The Truth About *That* Penalty Kick

Why Soccer Still Sucks In My Books

As you know I've since come to the conclusion that the truth is, soccer, just plain sucks. All sporting games break your heart - it takes a special kind to kick you in the nuts as well.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has recently said some strange things. To whit:

Speaking on SBS TV's The World Game yesterday, Blatter admitted the standard of refereeing at the finals "was not the best" and hit out at the antics of many "cheating" players, claiming he was shocked by the "amount of simulation".

The Socceroos were bundled out of the second round 1-0 by eventual champion Italy after Fabio Grosso was awarded a penalty for what many experts deemed a blatant dive in the final minute of the game.

Spanish referee Luis Medina awarded the spot kick and striker Francesco Totti slotted home the winner, sending his side into the quarter-finals against the weakest team of the final eight, Ukraine, and the Socceroos into heartache.

Medina was lambasted for his decision, while Gross was labelled a "diver" by millions of Australians.

"I agree with them and I would like to apologise to our fans in Australia," Blatter told interviewer Les Murray.

"The Socceroos were great. They should have gone to the quarter-finals in place of Italy because they were up to beating Italy ... you go into extra time and you are 11 against 10. But that is presumptuous.

"I think there was too much cheating (throughout the tournament) on the players' side."

Central defender Lucas Neill, whose sliding tackle Grosso dived over, welcomed Blatter's apology, but said the situation was worsening.

"It's pleasing to see FIFA is at last acknowledging and paying more attention to the issue," the Blackburn Rovers star said.

Despite Blatter's belated comments, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who was assistant to Guus Hiddink at the finals, Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill and television commentator Andy Harper all took the apology with a grain of salt.

"It's a case of hunting with the hounds and running with the hares," said Harper, who works for Fox Sports.

"He is crying crocodile tears, but he is right ... we were ripped off."

Arnold, who described Blatter as a "very good politician", said the apology did not matter now.

"It doesn't change anything, does it?" Arnold said. "We were knocked out by a poor decision. We went home and Italy won the title. What's happened has happened. It's way after the event."

O'Neill stopped short of describing Blatter as a politician.

"It should be noted he was being interviewed by (an Australian) Les Murray for domestic consumption," O'Neill said.

"There is some sense of comfort in that the president was stating what all Australian fans felt at the time ... that it was a very poor decision (by the referee). But, now four months later, it doesn't change the result.

"If you are looking ahead, the thing is to try and improve the integrity of the results at the World Cup and all internationals. The message is we have to eliminate diving and cheating and ensure the standard of refereeing is up to scratch."

One official, who did not want to be named, suggested Blatter had a history of telling different countries what they want to hear.

"If Mr Blatter had made the same comments in Italy, then there might be some credence to them," he said. "I daresay it would be a big story then."

Harper said that players feigning injury was a huge issue for FIFA.

"Mr Blatter and FIFA really need to do something about that," he said. "The sight of players getting carried off on a stretcher, taken to the sideline, then jumping to their feet immediately, is making a mockery of the game.

"I believe they should bring in a rule that once a player is taken to the sideline to be treated for an injury, then he is not allowed back on for five minutes."

It doesn't matter now. It's all said and done. Deservedly or not, Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and nobody can take that away from them. Australia "was robbed" big time in front of the eyes of the world, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

I mean, rightly or wrongly you don't hear Bud Selig saying somebody else should have won the World Baseball Classic, based on a disputed call somewhere in the tournament, do you?