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Writing - business services, verse, comment all text copyright pa cosgrave "The euphemisms will wear themselves out in time. Stick to the words" David Marr "Stick to the point and the words will come" Cato
review, 2010 sydney writers' festival (bm program, news page, link at page top)
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commercial media & marketing writing Dods's Ongoing Pursuit Of Corporate Angst A Warning To Us All client: tracy dods/sohogalleries oct 15 2009 After an interval spent creating several series of commissioned works, Tracy Dods returns to exhibiting this October. In The Expedition, at Sydney’s Soho Galleries, she further develops her theme of the journey through corporate anguish and clearly identifies it as a metaphor for wider social isolation. The exhibition of twenty-five major acrylics on large canvas elicits haunting suggestions of malfunction in the western business lifestyle. “But it’s more than just corporate anguish and implied suicide. It’s really a representation of the loneliness which surrounds us all today, which we seem scarcely even to notice anymore”, says Dods. “Society is making us all so completely separate that I believe we’re close to losing an understanding of how to be, and behave as, a community. Media messages constantly instruct us to be individuals. We obey, and so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We’re lost and anxious and we see social distress all around us and we project that this must be the way we’re supposed to live now. It isn’t”.
tracy dods is an australian artist exhibiting at eight major galleries including gallery blackheath and sydney's soho galleries.
By placing these agonized figures inside a panoramic beach format, Dods perceptively suggests either a dramatically large, or sometimes a smaller and understated, expression of impotence in this characteristically essential element of Australian life. Either way, it works powerfully and she paints them as if they are observed remotely, like a body you might unthinkingly step over on a pavement. And thus she invites the viewer to consider society’s general absence of empathy. “It started one Friday evening when I watched what seemed like a herd of businessmen at 5.00 pm, homeward bound for the weekend and looking unimaginably depressed”. Her theme became a complete symbol of a nine to five, cradle to grave male condition, leading to a life one hardly knows how to live. Dods is considering varying her theme for future exhibitions to include the drabness of urban building design and has started painting this subject matter. For now, though, it remains focused on the beach and the allure of water. The Expedition, which also contains a number of smaller works on paper, runs from October 16th (opening 17th) for one month at Soho Galleries in Cathedral St, Sydney (sohogalleries.net, tracydods.com). ... ends 400 words Sydney's Indie Music Travels The World on Virtuallive.tv client: kfmmedia/virtuallive.tv august 2008 High quality weekly internet broadcasts from Sydney’s best alternative music venues have become a reality with the launch of Andrew Gelao’s new online music channel www.virtuallive.tv. Gelao has aligned his unique skill set with an emerging music environment to create new business opportunities for himself and the industry. “Sydney music is in a massive growth stage. There’s just nothing like the thrill of seeing new acts at ground level that you know are potentially huge, and being able to show them nationally and internationally is its own reward”. He points to bands like Faker and Wolfmother as examples of success born from the vitality of Sydney’s independent scene. Despite his natural enthusiasm for the concept, Gelao maintains an impressive business realism about commercial potential. “My point of difference from the YouTubes of the world is that I’m showing real, high energy recordings, professionally produced, from inside great venues”. There’s no lip synching here. “They represent a weekly spotlight on original music and new bands with genuine live performance integrity”. With no pre-publicity, Gelao is already achieving 20,000 hits per month. “I think once word gets round, a million views a year is going to be realistic”, he says, “and that’ll bring major value adds for bands, venues and sponsors. Because of the co-operative web development strategy with Club Blink, our internet presence has generated hundreds of overseas visits to both the club and the site”. Gelao’s high quality recordings are professionally produced and his conviction that they offer huge benefits to bands is clear. “I’ve recorded about 300 bands now, so I have a big catalogue. My university Olympics media experience taught me audio engineering and my video and lighting knowledge came from a decade of industry experience”. He takes his material from Sydney’s two leading alternative night clubs, Blink and Trash, posting brand new content weekly. “These are raw, high energy performances reflecting the uniqueness of Sydney’s alternative music scene and, I hope, making a real contribution to independent music”. The internet, he says, is a new gateway to musical desires. “I expect that music will become essentially free. CDs and albums will still sell, with music consumers customising their own CDs and DVDs. We’re looking to add features like this to our website”. Do record companies need to do more to confirm their place in this new environment? “I’m sure they’re on the case”. Gelao’s business currently sustains through DVD fee packages on band performances. “As the business grows, I’m confident that value for venues and sponsors will increase enormously. But that’s a little further along - right now I’m focusing on product development and a big audience growth push. Along with the Agincourt Hotel and Club Blink, we’ve been working hard on venues to offer something truly unique to Australian music”. Now that his new site is live, Gelao sees expansion to Melbourne and Brisbane as the logical next step. Andrew Gelao’s films from Sydney’s alternative music venues screen weekly at virtuallive.tv (call 0438 804 025). ... ends 500 words Trainride Into History client: john moran corperation august 2008 (trainride reviewed, toby davidson, march 2010, 'cordite poetry') “This will be not so much a music gig as an armchair theatre performance”. John Moran describes forthcoming concert performances of two new compositions in the unique setting of a historic 1930s hospital locomotive carriage at Zig Zag Railway, Clarence Station, in the Blue Mountains. Moran is also a talented artist specializing in distinctive – some say disturbing – oil paintings. He combines audio and visual media including his guitars, synthesizers, bass and vocals, under the intentional mis-spelling of the John Moran CorpEration. “I’ve been trying out a new performance approach recently and now it’s ready to show. So I chose the most unusual setting I could imagine for the Clarence performance of these 30 minute soundscapes”. Unusual, perhaps, but highly appropriate – one of the compositions is entitled Trainride and