this foul, Zidane didn't draw blood.

That assault on McBride was the worst attack on an opposing player that I have ever seen in a non boxing sport since when the then NBA's Utah Jazz star Karl Malone viciously placed his elbow between the eyes of then Detroit Piston star Isaiah Thomas almost two decades ago. Blood jumped out of Thomas' head like the Yellow Stone geyser spewing water from the ground.

The foul on McBride was very similar. Whereas FIFA president Sepp Blatter continually expressed that diving and elbowing should not be tolerated he later suggested that two yellow card penalties may be too little and there should be three before a player is penalized with a one game suspension.

The rationale being that the fans should get to see the players play.Is this a conflict of terms that would only result in MORE PENALTIES and encourage violent play as in McBride's case? Blatter then went on television and admitted that as a young player in Switzerland he dived a lot in order to sway the officials.

What are we saying here? Is someone speaking with a forked tongue or with a silver spoon in his mouth or perhaps hasn't thought this matter out clearly?

WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS

2006 Italy

2002 Brazil

1998 France

1994 Brazil

1990 West Germany

1986 Argentina

1982 Italy

1978 Argentina

1974 West Germany

1970 Brazil

1966 England

1962 Brazil

1958 Brazil

1954 West Germany

1950 Uruguay

1938 Italy

1934 Italy

1930 Uruguay

Ronaldinho Makes Deal... Full story

WORLD CUP ALL-STAR SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Jens Lehmann (Germany), Ricardo (Portugal).

Defenders: Roberto Ayala (Argentina), John Terry (England), Lilian Thuram (France), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal).

Midfielders: Ze Roberto (Brazil), Patrick Vieira (France), Zinedine Zidane (France), Michael Ballack (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy), Luis Figo (Portugal), Maniche (Portugal).

Forwards: Hernan Crespo (Argentina), Thierry Henry (France), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Francesco Totti and Luca Toni (Italy).

FIFA TOP 10 - FULL STORY

Rank/Team/Points

1. Brazil - 1630

2. Italy - 1550

3. Argentina - 1472

4. France - 1462 -

5. England - 1434

6. Netherlands - 1322

7. Spain - 1309

8. Portugal - 1301

9. Germany - 1229

10. Czech Republic - 1223

Rank/Team/Points

1. Brazil - 827

2. Czech Republic - 772

3. Netherlands - 768

4. Mexico 758 -

5. USA - 756

5. Spain - 756

7. Portugal - 750

8. France - 749

9. Argentina - 746

10. England - 741

(FIFA)

1. JIM MURRAY - 2. Kobe Bryant & NBA Trivia - 3. Zico Leads Japan To World Cup. Who is Zico? - 4. Cambodia's Royal Palace - 5. Teerathep Leads Thailand to SEA Games Title - Singapore' Coach Movia - 6. Thailand Impressive against Premiere Club Sides and Real Madrid - 7. Fox Searchlight Pictures Promotes Zola Mashariki to Vice President of Production - 8. Jerome Bettis of Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers - Kobe Bryant - 9. Cambodia's ANGKOR TEMPLES - 10. Grammy Music Awards Show

Full Story NR Top 20 for May * Note - New entries in RED