South Africa – Where the Great Game Went to Die

I thought it might be a good time to rant a little about the World Cup of soccer (football to those who know better) presently being played and laid to rest in the nation of South Africa. Simply put, where is Al-Qaeda when we need them. If ever something needed some explosive energy and some anarchy to kick-start it is this joke of a tournament and the great game which can now officially be known as the Great Shame.

I love football. I have loved it ever since the 1974 World Cup when my beloved Germans won a masterful and exciting final over the Dutch masters. Back then the game had artistry and was all about attacking and imagination. It was less bogged down like today’s version of the sport by drama queen theatrics like feigning injury, diving and even less by childish displays of greed and petulance like the kind exhibited by the England and French teams towards the fans and their team manager.

Add to these problems is the state of the game which has become increasingly more defensive and has become a tactical nightmare dragged into the dark ages by little Napoleons with chalkboards who have reduced the game to a grid like chess match that is slow, calculated, unimaginative and above all, boring as Hell.

At the club level and on the national level the pressure both sociologically and financially is great on teams, that losing must be prevented at all costs. So the remedy of many teams is they play not to lose rather than play not to win. What a load of horse manure. I personally blame the Italian influence for ruining the game. An overcautious approach that promotes the 0-0 draw or 1-0 win and a style that cultivates poor sportsmanship and gamesmanship which has gotten so bad, that referees today are saddled with a unfathomable task. Trying to referee a match of football follies and misfits. How does the old joke go? I went to a football match and Showgirls performed instead.

Where have all the great players gone. The Beckenbauer’s Mueller’s, Chalton’s, Eusebio’s, Best’s, Di Stefano’s, Pele’s and Cruyff’s. All geniuses with the ball but also players who were not bogged down by defensive systems and their own lack of manhood that would force them to resort to the theatrics and childish antics of most of today’s stars. Truthfully, I’m sick of it.

It’s bad enough I have to tolerate the greed, mercenary mindset, lack of loyalty and overall apathy of many of these players but to have to subject myself to the brand of football they and their managers are serving up at this World Cup is just way to high for my tolerance level to handle. Hell we have to deal with the systematic extortion by greedy American cutthroats of my beloved Manchester United. Now I have to watch the great spectacle be reduced to a boring display of gamesmanship and amateur burlesque style theatrics.

Of gamesmanship, poor play and boring and cowardly tactics. ENOUGH! Time to take the game back from these bastards who seem to think we fans matter not. And to those fans that seem to think that all is well in the great game and who appreciate a 1-0 match, may I suggest you go get your heads examined for loose wiring or go fishing near the Deep Water oil rig. Good luck on catching anything. Chances are better though than any of us seeing a well played exciting game where both teams attack and score more than one goal each. My God what I would give for a game that had more than one goal from each team. Seriously, anybody who finds the present brand of football at this World Cup exciting needs to be checked for a pulse and a pace maker.

I’ve just about had it with the modern game. It’s all about politics and money. The fans do not matter in the least other than they are expected to pay inordinate amounts of money to support a truly inferior product. And the bottom line is the teams and the leagues or associations don’t care. Thousands complain of the ball being used at the World Cup helping to destroy the spectacle. Does FIFA do anything about it? No. Thousands complain about the bee sounding annoying noise from the Vuvuzela while watching on tv or even going to the matches. Does FIFA do anything about it? No. The USA is thoroughly robbed of a win by an incompetent refereeing decision. Does FIFA do anything about it? No. The list infractions, incompetence and denial goes on and on and on. FIFA, UEFA, The English FA and all the governing bodies of this sport seem to permanently have their heads up their collective asses and refuse to consider any changes that will make the game fairer, more competitive, more exciting and just plain more palatable.

We are presently watching the worst played and lowest scoring World Cup in history. Players look tired, disinterested while managers look incapable or unwilling to energize them with positive tactics and take the shackles off them and the game. It’s about not losing at all costs. Well, there are two major losers as I see it. The game and the fans.