both pieces (the other is Titanic) share the same dark themes characterising Moran’s painting. He calls his music a crossover “… 2008 going forward into the 1970s! It’s influenced by the early ambient music of Wakeman, Eno and Kraftwerk but there’s plenty of punk, too. If Joe Strummer had ever worked with Edgar Froese, they might have cooked up something similar”. Moran’s music is all locally made and self funded in his Blackheath studio. A London session muso in the 1960s, he bought a guitar again in 2003 after a long musical absence and hasn’t stopped since. He formed local bands before embarking on the CorpEration project and now has six albums under his belt with an impressive portfolio of critiques. The Legendary Pink Dots’ Ed Ka-Spel says “Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about it to the world”. “Moran blends modern jazz, blues, sound effects, classical dissonance and world music elements”, says the UK’s Guitar & Bass Magazine. He’s adopted a similar approach in “giving music back” to Iceland’s Sigur Ros, turning up unannounced at small country venues and playing free. “This worked well on the south coast in May, when I took some paintings as backdrops in small town halls. I really like the intimacy of small audiences, so I’ll only have 25 seats available in the railway carriage”. Although the CorpEration is primarily intended as a vehicle for his own performance, these live concerts will benefit from Julia Day’s drumming. “Julia’s perfect for me. She’s such a sensitive, interpretive percussionist, always with you as an instrument, never dominating”. After Clarence, Moran will spend almost two months taking the show, plus a workshop, to Kerry Cannon’s Ceramic Break Warialda Sculpture Park and surrounding centres, and then to Sydney’s Cosmos Rock Lounge and Blackheath Composers’ Night. “These will not be conventional concert performances”, says Moran. “I’m promoting experimental audio and audience interaction. The Puzzle Factory’s Dax Liniere will choreograph surround sound and effects, taking people well away from normal listening zones". The performance evening will begin with platform drinks at 7.45pm on September 13, tickets $15.00 (+612-4787 8833, 0416 221 770). More information and audio samplers of Trainride and Titanic at myspace.com/thejohnmorancorpEration. ... ends 500 words copyright pa cosgrave
still city, always 2005 a reunion with Newcastle, NSW, after a 30 year separation the new hunter street fades to winter twilight as beautifully as the old one always did unable to change its way there’s no easthams girl anymore just around the corner in perkins st no bhp, no steel city now just internet outlets cafefuzion with a zed and strange, purposeless shapes of iron sailing alleyways where once we walked echoes of ealing in a haunted indian face peering from the half-light corner store while squeaky DJs scream dot com dot I owe but pigeons still roost in boarded facades fading defiantly in grand inelegance and all the more elegant for that the river lights twinkle past the great northern and still the sidewalk puddles of melting ice cream mixing now with pavement art and backpacker boots still the newsagent where once I met norman wisdom sad and fading, too, in a corner, reading the herald hoping someone might remember him still the waves are perfect still the ships and surfers queue still, there’s andy on the radio playing supertramp and status quo and still the shop girls look you in the eye and say thanks, take care and mean it still helen reddy, mozart, slim dusty and edith piaf all together in the same cheap bin and still the graffiti says luke loves sarah not foreigners are taking over no regrets it was la vie en rose gentle, fading city of dreams changing without changing as only you can always in another city’s shadow always your cross, carried alone doomed by place never to be what you might have been stay what you are nurse your memories hold your twilight ice cream puddles pass your time you will never be a steal city and know there will still, always, be those who remember mp3 audio of still city, always
the ministry of brown 2001 dark brown echoes from light brown halls brown scratches on brown walls caramel charts on a tattered old cord reflecting tired scribbles on the brownboard brown biccies, brown drinkies quiet collusions, via brown winkies brown wax in brown's ears brown-owl faces shielding brown fears soup stain stripes on sepia shirts watery eyes mask deep brown hurts brown hangovers, brown coughs power games and cruel brown scoffs dandruff storms rage on shores of tweed against the half refusal of the half brown plea brown hows? brown nows! how now? brown’s cowed brown agenda on brown breath brown apprehension of a deep brown death brown smells brown socks brown teeth brown ties brown wives brown sex brown balls brown lies nicotine stains on trembling hands brown pretenders in a wide brown land published: Gallimaufry, WrightLight P/L, 2004
the charge of the loud brigade 2005 dedicated to Denis Kevans after Alfred Lord Tennyson half a league, half a league, onward, all in the valley of deaf rode the silk hum drum "Forward, the Loud Brigade!” players big hitters quietly achieving, noisily being excellent and relevant passionate, extreme edgy, radical counting sleeps timing deliverables engaging the challenge of best practice on the ground wired for sound beeping their presence staying in the loop crashing life’s party pushing the envelope dealing with it, getting over it feedbacking issues staying across it moving on seamlessly blackberries catwalking barking key learnings more for ME sharing their take on it doing their coffee telling each other where they are brainstorming options connecting their dots vertically integrating, searching for disconnects, constructs icons, x factors and fun apps all this, while thinking outside the square transitioning their processes going forward making it happen or not happen as the mood takes them it’s a good look it’s all good on approach online getting the smarts keeping their balls in the air mining data, unpacking, drilling down thinking big picture flicking, resonating downsizing, outsourcing leveraging, considering the flip side of the upside human resources, in control of their KPIz, TQMz and PDFz Not ! not on their screen, not going there and not replying theirs is not to make reply theirs is but to hue and cry cliches to the right of them cliches to the left of them boldly they ride, and well and when can their glory fade? short story in fifty words 1 1990 Everyone saw the comet People started to hear buzzing noises in their ears and soon realised they knew when others were talking about them. All politicians went mad immediately It took about two weeks for the rest. All except me. Now I'm going mad because I never heard a thing
short story in fifty words 2 1990 A bus stops. A schoolboy passenger asks his friend Got any brothers and sisters, then? A glazed nod. Laughter freezes, conversations falter. Where are they, then? A pause, a sigh, a quiet reply. South Australia. The bus drives on. An old lady weeps silently. A day begins in nineteen ninety.
