Five Things The World Cup Could Do Without

Only four teams are still alive in the quest for the World Cup, and it has been a captivating tournament so far.
We’ve seen so many classic moments that will live forever – or, more likely in our ever-changing kaleidoscope of what’s popular, moments that will live for the next two weeks, tops – and there are certainly more timeless moments yet to come.
But the 2010 World Cup has also had its share of downside. Controversy, disappointment and the never-ending drone of a thousand plastic horns have all combined to leave a scar on the otherwise beautiful face of the tournament.
Or have they? I’ve heard a lot of different opinions about the following aspects of the latest installment of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that there are just as many different opinions about it here in Valley Center.
So here’s what we’ll do: I’m going to share with you some of the things about the World Cup that I really dislike, and (hopefully), you, the readers, will write in to share with all of us what you think. We had some great thoughts from a reader last week, and if you’re at all interested in getting in on the discussion, read on and get ready to send your thoughts to us at sports@valleycenter.com.
With that, I give you the top five things I dislike about the 2010 World Cup.
1. The vuvuzelas
Early on in the tournament, it looked to be extremely likely that this World Cup would be known for one thing: those plastic horns that everyone in South Africa seems to be able to blow incessantly for more than four hours at a time.
Before the tournament even started, we all heard about how annoying they are. Stories came out about injuries resulting from the horns, from blown-out eardrums to a report of a ruptured throat. More stories came out about how annoying they are. Then players started talking about how annoying they are, especially when you can’t hear your teammates on the field. Then comedy shows on TV started seeing just how annoying they could really make them. Turns out that they could get a lot more annoying.
To me, they’re not all that annoying because I’m watching in on TV, thousands of miles away from the source, and I can turn down the volume if I don’t want my apartment to sound like it’s the barber shop at an Army recruitment station.
The reason they’re annoying is because they’re taking something away from the game. We discussed a few weeks ago that one of the reasons I enjoy soccer so much is because of the amazing commentary served up to us by English commentators. For example, I’d much rather hear Martin Tyler explain (about a Spanish player who had to replace his torn jersey with a new one) that, “He now has the sartorial elegance necessary to continue,” as opposed to hearing Tony Siragusa explain that a defensive tackle is effective at stuffing the run because he’s been stuffing his face with pizza.
On a quick side note, my other favorite comment from Martin Tyler was about a Spanish defender getting in the way of another defender attempting to clear the ball from the zone: “That’s a case of too many cooks spoiling the gazpacho for Spain.” How is that not exponentially better than listening to John Madden ramble on about turducken?
Anyway, back to the point – the constant buzz takes away from the game. I agree with the thought that it would be nice to hear the other African cultural celebrations, like singing or chanting or anything else. I remember watching one game in the group stage (I can’t remember exactly which one, but I’m pretty sure it was a game between two European teams) where the African turnout must not have been as prevalent. The vuvuzelas were still buzzing, but it wasn’t constant and on occasion, the singing or chanting of the European fans was able to be clearly heard. It was an odd sensation after the constant droning; I think I actually got goose bumps.
Now, I have heard another side to this argument, from Bill Simmons on ESPN.com. He recently wrote that he doesn’t mind the vuvuzelas because, at this point, his brain automatically connects that sound to the excitement of watching great soccer, like a Pavlovian response. I see where he’s coming from, because it kind of does that for me too. But honestly, I’d be just as excited about the matches without the horns. This has been an excellent tournament in so many ways that it would be nice to have it remembered for something other than an annoying buzz.
2. The anti-patriotism
I listed patriotism as one of the things I love about the World Cup, and I still hold this opinion.
What I’m getting at is that, while most players are honored to play for their country, there are some slightly off-putting examples of players who try to play for a nation that isn’t really their home country.
As far as the rules of eligibility go, a player is eligible to play for a particular country if he was born there, his parents or grandparents were born there, or if he becomes a naturalized citizen of the country. Once a player chooses his international allegiance and plays in a competitive match for a country, he can not switch to another country later on.
This can lead to some kind of shady dealings with the treatment of potential star players, something exemplified by France and their importing of talented African players throughout the years.
One example from this World Cup is Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou, who was born in Ivory Coast but tried to obtain Dutch citizenship to play for the Netherlands in the 2006 World Cup. When he failed to make the Dutch team, he opted to play for Ivory Coast leading up to the 2010 World Cup.
There isn’t a lot of wiggle room for these things, but it’s always just a little disappointing to hear that a player was born somewhere but chose to play internationally for a different country.
Unless that player is really talented and chooses to play for the United States. Then it would be patriotic.
3. Disappointing stars
The World Cup is the biggest stage for soccer, and the game’s biggest stars shine brightest in the world’s spotlight.
