World Cup Blues

I have to admit, I really wasn't interested in the recently completed World Cup. I absolutely love to play soccer, and I play a decently-sized part in the organization of soccer in the Interlake, but watching the pros do their thing didn't really interest me.

There are two reasons I was not interested in the tournament. The first is, well, Canada isn't in it. It is very rare for me to watch any type of sporting event that I have no emotional interest in. I don't usually watch a CFL game unless the Blue Bombers are one of the teams competing. I rarely watch NHL hockey unless the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing. And so on. So having no team to cheer for was kind of a downer.

Possibly the greater reason, however, is the proclivity of "diving" in professional soccer. It seems that anytime an opponent gets near, the other player hits the dirt writhing in agony. They are trying to draw a penalty against the opposing team, and it is completely lacking any kind of sportsmanship.

Athletes in other sports embellish injuries too, I have no doubt about that. But soccer has gotten beyond ridiculous; the sheer number of incidents per game is enough to really turn me off the professional game. As a coach I would never teach my players something like that and I don't want them to learn that behaviour either.

I really hope Fifa does something to crack down on this, because if they really want soccer to take root in North America, it has to be dealt with. There are already tools in place that could easily be used to combat this problem. For example, they could designate a video replay official who reviews any injury to determine whether the player was actually touched or not. It would not slow down the game because the game has already stalled because the player is rolling around the field in "agony". Pretty simple solution for a problem that even FIFA has admitted they have.