number cruncher 2008 Like so much garbage in the bin the numbers herd the humans in The holding pens await the day when digits run the world, their way thx 1138 QF4, you’re running late The people parroting 24/7 The dreary rhyme of 9/11 So now the fateful day draws near The Number-in-Chief makes it very clear the pins and passwords cheer aloud Digits Extract! Now is the hour h5n1’s got a good idea Let’s encircle them from the rear he says to general applause and the numbers nod, cos this means war Telstra 101 agrees and RU486 with glee suggests that star ten hash leads on The numbers charge, the humans run The numbers charge, they know no fear the dot points bringing up the rear while flanks of gantt charts now repel the last remaining human cell The pens await, the great blades shine WD40 bides his time The tragic sobbing mass arrives And triple 0 says screw you, I’m offline
haiku - the homeless man milson's point station, 2007 on a train the homeless man snores his alan bennett book falling shut
old soldier 2008 inspired by kate miller-heidke's 'don't let go', soldiers in burma & politicians in nsw dear diary tuesday a better day the ringing in the ears is not so loud today the goldfish moved again and the paper says the premier says that mums and dads are hurting someone got my name right in the shop the kitchen light worked again so the electricity must still be on the kid next door didn’t scream last night his uncle must’ve been away maybe he’s busy everyone’s busy a song on the radio by someone called kate said who invented all these things we have to do? i wouldn’t mind some things to have to do the new tv show last night looked just like all the rest another panel of famous people i’ve never heard of laughing, joking, sneering in grunts, and words like like izzie, the dream ends tonight, love .......... the troop ship seems so long ago when we fought for Burmese freedom but it might be 1944 still, just new words new generals, new guns, old horrors old soldiers, old mates still gone what for? no more troop ships, no more hand to hand no more mates, no more fights for freedom now they kill for oil and interests with fingers on buttons, planes without pilots bombs in jackets and the mums & dads & uncles & kids are hurting, say politicians in hard hats and safety vests was it all for this? it costs a lot, just to hurt these days but pet food’s not so bad and the paper said the premier said it’s all for our best interests because that way, the kitchen lights will keep turning on .......... i missed the spring clean again this year but at least the dust is my bloody dust and the bathroom floor stains all mine, too i’ll go outside again today this could be mailbox week maybe it’s garbage day, i just forget i just try to forget
normal service 2004 a sort of utopia we regret this temporary loss of transmission when normal service is resumed, leaders will listen and all the dollars spent on independent inquiries will buy food in Africa and all the money spent on watching us from space will convert spy satellites into solar power stations and all the email key words will become, once again, just words 4 wheel drivers will stay in the slow lane, their bull bars melted down to make cages for duck shooters mandatory jury service will be replaced by compulsory WIRES membership when your service is resumed George Bush will make a pilgrimage to Mecca on a donkey and beg forgiveness in front of a million muslims, and have it granted and Blair and Howard will get their Netherlands visas in the mail stamped 'one way only' and from the cell next door, Mladic will make them welcome all strollers will be made so babies can see their parents and not have to face the new world alone tv channels that tell you what’s coming up next in the credits will be made to run The Ascent of Man continuously for a week and newsreaders who read news like an ice cream commercial will be caned just before the sport people who talk on mobile phones in cinemas will be force fed 50 choc ices David Beckham will embrace Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, play once more for Man U and once again, free to air will show it when normal service is resumed, people who torture kittens will stand trial at the Supreme Feline Court and eat whiskas for the rest of their lives and then be given eight more lives advertising executives will have short lunches at sandwich shops and pay back the cost of every trip to Bangkok to take one still photograph, inside the plane, into a trust fund for diabetic 14 year olds, and forget forever the word fear Thabo Mbecki will finally admit that H-I-V causes A-I-D-S and Robert Gabriel Mugabe will beg the people of Matabeleland to make it quick and painless and parents will stop giving their children Ritalin and find the time to give them time when normal service is resumed when your service is resumed.
contemporary editorial & world cup comment (scroll down for world cup reports) Cartoon Capers aug 20 2010 NASA administrators are reported to be considering sending trainee astronauts to Australia to see if they can survive a month and a half locked up in a federal election campaign. Tomorrow, the five week festival of clichés that has passed for an election campaign concludes. The absence of any real personalities must have been the reason for the parade of former leaders and old campaign footage but it reached the point when one wondered if perhaps they’d start exhuming bodies. It might have been more exciting. Both leaders began by saying they would be extremely “lean and mean”, avoiding all substantial monetary handouts. It took them both about a day and half to work out that this wasn’t what the voters wanted at all. The violence inflicted on the English language has been pitiless with never-ending slogans about twelve billion dollar holes, forwards movement and stopping non-existent tides of illegal migrants (who as refugees would be legal, anyway, if they existed in anywhere near the numbers suggested). Orwell said “alter the language and you can alter the way they think”. Thus we hear Julia Gillard (intriguingly called “Gilliard” quite often by ABC TV newsreaders in the first days of the campaign) telling 7.30 Report viewers on August 3 “I’d rather urge on the side of confidentiality”. “Dead, buried and cremated”, said Tony Abbott of his party’s erstwhile industrial relations policy. How about stuffed, mounted and mummified, too, just for good measure? “Two weeks to go, now you’ll see the real me”, Gillard announced a fortnight ago but no-one seems to have noticed the difference. In the manicured doorstop interviews there was always a minder or minister in sunglasses nodding sagely just behind the leader. But why did the leader need a hard hat and safety shirt, whilst the poor old minder got none? In the on-again-off-again debates (the word is used loosely), both leaders were scrupulously scripted and the legitimate third leader, the Greens’ Bob Brown, successfully kept well away from everything. It was a kaleidoscope of suburban selfishness with not a word about the significant foreign policy issues facing this nation and nothing at all about the major internal dilemmas confronting Australia. Just the usual handouts, baby kissing and sandbagging. The wonder, really, is why this insulting quadrennial charade is considered even remotely acceptable. Two people nailed it. Cheryl Kernot, early in the campaign, asked why we have to go through this turgid process. “Five weeks of being shouted at and promised the earth, all for the sake of a few people who weren’t paying attention anyway. Once the election is decided, let’s just have it the next day”. And Hugh McKay put on record for the 7.30 Report this week the complete absence of any central vision from either side amongst the “dribbled out” bits and pieces of policies. God save us from the phodo finishes, the ford estimates and the risk adverse initiatives. To borrow an old slogan, it’s time - time this insulting cartoon strip election campaign was put out of its misery. In the land where comedy is king the only option, really, was to laugh at it. That always happens but few punches were pulled this time. Some of it was quite humorous, too, but it’s hard to sustain over five weeks. The only ones who managed it were John Clarke and Bryan Dawes with their hilarious satires interviewing the average voter. They concluded last night with a spoof on the Mastermind quiz, with Mr Voter (Clarke) winning the ultimate prize, “the government you deserve”. “Bugger it, I was hoping for a slightly better result than that”, he said. “There isn’t one”, said Dawes. ...............................................................
