World Cup Play-Offs (Europe) Draw

[Nerik]

Nos I think that if Ronaldo's cheating wins Real the CL it would be a price they'd be willing to pay. He will get what at most? 3 game suspension? It would be the equivalent of getting sent off to keep your team from conceding.

[Nosferatu]

No, you make it as severe as it has to be to discourage it.

Have a read of this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/aug/17/dean-richards-banned

You're right, a 3 match ban would do nothing. A 3 month ban may do something do. Okay, I know that sounds a bit severe. But even still, if you start with a 3 match ban. It would start to stamp it out and go the right way. No one in the World Cup is going to do it. And if you're not doing it all the way through for fear of missing out, you're less likely to do it in the final. Real may not mind Ronaldo doing it in the CL final. But they will in the rest of the matches where really they will not want to lose him for 3 matches.

[kopdude]

Roy Keane tells FAI: "What goes around comes around"

By Soccernet staff

November 20, 2009

Roy Keane has criticised the Football Association of Ireland and chief executive John Delaney, stating in his own inimitable style that "what goes around comes around" in the wake of the country's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Ireland attracted the sympathy of millions on Wednesday night when an impressive performance in Paris went unrewarded, with Thierry Henry attracting strong criticism when handling the ball and teeing up William Gallas for the goal that made it 2-1 on aggregate.

But while Keane does feel for Giovanni Trapattoni, his players and the nation that was so infuriated by Henry's actions, his sympathies do not extend to the FAI, which on Friday learned that FIFA had rejected its request for a play-off.

Keane famously clashed with the FAI when he left Ireland's camp at the 2002 World Cup and the Ipswich manager reserved particular ire for Delaney in a strong response to the controversy on Friday.

"I think the supporters deserve better, the manager (Giovanni Trapattoni) deserves better and probably most of the players deserve better, but I'm not sure the FAI deserve better," Keane said. "What goes around comes around.

"People seem to forget what was going on in that World Cup (in 2002), and that man (FAI chief executive John Delaney) is on about honesty. I was one of the players and he didn't have the courtesy to ring me.

"I'd been involved with Ireland since I was 15 years of age and that man didn't have the decency to make a phone call. He could have phoned me, of course he could have."

Keane also claimed that Ireland had been the beneficiaries of fortunate decisions earlier in the campaign, as well as pointing the finger at Shay Given and the Ireland defence for failing to deal with the free-kick that found its way to Henry.

"Ireland had their chances in the two games (against France), and they never took them," Keane added. "But it's the usual FAI reaction - 'We've been robbed', 'The honesty of the game...'

"There was one match against Georgia where Ireland got a penalty and it was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen which changed the whole course of the game. I don't remember the FAI after the game saying we should give them a replay.

"I'd focus on why they didn't clear it (the free-kick). I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper?"

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=701074&sec=worldcup2010&cc=5901

[grandrake]

Call me cynical, but I think the only reason why FIFA isn't budging on the implementation of video evidence is simply because it gets in the way of their control over match results.

[Nerik]

No, you make it as severe as it has to be to discourage it.

Have a read of this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/aug/17/dean-richards-banned

You're right, a 3 match ban would do nothing. A 3 month ban may do something do. Okay, I know that sounds a bit severe. But even still, if you start with a 3 match ban. It would start to stamp it out and go the right way. No one in the World Cup is going to do it. And if you're not doing it all the way through for fear of missing out, you're less likely to do it in the final. Real may not mind Ronaldo doing it in the CL final. But they will in the rest of the matches where really they will not want to lose him for 3 matches.

So you're saying that you get a 3 month ban for what Henry did and then a 3 match ban for a possible career threatening tackle?

[Nosferatu]

Call me cynical, but I think the only reason why FIFA isn't budging on the implementation of video evidence is simply because it gets in the way of their control over match results.

Well they did seed the draw two weeks before they made it when it looked like France and Germany would be going into it. So yes.


