I think Blatter's line of thought is that he doesn't want additional breaks in the game, and I can see his point.

I would however introduce a review for all cases after the games, and hand out draconian punishments for the "actors"
- if the only result was a free kick not leading to a goal: 3 games ban
- any cards or penalties: 5 games ban
- for multiple offenders the ban will be doubled... per offense

It would be nice to see the ref with immediate powers to hand. For instance, getting mobbed because a decision is not liked, penalty. OK, bit harsh. Sin bin the goalie.

What can refs realistically do that they are not already doing? They can't penalise offences they can't see. They can't penalise play-acting if they can't distinguish it from the real thing. They don't have superhuman powers to see things in slow-motion and from multiple angles like the spectator does, watching on his television. Do you think that they are not (most of them) doing the best they can? They consistently and severely penalise dissent, so players failing to take heed are rapidly penalised.

When you say "UK", do you mean "England", or are you talking equally about each of the 4 separate football jurisdictions in the UK? And do you think the situation is much better anywhere else that high value football is played? Have you noticed overseas referees being consistently markedly better than British ones, or overseas players less likely to foul and dive?

In my view there will be no great improvement until there is video enforcement. But Fifa is vehemently opposed to it. But international sports organisations are accountable to no one, and tend not to operate entirely in the interest of the sports they represent.

Think I am being a bit vague. It is in reference to the challenges and antics. From what I see in many matches is the ref does control the game to some extent but one iffy decision and there are groups of players haranguing and verbally challenging the ref. Especially in the top flight. Personally I think that needs curbing. I do favor the video ref.

Re "UK". Most matches I have worked at are Wales and England. Just a habit. I must admit to not noticing the nationality of players. I watch the game rather than who is who, probably not a good way to be informed on the ability of international refs.

The objection with stopping and waiting for the second ref(TV ref) is understandable. There are times when the ref is convinced of what he saw and would not seek a second opinion, what do you do then.....Probably override his decision. When?A few second after the incident. This will irritate fans at the game/stadium. This past weekend a ref allowed what looked like a goal from his perspective, but on slow motion the ball hit the cross-bar and landed in front of the goal line (centimeter if not millimeters), but this was only obvious ~5 seconds later. The argument here is the ref will lose their powers and the game will be considerably slower. Everything will have to be double checked with the second ref (TV guy)

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Actually, a perfect game is 27 batters retired without reaching base. There can be no hits, no walks, no batters hit-by-pitch, and no errors resulting in a player reaching base.

My guess is that even if a player reached base and was put out on the same play (for instance a strike out with dropped third strike, then an errant throw to first with the runner attempting to reach second but put out trying to get there), the perfect game is gone. I think the official ruling is that no player can reach any base safely by any means at all in order for it to be a prefect game.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Especially the Argentines...

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If you're careful enough, nothing bad or good will ever happen to you.

How exciting!

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"Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the greater view?" - Hugo

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Churchill

I understand your concern.

I also understand the points system in league play: goals for, goals against, at home, away etc.

Nil-nil results are much less common though; most soccer leagues, that I'm aware of, more often will play OverTime and then if still no result, will go to penalty kicks to get a decision.



Nope, born and bred American.
I did however spend 3yrs as a boy in Germany and then 5 weeks on a soccer tour across Europe in '88.

I guess I make the distinction because I've been immersed in Americans who don't get it.

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"Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the greater view?" - Hugo

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Churchill

Clearly some people think that losing a few minutes is more important than integrity, which is against the trend of what is happening in most sports. The experience of cricket is that video umpires/refs can be organised to deliver rapid verdicts. In many cases where appeals would be appropriate, there is often substantial time consumed after the incident with players feigning injury, etc, so the TV ref would consume no additional time. And if the threat of the TV ref makes players behave more often, as I believe, it is actually saving time.

The idea that people have had to limit the amount of time consumed is to give each team a limited number of video appeals, and they lose one each time they have an appeal turned down. Isn't that what happens in tennis with controversial line decisions these days? That would limit appeals to important incidents that substantially affect the game. With players knowing that video could be used, the number of controversial incidents should reduce.

The fact that players continue to challenge refs, when they know that no ref has ever changed his decision because of it, and they get automatic yellow cards for dissent, shows that part of the failure is at the club level for not training their players how to avoid getting carded.

"Nil-Nil" sounds like a Pokemon.

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The Devil offered me power. I told him I preferred aperture.

"Pokemon" sounds like a slow Jamaican.

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"Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the greater view?" - Hugo

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Churchill

Probably as about exciting as watching grass grow for most. I can see how people not really fans of the essence of the games can be so bored with soccer or baseball. I'm not a fan of soccer, so can not speak to that game - - even though I have been known to poke some good-natured fun at it.

I do get the essence of baseball, and it is quite unique to team games. It is the one-on-one relationship of pitcher and batter. They are the only 2 positions involved in every play of the game (except for the catcher who's job is pretty much to give the ball back to the pitcher). True baseball afficianados really get into the subtle dance the two engage in as they battle for ownership of the plate.

The pitcher has the basic advantage of knowing what he is going to throw, and the overall advantage competitively based on the rules of the game (as is evidenced by the average batter being successful in approximately 1 in 4 attempts; and being considered rock-star quality if they can raise that to 1 in 3).

If a pitcher is on their game, they can only get beat by bad luck or good guesswork. Mostly it is because of the physics of the game. Had to work that in. It is impossible for a batter to protect the entire plate at all times. The strike zone is too big, the variety of pitches too many, and velocity too great for the batter to use any one stance and swing to guard against all that might come. They have to guess at what is likely to be thrown and where; then employ what they think will work against it. It is why you sometimes see even the best hitters look like fools at the plate - - because even they have to do some guessing and even they get fooled. And if an otherwise great player doesn't have mental acuity to do the subtle dance with the pitcher, along with the physical ability to hit a wide variety of pitches - - they will be a minor leaguer forever.

Only exception might be at shortstop. But even there, the minor leagues are full of great shortstops, and the ones that can hit the best are the guys that get called up.

As a statement to the supremacy of that relationship, and especially to the role of pitching; it is often considered by baseball's closest followers that the greatest game in history was Sandy Koufax's perfect game against the Cubs (who else?). In an incredible duel, there was 1 hit in the entire game, and it did not even figure in the lone scored run.

I love the game; but yeah, I can see how many would consider it very boring to watch; especially the 1-0 pitching gems.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I thought for sure that quote about picking oneself up after stumbling over the truth was Twain. I had it wrong all this time?

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

And here I thought it was a way to distract predators from the soccer player's nest.

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The Devil offered me power. I told him I preferred aperture.

I'd have to say yes.

I think Churchill made the statement while opining on the UFO phenomena.

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"Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the greater view?" - Hugo

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Churchill

That would be the broken wing display.

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One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009

I couldn't believe the pathetic acting during the World Cup.

When players do that they should be thown out of the game for unsportsmanlike conduct, particularly backing via the video piece.

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I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol. Human.

Whoever says "perception is reality" is daft. It's merely an abstraction, and often not a very good one.

In basketball the "reggie miller flop" is getting too popular and taking away from the game. Should this form of cheating really be part of the game? Does being a good flopper make someone a better basketball player?

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