Transport For The Clever Country aug 4 2010 Ms Susan Templeman Ms Louise Markus Ms Carmel McCallum Dear Candidates for Macquarie I write to ask each of you to make regional transport an immediate priority issue in the forthcoming federal election, as the first step towards achieving a genuine national transport infrastructure suitable for a developed nation in the 21st century. Public transport facilities for people in Macquarie are lamentable. Train services are infrequent with no fast trains to the metro area. Much as I would prefer to go to Sydney by train for business trips, the cost and time involved preclude this; and even if I arrived by train it’s simply not possible to use metro transport to travel between meetings and clients in Sydney. Apart from daily commuters, this electorate contains a high number of people in home-based businesses who must still regularly service clients in Sydney. Much of this can be done with modern technology but there is still a need to make personal visits; and such is the time taken in travelling to, within and from Sydney that it’s virtually impossible via public transport. I recently visited clients in Mascot, Randwick, Harbord, Carlingford and Chatswood and needed to return to the mountains on the same day. I estimate that using rail/bus-based transport and leaving at 6.00 am on day 1, this would have taken almost two full days of time. Even the overstretched London Underground rail system, established over a century ago, easily facilitates rapid point-to-point travel like this, because it operates as a grid rather than a central hub system. It’s truly astonishing that an electorate like Macquarie, much of which is geographically an outlying area of Sydney (and classed as such, incidentally, by Tourism NSW) nevertheless relies on facilities more typical of remote rural areas. In Zurich, in Switzerland, residents in dormitory areas (comparable to the distances mountains residents travel to central Sydney) have the use of light rail services which operate every half hour throughout the day, take about an hour and cost significantly less than the equivalent distance fare here. In many other areas of Europe (most notably in France) and in Japan, fast TGV-type rail travel has been the norm for at least half a century. Why, when transport is so vital in what we like to call the ‘clever country’, do we still rely so completely on roads for both freight and passenger movement? The reason, not to mince words, is that Australian rail and public transport generally operate at third world standard, or worse, because our leaders do not lead. Effective rail infrastructure would very largely remedy this; but the silence from politicians on all sides is deafening, even during a national election campaign which is sadly canvassing no major strategic issues at all. Workable rail options are especially important for Macquarie residents because of the reliance on road transport for freight to and from the interior, which travels on the only route available to it (through small village communities – an unheard of notion in Europe) on roads which are either completely substandard or selectively widened so as to destroy the regional character. I therefore ask each of you to address this problem by publicly committing to a proper program of modern rail infrastructure development, for this region and for the nation. This, in fact, is a pressing imperative given the likelihood that petroleum costs may become economically prohibitive for the freight haulage industry in the foreseeable future. With so little to choose between the main parties and their leaders, and the usual auction packages well under way, it is the transport issue that will wholly determine my vote. Thank you for considering these matters, yours etc. susan.templeman@alp.com.au (alp) Louise.Markus.MP@aph.gov.au (lib) carmelformacquarie@gmail.com (greens) (footnote 20/8/10: the only candidate to respond was Susan Templeman)
...................................................................................... world cup 16 tournament wrap world cup & final image gallery (nbc sports) The Final Score Sheet july 14 2010 Since Sepp Blatter gave South Africa 9/10 for the staging of the World Cup, let’s consider some marks for FIFA and the organisers, too. The Legacy The legacy for South Africa itself is a mixed one. Yes, they did a fine job of running the tournament. There were fewer organisational, crime and security problems than expected and as one South African pundit said on BBC World Service last weekend, “even the English visitors were polite and friendly”. Some of us actually use rudimentary tools, too, to misquote the great Stephen K Amos. There seems to have been a genuine unifying effect; and the country can be proud of its superb television coverage, perhaps the best ever. But many in the townships tell another story and few if any of the tournament’s benefits seem to have trickled down to that level of South African society. 6/10. The legacy for FIFA is rather better. It retains the entire revenue stream from the event – almost $1.5 billion – returning none to the host nation, which is also wholly responsible for stadia and infrastructure. There’s a case to be made that this time around most of the new infrastructure will constitute a real benefit for the host nation but that’s not always a given. South Africa also did itself no favours (or any other countries applying to host the Cup) in caving in to FIFA’s disgraceful insistence that local laws be changed to place complete responsibility for its own marketing objectives onto the host country, and for insisting that infractions be determined as criminal, not civil, matters. The ‘FIFA World Cup South Africa Special Measures Act 2010’ (sounds like an apartheid-era leftover) was placed on the country’s statute books in 2006 but the first anyone knew of it was when a company using footballs to advertise its product earlier this year attracted a criminal fine in one the ‘special courts’ also set up at FIFA’s insistence. It’s one thing to permit big money to dominate sport; it’s entirely another to coerce a nation’s lawmaking processes, more or less in secret. It will be interesting to see if politicians and sporting authorities in Australia will take a firmer position in their bid to host the 2022 event. More likely, the ‘sport rules, at any cost’ culture will prevail and the people will simply not be told much about it. That’s the precise opposite of the values sport represents. 3/10. Sport, or Dollars? Talking about big money, the two worst aspects of the tournament were naturally enough driven by solid commercial, rather than sporting, imperatives. The $2.99 plastic horns known as vuvuzelas, blown constantly with official encouragement, ensured players couldn’t hear their sideline instructions, the ref’s whistle or each other. Introduced in the name of African culture, they destroyed the culture of football. The BBC’s Alan Green nailed it when he observed that the constant drone robbed every game of its essential component – crowd atmosphere and feedback. The vital messages provided to players, viewers and commentators by the ebb and flow of crowd reaction were entirely absent from this World Cup. The trumpets did provide a splendid marketing platform for the global beverage whose logo appeared on many of these ridiculous overgrown shoe-horns. But if indigenous culture really was the justification, could anyone tell me where to buy a CD of vuvuzela music? If that weren’t bad enough, not only could the players hear nothing, they couldn’t kick the ball either. As this column noted on day one, it was clear by half-time in the opening game, when it was still not too late to address the problem, that the Jabulani ball would not provide a feast of goals; rather, it would ensure a famine of frustration for players and viewers as shot after shot, set piece after set piece, header after header sailed high and/or wide. It may well have kept the hosts out of the knockout rounds – Mphela’s shot against the crossbar, if a touch lower, might have given them a 3-0 score against France, closed down the game before France got one back and put the Bafana