Nerik, if you think about Rio Ferdinand, he got what, a 9 month ban for missing a drugs test. Use drugs or don't do the test and you get punished for being a cheat and you get banned severely. So what's the difference in diving or the likes?

As for career threatening injuries, if you can prove there was malice then the punishment should be very severe. But proving that is far from easy. I think I know what you're referring to here. But it's very difficult. We've already had debates over certain tackles like the Eduardo tackle where Zap argues it was that and a lot of us disagree. I know you're going to talk about the Keane one but even that was difficult as the author said he used artistic license in what was said. And even if you did throw the book at Keane, which is fair enough, you're not really going to get others admitting anything in a similar context.

Players like Barton seem to get into most trouble off the pitch. And a big issue of course is do you punish the player who makes the attempt as severely as the player who actually pulls it off? By that I mean if you remember the Olympiacos game in 2005 and Gerrard got all the credit for the win when actually he was lucky to be on the pitch. I'd judge his tackle as worse than Taylor's even though the outcome of Taylor's was much more horrific.

[Nosferatu]

Cantona bares his teeth at Domenech and Henry

By Soccernet

November 21, 2009

   
Former France international and Manchester United legend Eric Cantona launched his singular type of blast at both Raymond Domenech and Thierry Henry after his national team reached the World Cup at the expense of Ireland, and, in the case of Henry, by foul means rather than fair.


"I think that Raymond Domenech is the worst coach in French football since Louis XVI," Cantona told reporters at a press conference ahead of a beach soccer tournament due to take place in his hometown of Marseille. French king Louis XVI was the monarch executed by French revolutionaries in 1793 after the revolution of 1789. He is commonly depicted as an indecisive, dithering monarch.

"If it was up to me, I'd put (Bordeaux coach) Laurent Blanc in charge of the France team," the former Manchester United hero continued. "He continues the season with Bordeaux, he wins the league with Bordeaux and he wins the World Cup! I'm not the only one who thinks that..."

Cantona, nowadays an actor of some acclaim and coach of France's beach soccer team, also criticised the attitude of Thierry Henry, whose handball set up France's winning goal in their 2-1 aggregate play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland.

"What shocked me most wasn't the handball, honestly," said Cantona. "What shocked me most was that at the end of the match, in front of the television cameras, this player (Henry) went and sat down next to an Irish player to console him, even though he'd screwed them three minutes earlier.

"If I'd been Irish, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds."

[Nosferatu]

Fans protest at French embassy

Saturday November 21 2009

Around 100 Irish football fans gathered at the French embassy in Dublin to call for a replay of last week's controversial World Cup qualifier.

One protester called for a boycott of products endorsed by the Gallic superstars as anger rose over the decision to allow their extra time winner despite captain Thierry Henry's handball.

Governing body Fifa refused to order a replay of the game which ended the Republic of Ireland's hopes of qualification despite pressure from the Irish authorities and Henry's own call for a repeat.

The demonstrators waved flags as they marched from Lansdowne Road football ground to the French embassy.

Retired politics teacher Vincent Lavery, 73, claimed the dispute was all about money.

"The issue is global. We are telling young people and the entire world that the governing body of the largest sport in the world, football, condones cheating without any repercussions," he said. "If you did it in education or business you would be fired and put in jail yet these people are allowed to get away with it."

With the decisive World Cup qualifying tie finely poised at 1-1 in the first half of extra time, Barcelona striker Henry twice handled a long ball into the area before squaring for William Gallas to bundle home the eventual winner.

Fifa refused to order a replay, arguing that it would set a precedent whereby many other decisions could be challenged.

But Mr Lavery called for direct action against the French.

"The Irish people, the French people and the world need to say we will boycott the French and any product that one of the French players support. This isn't just an Irish issue; this is a human issue."

[zaphod]

This isn't just an Irish issue; this is a human issue.

- Blimey 

[Nosferatu]

Get your pitch fork zap!

