EURO 2012! (8.6. - 1.7.2012) - by Tomi
D'Arcy on 17/6/2012 at 21:38
I couldn't care less about the Portuguese team. My 'rule' for international tournaments is always to support Germany (and Argentina in the world cup), and wish the worst possible for England and Spain. But seriously, is diving/faking injuries an exclusive of the Portuguese? Are we talking about the same tournament where there's a Spanish team filled with Barcelona players? :D
Tomi on 18/6/2012 at 17:44
Quote Posted by D'Arcy
But seriously, is diving/faking injuries an exclusive of the Portuguese? Are we talking about the same tournament where there's a Spanish team filled with Barcelona players? :D
Oh, of course it's not just the Portuguese who do it. Greece, Italy and Spain are just as bad, and I bet that all teams have some cheaters and divers. I'm paying more attention than normally to all the fouls in the matches with any of those four teams playing, and I secretly love to moan about any dives that I see. ;)
It's usually just one or two annoying players too who ruin the reputation of the whole team... for Portugal that just happens to be Pepe, a violent thug and a cheater that I despise more than any other footballer at the moment. I used to dislike Cristiano Ronaldo a lot, but I think he has grown up a bit - he's not the same cheater that he used to be, he occasionally stays on his feet nowadays. I still don't like his arrogant attitude and the goddamn annoying freekick stance. :p
I'd love to moan about Spain too, especially because Andrés Iniesta won my prestigious "Most Annoying Player" award in the previous World Cup for his diving antics, but apart from the occasional over-dramatized fall (that just about every team is guilty of every now and then), I think that the whole Spanish team has behaved quite nicely so far. Let's reassess the situation when the important games begin... (today?)
€100,000 isn't much for a top-level footballer nowadays, but when you compare that to other recent UEFA fines, I think it's just ridiculous and wrong. So, Bendtner gets a
personal €100,000 fine for showing his pants on telly (OMG!) for about two seconds... At the same time, UEFA hits the Russian and Polish football associations with a
smaller fine for the truly disgusting acts of hooliganism before the RUS-POL match. Same goes for racist behaviour or crowd violence or setting off fireworks (etc) during matches, the fines that UEFA have given for those have been truly ridiculous. Things like this just make me feel angry, and sadly it shows where UEFA/FIFA's priorities lie.
nickie on 18/6/2012 at 17:58
Yeah, I agree with that. Obviously when you put it in context it doesn't make sense and with a ban as well, seems excessive punishment. In UK football, a player is given a yellow card if he takes his shirt off when celebrating a goal which, with a smaller fine for the advertising, would have seemed more appropriate. I'm assuming the fine was for the advertising and the one-game ban for doing it. But it's excessive despite the fact they were truly horrible pants.
Kuuso on 18/6/2012 at 19:58
The fine was justified. They have an exclusive deal with a betting agency and the Bendner was advertising another one, not even mentioning that all forms of advertising by players is explicitly banned.
The hooliganism stuff is a bit weird, what is the associations supposed to do, when fans go apeshit? What is their power in this? They're slapped with fines, so I guess they must have some kind of possibilities to affect it?
Kuuso on 19/6/2012 at 10:44
I agree that the fines might not be comparable, but that's not the point. The problem is that the fines for racism etc. are too low or action to correct this is not pressed enough.
Besides, does it come as any surprise that UEFA defends it's monetary interests with more vigor? :)
nickie on 19/6/2012 at 17:08
Not at all! Uefa always seem to have a lot to answer for. And I misunderstood you so I'm glad that's sorted!
Tonight I think we might watch England v Ukraine and there's absolutely no sneaking wish on my part that Rooney will fall flat on his face because that would be disloyal and unpatriotic.
Edit: So Croatia have been fined (
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18461087) 80,000 euros for Mario Balotelli racial abuse. That's a bit better.
N'Al on 19/6/2012 at 20:40
Group D for dull.
At least England is through, and will now face only 'marginally easier' opposition in Italy.