through. There was no need for a new ball and even if there were, the world’s major sporting tournament is the last place to trial it. Adidas no doubt expected to sell lots and lots of them but that’s highly unlikely now. Good. All that was achieved was that the tournament was robbed of another essential aspect of football. At this level, football’s about two things – belief and the quality of the pass. The Jabulani ruined one of these and coaches at the highest level have begged FIFA to consult them first, next time the governing body wants to introduce a change like this. 0/10 Why Were The Refs So Bad? The quality of match officials has been a World Cup talking point for years. The problem is that to satisfy political correctness the world’s best players are refereed by the world’s most mediocre officials. Regional bodies apply pressure to FIFA, saying if their national sides can’t be there at least their officials should be. FIFA, as usual, takes the line of least resistance. The resulting chaos has been objected to mainly by purists until 2010, when the quality of on-field decision making reached an all time low. The denial of Lampard’s brilliant and perhaps game-changing goal for England against Germany in the round of sixteen and of Edu’s third and match winning goal for the USA in their final group stage game were perhaps the worst examples, though Kaka’s red card also comes close. Ditto Tevez’s offside goal against Mexico, gorgeous though it was. In every case, and especially for the USA, the decision directly affected the tournament. FIFA later did a back flip and announced a vaguely worded intention to “re-examine” the issue of technology and that’s a step forward; but what must happen, too, is for the World Cup to be officiated by a panel of the world’s best referees. It’s a no brainer, surely. 3/10. The jury is out, perhaps, on the decision not to wipe yellow cards until the end of the Quarter Finals. The intention is laudable but given the inadequacy of on-field officialdom some real injustices were guaranteed. This is one FIFA may want to re-visit. 5/10 Media Coverage So what worked well, apart from the splendid TV pictures? By and large, it should be said in fairness that the quality of often tight offside decisions by side line officials was mostly first class. The nations most guilty of cheating went home early. In Australia the tournament received its best and most comprehensive coverage yet, with the Sydney Morning Herald’s reporting particularly good. The SBS TV coverage was good where you’d expect it to be (technical, team and player analysis) and less so where you’d also expect it to be (lots of political correctness and the awful contrived chumminess of ‘Fozzie’, ‘Bashie’ and ‘Muskie’). But they did show every match live and deserve appreciation for that. The addition of UK commentator Paul Dempsey added hugely to the studio end of proceedings. David Basheer’s continuous leaking of the score from the parallel game during Australia’s last match, though, when goal difference was relevant, displayed a parochial disregard for anyone who might want to watch the Germany – Ghana replay immediately afterwards. Martin Tyler’s commentaries, as you’d expect, were much more considerate and as polished as ever; and John Helm’s chatty political incorrectness was a welcome relief. ABC Radio gave a grudging coverage of the most basic details, preferring the more familiar ground of Rugby League (a primitive form of football, apparently) and Wimbledon. There were some innovative new commercials, although the Optus ad showing leaping crocodiles and dribbling cheetahs became tired despite its technical wizardry. The Qantas ad held up better than expected over the month; but there is just no place in television watched by children for a cartoon kangaroo telling us that live betting during games is an essential part of enjoying sport. The Game - As It Should Be Played The glory of central and south American football has seldom been better illustrated than in this tournament, with seven splendid sides and the one least expected to endure establishing itself as a deserving semi-finalist. At its best, football on this continent is as much about what you don’t do as what you do, which creates a doubling of options and loads of flair. Argentina’s running off the ball was exquisite. Mexican feints were breathtaking. Thanks, amigos. 10/10.
The Cheats Hall of Fame Puyol (Spain, vs Portugal) – for his second half dive with no contact Van der Wiel (Netherlands, vs Brazil) – for his second half dive with no Brazilian within touching distance Van Bommel (Netherlands, vs everyone) – for gratuitous malice in almost every tackle Dedic (Slovenia, vs England) - for his sideline dive with zero contact by Johnson, when Johnson was already on one yellow card Vorsa (Ghana, vs Uruguay) – for his second half dive a metre from Suarez Müller (Germany, vs Argentina) – for his dive on the slightest of contact with Di Maria Klose (Germany, vs Argentina) – for his theatrical rolling dive early in the second half Maicon (Brazil, vs Chile) – for his first half dive with closest opponent a metre away, and then protesting the decision Okazali (Japan, vs Paraguay) – for a dive with no contact with Alcarez, at 0-0 to get a free kick on the edge of the penalty area Santa Cruz (Paraguay, vs NZ) – falling for no reason, just outside the area, at 0-0 Mucha (Slovakia, vs Italy) – the Slovak keeper fell for no reason at 1-0 up after a minor collision with an Italian, then feigned agony and collected a dead ball much too slowly Yahia (Algeria, vs USA) – The Algerian captain elbowed Clint Dempsey, drawing blood Özil (Germany, vs Aust) – for falling with no contact in front of goal Schweinsteiger (Germany, vs Aust) – for falling with no contact in midfield Keita (Cöte d’Ivoire, vs Brazil) – for feigning an elbow to the face, resulting in Kaka’s sending off Valdivia (Chile, vs Honduras) – for falling with no contact Matmour (Algeria, vs England) – for reversing into John Terry, then falling in pain to gain a free kick Pepe (Italy, vs Slovakia) – for scything down an opponent without going for the ball – a deserved straight red which gained only a yellow Quagliarella (Italy, vs Slovakia) – for bumping the Slovak keeper violently trying to get the ball after Italy scored, and (when pushed away) for falling to the ground with “fingers in the eye” routine #7 de Rossi (Italy, vs NZ) – for his fall in the NZ penalty area (he was held, but fell after being released) de Rossi (Italy, vs NZ) – for his fall and feigned agony in front of goal, with no contact Camoranesi (Italy, vs Paraguay) – for sustained foot stamping on opponents Cannavaro (Italy, vs Paraguay) – for several agonised rolling falls without being touched, including one after he just slipped over on wet turf Chiellini (Italy, vs NZ) – for several untouched falls and for dramatic skills of the highest order, repeatedly beating the ground in agony while holding his face Chiellini (Italy, vs NZ) – for his attempted mid-air eye gouge on Reid Zambrotta (Italy, vs NZ) – for harassing the referee when no foul was awarded for a non-existent infringement against Chiellini
The Team Award The Team Award for the highest number of citations (seven, some of them multiple entries) goes to Italy. Runners up Germany earned four citations but no multiples. In third place, The Netherlands had two citations – though some may say van Bommel was worth a team category on his own. His fouls were just too many to count.
Highly Commended A special ‘Highly Commended’ Award goes to Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, for banning his national side from international football; then caving in to FIFA pressure; and finally for dressing up his backdown as “an act of Presidential generosity”. What a plonker.
Two Honorary ‘Highly Commended’ Awards Thierry Henry earns an honorary award for his handball to put France into the tournament ahead of Ireland; as does Italy’s Fabio Grosso, sadly absent in 2010, for the memory of his glorious dive with nil contact just inside the area to gain a penalty against Australia in 2006, with three minutes to play. We will not forget you, gentlemen.