 

[Nosferatu]

[noel 78]

                                                                                                                       id love 2 see henry in that kerry shirt at croke park.the vigilanties would have a field day ,off with his head and we know the french use to enjoy that punishment back in 1650

[Nerik]

Call me cynical, but I think the only reason why FIFA isn't budging on the implementation of video evidence is simply because it gets in the way of their control over match results.

Well they did seed the draw two weeks before they made it when it looked like France and Germany would be going into it. So yes.


Nerik, if you think about Rio Ferdinand, he got what, a 9 month ban for missing a drugs test. Use drugs or don't do the test and you get punished for being a cheat and you get banned severely. So what's the difference in diving or the likes?

As for career threatening injuries, if you can prove there was malice then the punishment should be very severe. But proving that is far from easy. I think I know what you're referring to here. But it's very difficult. We've already had debates over certain tackles like the Eduardo tackle where Zap argues it was that and a lot of us disagree. I know you're going to talk about the Keane one but even that was difficult as the author said he used artistic license in what was said. And even if you did throw the book at Keane, which is fair enough, you're not really going to get others admitting anything in a similar context.

Players like Barton seem to get into most trouble off the pitch. And a big issue of course is do you punish the player who makes the attempt as severely as the player who actually pulls it off? By that I mean if you remember the Olympiacos game in 2005 and Gerrard got all the credit for the win when actually he was lucky to be on the pitch. I'd judge his tackle as worse than Taylor's even though the outcome of Taylor's was much more horrific.

Missing a drugs test is a serious offence as you are possibly hiding something. It is a different form of cheating altogether. If we are going to ban people for a long for cheating then I hope we have a 55 man squad when it happens.

[Nerik]

Cantona bares his teeth at Domenech and Henry

By Soccernet

November 21, 2009

   
Former France international and Manchester United legend Eric Cantona launched his singular type of blast at both Raymond Domenech and Thierry Henry after his national team reached the World Cup at the expense of Ireland, and, in the case of Henry, by foul means rather than fair.


"I think that Raymond Domenech is the worst coach in French football since Louis XVI," Cantona told reporters at a press conference ahead of a beach soccer tournament due to take place in his hometown of Marseille. French king Louis XVI was the monarch executed by French revolutionaries in 1793 after the revolution of 1789. He is commonly depicted as an indecisive, dithering monarch.

"If it was up to me, I'd put (Bordeaux coach) Laurent Blanc in charge of the France team," the former Manchester United hero continued. "He continues the season with Bordeaux, he wins the league with Bordeaux and he wins the World Cup! I'm not the only one who thinks that..."

Cantona, nowadays an actor of some acclaim and coach of France's beach soccer team, also criticised the attitude of Thierry Henry, whose handball set up France's winning goal in their 2-1 aggregate play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland.

"What shocked me most wasn't the handball, honestly," said Cantona. "What shocked me most was that at the end of the match, in front of the television cameras, this player (Henry) went and sat down next to an Irish player to console him, even though he'd screwed them three minutes earlier.

"If I'd been Irish, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds."

Cantona is dead right. That posing with Dunne did Henry no credit at all.......

[Nosferatu]

Missing a drugs test is a serious offence as you are possibly hiding something. It is a different form of cheating altogether. If we are going to ban people for a long for cheating then I hope we have a 55 man squad when it happens.

But why is taking drugs deemed so bad and diving or blatant cheating in other forms acceptable? You don't need a 55 man squad, you just tell your players to stop. And let's be honest here, it's not as if there is a huge amount of it anyway. There's normally one incident every couple of matches. Start enforcing it and there would be none.

I think even keeping it simple, like a couple of matches ban for the players involved and it will start to run out of the game. Even for Henry if you gave him a 3 match ban, it rules him out of the group stages of the World Cup and it confirms him as a cheat. It's a start. I know you can't do it now but you could start something that will come in. It will effect us though and we will lose players but ultimately you'd have a lot more confidence in the game. The stricter it is, the more confident you would be.