Except that all the recognizable names over-egged the pudding (to borrow another of my favorite English phrases from the tournament) and been a big, fat disappointment so far.
Brazil’s Kaka, England’s Wayne Rooney, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, France’s Franck Ribery, and Spain’s Fernando Torres have all been shut out so far in the tournament, and all but Torres have been sent home with the goose egg on their record.
And even the big names who scored still didn’t help their teams, from Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal to Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, to Jozy Altidore for the United States. It’s been one big stinkfest for what were supposed to be some of the game’s premier players.
On the positive side, we’ve gotten to see some unsung heroes step into the spotlight, from Diego Forlan of Uruguay (my current favorite player in the tournament, by the way) to Mesut Oezil of Germany to Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands. Even some players who are out of the tournament, such as Robert Vittek of Slovakia, Keisuke Honda of Japan and Gonzalo Higuain of Argentina, earned distinction as players who will be dangerous on the field for their respective club teams.
Still though, when the world is watching, one would hope that the best players in the world would perform as such. So far, we have yet to see it this time around.
4. Cover-your-eyes awful officiating
If you live in American and don’t know who Koman Coulibaly is, you’re in the vast minority.
Just in case you are, Coulibaly is the referee who called a phantom penalty on the United States that nullified a very last-minute goal by Maurice Edu in a near comeback against Slovenia on June 18.
Having watched that game, even the English commentators (who you wouldn’t really expect to be overly sympathetic to the Americans, especially given that England was in the same group and needed some help getting into the next round) were appalled at how poorly the game was officiated. I’m not a soccer expert, but there was a discernable groan from the crowd whenever a call was made, because the overwhelming majority of the calls were not only incorrect, but usually obvious.
More calls were blown in subsequent games, most notably in the England-Germany match and the Argentina-Mexico match in the round of 16.
England’s Frank Lampard took a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and clearly bounced beyond the goal line for what should have been the equalizer, but the game continued because the referees missed the call.
On the same day, Argentina striker Carlos Tevez scored a goal after a bouncing ball was played in to him in front of the net. Replays showed that he was offside by at least two yards when his teammate passed him the ball, but no call was made, and the game went on.
The thing is, we do expect some degree of human error in sports, as FIFA continually drops as its trump card for its ongoing inaction. The governing body of international soccer has been traditionally resistant to using technology to help officials, and this tournament is showing the world why it might be time to reconsider.
But what really gets me is that, even if technology isn’t going to be a part of the game, at least there should be more officials to watch what’s happening to make sure that terrible decisions aren’t made because of a lack of information.
Bad calls will always be a part of sports, and we as fans will always be able to discuss what should have happened. But when it comes to a tournament at this level, at least pay the fans the courtesy of making it look like you actually care about enforcing the rules of the sport.
5. The flopping
This is related to the topic of officiating, because the root cause of all the players sprawling to the ground at the slightest whisper of contact is that, a good percentage of the time, this action will bring about a desired result.
In defense of the referees, there have been a few yellow cards shown to players for embellishing a foul, or diving.
But it isn’t called nearly often enough, and that just leads to grown men throwing themselves to the ground in a show of emotion worthy of its own reality show on E!, the Entertainment Network (which, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, is the home of such gems as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Leave It To Lamas).
This is another aspect of the game that actually diminishes the quality of the final product presented to the fans. It’s exciting to see a series of great passes set up a player on the run to take a shot on goal. It is not exciting to see a series of passes set up a player on the run to get brushed by a defender and sashay his way to the ground with an expression of horror and dismay that even Hamlet would find a bit dramatic.
I get that it’s a strategy that works, and that it is a part of the game. And you can’t blame the players for trying it; as I said, it works more often than not.
But the referees who don’t put up with all that nonsense are helping the game by instilling a policy of playing hard and earning your chances. And the players who are known for flopping (*cough* Cristiano Ronaldo *cough*) would do well to pay attention to their reputation, because the referees seem less inclined to actually make a call when they know the player is a flop artist.
All it would take is a stricter policy on diving, and more yellow cards doled out before players would get the hint and just keep playing.

Now perhaps you, the reader, will take the hint and join the discussion by sending your thoughts in to our e-mail at sports@valleycenter.com.
There are still four teams alive in the World Cup, and no doubt a thrilling finish coming in the final on Sunday, so let us know your thoughts before the tournament is over and we all move on to something new, like Comic-Con. Just as a heads-up, Comic-Con is coming up in a few weeks, so be prepared to hear all about that. Thanks.
And while we’re at it, feel free to take advantage of the summer months here in Valley Center by sending in any info you have about anything happening in and around the community, especially as it relates to sports. The only way we’re going to be able to tell everyone about it is if you share what’s going on, and we’re always excited to hear what you have to say.
Write in anytime, and enjoy these final matches in the World Cup!