Tournament Quotes “When the world’s best player skies it, you know everybody else has a problem with this ball, too” – John Helm, following Messi’s shot high over the bar against Germany “A lot of people said Argentina didn’t have a Plan B. For me, they didn’t have a Plan A” – Ned Zelic, SBS TV “If The Netherlands win this, it will have been a poor tournament” – Craig Foster, SBS TV “Yes, we can” – USA crowd banner at their game against Algeria “Cares Doll H – it’s lick quid in gin ear ink” – Cristiano Ronaldo, TV commercial for Castrol Edge “Someone stole my NZ shirt” – seen on a Kiwi’s T Shirt at the Paraguay game “It begins to look like a new world order for football” – Paul Dempsey, SBS TV “Lucio would not look out of place in the Springboks front row. He’s a monster!” – Steve Banyard, Sky TV UK “He’s unable to supply the artistry in midfield that’s quite evident on his arms!” – Steve Banyard, on Portugal’s Raul Mereiles’s tattoos “Well, Sepp Blatter has a meeting every couple of years to discuss video technology. And says no” – Martin Tyler, on Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany “There are 49 million of us, just 11 of them” – crowd banner in Johannesburg for a South Africa game “This World Cup has passed Wayne Rooney by” – Martin Tyler
Your Homework For The Next Four Years: there was a Kaka, a Gaka and a Cacau at this tournament. Find a Lithuanian and ask him what it means. Well, it’s over for another four years. Now we can get back to normal life, and it’s safe once more to listen to the morning news bulletins. It’s good to catch up with what’s been going on in the outer world for the last month or so. Here in Australia, for example, we apparently have a new prime minister. What’s that? A woman, you say? .................................................................................. world cup 15 the final july 12 2010 Spain 1 Netherlands 0 Until midway through the second half, when it marginally came to something approaching life, this was a wholly forgettable game and hardly worth reporting except for the occasion and the incident. There was little enough football and it was an unseemly close to a fine tournament. Always destined to be a glorious contest or a complete dud, the full extent of the boredom turned out to be the only real surprise. A clash of organisation and flair, with two teams playing differing interpretations of the 4-3-3 formation, should have produced a thriller. But whilst two sides were on the field only one was really playing football and the Dutch lost much of the goodwill they'd earned in earlier games. In truth, the play-off for third and fourth yesterday was a better and more honorable match, played by two more deserving sides.
robben is denied by casillas pic courtesy nbcsports.com
The first half was a contest of yellow cards, devoid of much real football although Spain applied attacking pressure early on with the Dutch applying physical pressure in its place. Villa and Ramos had early chances; Robben was effectively closed down and didn’t find his pace until late in the ninety minutes and extra time. Kuyt had an early shot on goal but it was too weak. Ramos surged, as usual, on the Spanish right and forced a desperate clearance from Heitinga in the twelfth minute. “The Dutch fans will be very concerned at the moment” said SBS commentator Craig Foster. Although the sense of occasion and drama so vividly evoked by European commentators like Martin Tyler was missing from this SBS commentary, it didn’t matter much because there was so little of it anyway; and Foster’s detailed technical and player knowledge added another dimension of interest. As time went on his comments earlier in the tournament about boring Dutch football seemed less and less unfair; and his detailed knowledge of the Spanish front line, with all their strengths and weaknesses, was a nice bonus. By the end of the game it seemed as if the entire Dutch team had yellow cards and most of them came early. Van Bommel, unsurprisingly, walked a tightrope throughout, dropping Puyol in the thirteenth minute and earning his yellow in the twenty-first for a characteristically unpleasant challenge on Iniesta. “The Dutch haven’t had to deal with this defensive pressure”, said Foster, “and they’re struggling to do so”.
david villa celebrates spain's late goal pic courtesy nbcsports.com
De Jong’s yellow for imprinting the pattern of his studs on the chest of Alonso deserved a straight red but referee Webb trod a difficult line between putting them all on notice and allowing at least the chance of some football. His leniency, when it showed, was well considered. With half time approaching the balance of sympathy meter was swinging wildly away from the Dutch. Mathijsen and van Bommel mis-kicked in front of goal. Spain were still creating incisive breaks and shooting chances but a late Dutch flurry culminated in a good shot from Robben saved by the diving Casillas. Nil all at half time. Back in the studio Paul Dempsey, as usual, got to the heart of the matter. “This is not an anti-Dutch crusade but surely we’re entitled to a football match in the World Cup Final?” he said. Fair point. ”They’re playing the way they’ve played throughout the tournament”, Ned Zelic replied. Not quite true – we saw much better from them in the Quarter Finals. Spain should have gone one up early in the second half but Puyol mis-timed his header badly from a corner and then Capdevila failed to strike the ball that ran on to him. Van Bommel’s push in the back on Alonso inside the area might have produced a penalty. The yellow cards continued; van Bronckhorst in the fifty-fourth and Heitinga in the fifty-sixth for a nasty foul on Villa. Irritation was distilling into anger that such an occasion should be sabotaged like this and the sympathy meter was off the edge at the Spanish end. The Dutch plan was now clear, noted Foster. “They could have come out and made Spain play but instead they’re relying on frustrating Spain and just forcing set pieces”. Poetic justice was done in the sixty-first minute when Casillas made a superb save to deny Robben in front of goal. It was well set up by the Dutch, in fairness, but by now you just didn’t want this to be their day.
arjen robben abuses referee, howard webb, and gets a yellow card pic courtesy nbcsports.com Extra time became a certainty when Ramos, with space and time, put his header from a corner high over the bar from six yards out. In the ugliest incident so far, for its disgraceful acting as well as its out and out malice – van Bommel was the predictable instigator – the Dutchman’s challenge on Iniesta caused the Spaniard to fall, roll in pain and then get up immediately. Van Bommel then ran into his back and fell into a rolling dive himself. It was like Play School. “If Iniesta knocks you over, you’ve really got a problem”, Foster observed dryly. Iniesta brought a moment of brightness in the eightieth, weaving to the edge of the six yard box. He would surely have scored but for Sneijder’s superb tackle under the greatest of pressure. A nice moment of understanding between the two, well caught by the splendid South African TV direction, added something, at least, to this match. The Dutch should have won it in the eighty-second – and you probably would have reluctantly given it to them – when van Persie’s neat flick from his head put Robben through with enough pace to beat Puyol, only to see his shot saved once more by Casillas. But Robben, whose skills have been a tournament highlight, once again blotted his copybook with a running verbal attack on Howard Webb for failing to give the foul he was sure he’d earned. All his sublime control seems to have gone to his feet, with none left over for his mouth. Replays showed it was marginal, but Casillas went for the ball and Robben played for the foul. Yellow card for Robben. Fabregas on for Alonso with four minutes to go. Nil all at full time, but it might have been 1-1 if Ramos and Robben had taken their chances.
torres lies injured in extra time, perhaps wondering about his move to chelsea pic courtesy dailymail.co.uk/sport
The Netherlands upped the pressure, whilst Iniesta took far too long in front of goal in the eighth minute, looking for a pass instead of a shot. At least the game was opening up a little and the balance of sympathy meter swung back just a touch towards the Dutch, mainly because of Spain’s attacking weakness. In the final fifteen del Bosque brought on Torres, probably too late though the striker was stretchered off late in the game with an injury that may kill off Chelsea’s interest in a £70 million move from Liverpool.
iniesta scores pic courtesy nbcsports.com
Soon afterwards, the moment arrived when Torres set up Fabregas delightfully in front of goal for the Arsenal captain to flick to Iniesta, who almost took too long to shoot hard and low on the volley to Stekelenburg’s right and into the corner of the net with four minutes to play. Game over. This was not just a poor football match, it was a betrayal of the occasion and the Dutch must shoulder most of the blame. Reluctantly, one felt some sympathy for them at the end – Spain’s goal came almost immediately after Webb awarded a goal kick instead of a Dutch corner, his only real mistake but a critical one.
spain win the 2010 world cup pic courtesy nbcsports.com
“A win for the way the game should be played”, concluded Foster, though others played it better in 2010 than Spain, now European and World Champions. Vinaigrette with your octopus?
.......................................................... world cup 14 the play-off for third and fourth july 11 2010 Germany 3 - Uruguay 2 With Suarez back from suspension for Uruguay and a German side missing key players Lahm, Podolski and Klose through illness or injury, this began as an even match and ended the same way, right down to the final kick in stoppage time. Germany brought in veteran goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt in place of Neuer, perhaps a signal that they expected, and were expected, to win. Ironically, in “the game that no-one wants to play in” commentator Dave Woods observed that fast and open football is often provided. And so it was. In the opening minutes Uruguay had a free kick close to Germany’s goal and Friedrich’s header hit the Uruguayan bar. The opener wasn’t long in coming. In the nineteenth minute Jansen neatly twisted on the German left and turned the ball inside to Schweinsteiger who blasted from thirty metres. Muslera couldn’t deal with the swerve and spilled for Müller to finish from ten. "Müller has five for the tournament", said Woods, "and perhaps three more World Cups still in him". Soon afterwards Forlan nearly equalised, heading a loose ball onto the desperately raised foot of Mertesacker. The resulting corner and scramble for possession saw another of those fearful breaks with Germany’s massed ranks diagonally steamrolling Uruguay’s midfield, the South Americans scurrying to get back in time.
bastian schweinsteiger applauds germany - "watch this side, we have much more to give" pic courtesy the globeandmail.com
It was fast, attacking play in dense rain until half time, in which the South Americans marginally had the better of it. Suarez will think he should have scored when he put the ball wide in the fortieth; and in the forty-fifth Pereira, with two men inside him ready to shoot, held onto the ball himself. One all at the break. One of the two or three best goals of the tournament came in the fifty-first minute when Caravalho’s skilful persistence along the Uruguayan right saw him lose his opponent and push the ball inside to Forlan, who executed a first time sideways volley slamming the ball hard into the ground on its way towards the net on the rise. The astonished Butt was beaten by a only metre of space but an ocean of surprise. Total quality from Diego Forlan. Germany remained a threat, though, with Özil all over midfield play, carving and slicing his way through and directing tasteful long passes to his right and left. In the fifty-sixth, Muslera went for Boateng’s long cross and missed, leaving Jansen free to pop it home off his head. The camera caught the gracious Uruguayan captain Lugano applauding the goal. There followed a period of exhibition football with end to end skills and chances aplenty for both sides. Lugano was again sporting in congratulating Kiessling when he just failed to reach another superb Boateng cross in the seventy-ninth. But inevitably there was a loose ball waiting to be pounced on and it came in the eighty-second minute for Germany, bobbing about in the goalmouth with the Uruguayan defence momentarily distracted.
khedira nets germany's winner for a podium place pic courtesy theglobeandmail.com
Two minutes of stoppage time extended to three when Uruguay had a deserved free kick within striking range and Forlan’s outstanding dipping shot, which would have forced extra time, hit the bar with Butt beaten. A game of thoughtful, busy football from both teams, often thrilling, always exemplary and evenly matched for chances. In the end, Germany took one more of theirs than Uruguay. “Time for a rest, now, after a hard tournament”, said Diego Forlan. He goes home as the star of an honourable Uruguayan side, South America's best at the moment. “Watch this German team – we have much more to give”, said Bastian Schweinsteiger. We certainly will.
The Final 2030 hrs local time july 11 The Netherlands v Spain (aust tv coverage, sbs 1, from 0330 aest july 12) ................................................................ world cup 13 the semi finals Two matches to pit European organisation against South American finesse; and European organisation against European finesse. semi final 1 july 7 2010 Netherlands 3 - Uruguay 2 When there’s everything to play for, knock out matches at this level will always produce an equalising effect between teams of differing abilities and odds. Especially when the competing teams are both improving, when both have gone further than expected and when one has nothing to lose. Arjen Robben came in on fire for the Dutch; the Uruguayans fired themselves up by what his countrymen portrayed as an “act of national heroism” by Luis Suarez in handling the ball away from goal in their Quarter Final. In the anthems, Uruguayan faces showed delight and excitement. The Dutch expressed purpose with a hint of apprehension. In the end, The Netherlands were stronger but for large periods of play Uruguay looked right in it and even at the end their striking stoppage time goal held the possibility of late drama. How would the Dutch have handled extra time, one wonders, if Uruguay had managed one more. Forlan was already off, so who knows? The first semi final in Capetown began entertainingly though key players were missing from both sides. In their “first real test of the tournament” (Ned Zelic, SBS TV) Uruguay acquitted themselves well, settling immediately though the Dutch were unlucky not to score in the third minute when Kuyt’s shot from Muslera’s clearance went high. Pereira’s cheeky attempt to chip Stekelenburg in the sixth did the same. “Well, we’ve seen them sail into the net like that from distance before”, said commentator, John Helm. Not with this ball, we haven’t. In an evenly balanced first fifteen minutes Uruguay were sharp and created as many attacking chances as the Dutch, matching them for organisation and impressively tight in defence. But when Kuyt and Robben momentarily swapped flanks in the eighteenth the value of the unexpected was proven; van Bronckhorst was allowed too much space to turn in midfield and hammered an astounding shot into the far top corner of the net from probably thirty-five metres. It gave The Netherlands an edge, perhaps reinforced by anger over an unintended but dangerous high boot into the face of de Zeeuw by Caceres. Van Persie and Robben combined well to make Uruguay’s defence suddenly only partially visible. Uruguay might have had a penalty towards the end of the half when van Bronckhorst elbowed Cavani, unseen by all the officials; and soon afterwards Cavani spoiled a concerted South American attack by trying to do too much himself. In a good spell of Uruguayan pressure Steckelenburg remained untroubled until Forlan replicated the game’s first goal, from a slightly shorter distance, with a long and equally devastating swerving shot which the Dutch keeper really should have dealt with. Sneijder’s superb chip over the entire Uruguay defence, for the head of Kuyt (wrongly ruled offside), deserved a second Dutch goal in stoppage time. 1-1 at the break. Uruguay made the Dutch backline look a mess again, five minutes into the second half, and continued to pressure with the pass of the match in the sixty-fourth minute, from Perez on the edge of his area along the left flank and falling at perfect speed into an empty space alongside the Dutch area for Cavani to gather. Robben also continued to be highly industrious. “Everyone can see Robben’s left turns coming – it’s just that no-one can do a thing about them”, said SBS’s Paul Dempsey.
sneijder gets the dutch second pic courtesy yahoo sports
A third three minutes later effectively capped a period of sustained Dutch pressure; Kuyt’s perfect cross gave Robben an age and an acre of space to equally perfectly place the ball, in off the base of the upright, in the Uruguayan net. 3-1 and Uruguay’s passes began to go nowhere, though they didn’t ease up on the work rate and Pereira’s brilliantly taken goal following a set piece, with ninety seconds of stoppage time left, briefly offered hope. 3-2 after too much stoppage time allowed by Uzbek referee Irmatov, who otherwise had an excellent game. The match was played in good spirit for the most part, with one of those nice moments of professional empathy between Heitinga and Forlan early in the second half – though the Dutch, while never matching the dramatic skills of the Germans or Italians, still go down too easily. And van Bommel, despite his incomparable mid-field playmaking, brings an unseemly malevolence to much of his work. Frankly, he asks for it – and he got it with a yellow card, much too late, in the last minute. Those who have suggested the Dutch have abandoned their commitment to “total football” may now be taking stock. Though falling short of the flair of Cruyff's era, this side has played splendid football. They’re a worthy finalist. semi final 2 july 8 2010 Germany 0 - Spain 1 Paul Dempsey set it up best on SBS 1. “Germany, renowned for the method, have been producing the magic, while Spain have been ruthless in surrendering their art to grind out the results”. Germany had blended all the finest attributes of European football, added the knowledgeable David Zdrilic. Minus Müller through suspension, this was still a side capable of bringing superstars like Rooney and Messi to their knees, continued Ned Zelic. Top comments and this was always going to be a thriller. Whatever the historic connotations of Germany’s national anthem, it was a beautiful and stirring piece of music to open a truly grand occasion and the match we’d all been waiting for. German faces during the anthems displayed grim purpose; the Spanish had quiet belief written all over theirs. A cautious, subdued start from both sides served only to underline from the start the promise of huge drama. Confident early defence from German captain Lahm announced that “…you’ll have your work cut out to get round us”. Seconds later, Spain did just that, almost scoring when Pedro saw half an opening, Villa saw it too and ran for the inch perfect pass. Neuer also saw it and got there just in time to collect, in only the sixth minute. German counter attacks seemed, for the moment, uncertain and disjointed as Ramos on the right did great work to press home Spain’s early psychological superiority. They should have scored in the twelfth after a corner, when Iniesta made space to push in a good cross with just too much pace for Puyol to keep his diving header below the bar. By the quarter hour mark, denied real possession, Germany sensibly went on doing what they do best, waiting for the counter attack with heads well up. Equally patient and well in control of the game’s pace, Spain continued to find and prize open German defensive gaps. A German counter attack in the twenty-third minute lacked their typical clinical cohesion and was well dealt with by Puyol. This tense pattern continued past the half hour mark with Spain in control, making chances but unable to finish them. It surely couldn’t stay like this much longer.
Nil all at the break. “Germany just can’t find their rhythm”, said Zelic. “Spain look the goods but they haven’t found that killer touch”, noted Zdrilic. “What a stormer this is”, concluded Dempsey.
Puyol's magnificent 73rd minute header pic courtesy AP
More of the same except that the pace and tension sharpened immediately in the second half. In the forty-ninth Pedro, superb throughout, set up Alonso for another long range blast just wide of Neuer. Schweinsteiger’s reply a couple of minutes later was finished unconvincingly by his midfield, and the first tiny doubts took hold. Pedro’s cracking fifty-seventh minute shot after nice build up play was well saved by Neuer and needed to be. The ensuing scramble resulted in a low, fast cross from Iniesta that Villa couldn’t quite reach but perhaps should have. Suddenly, Spain was right on top, as the hour mark approached, raining attacks from left, right and centre into the German defensive zone. Klose fired off a difficult volley in the Spanish goalmouth, too high in the end after an awkward cross. Thrilling stuff from end to end. Spain making so much space, but would their inability to finish lead to desperation? The psychology of the game was as riveting as the football. Germany stayed cool and alert in defence, watching like hawks for chances to break. A superb move begun by Özil and continued by Podolski gave Kroos (on for Trochowski) a blitzkrieg half volley in the sixty-ninth, well saved by Casillas. But when it came, it was at the other end and a fair reward for the run of play so far, despite Spain’s increasing tendency to start falling over a bit lightly (Ramos and Iniesta especially). A corner and a bullet of a header from Puyol, riding high over the lot of them, gave Neuer no chance. 1-0 in the seventy-third and “…one might be enough”, said commentator Dave Woods. Del Bosque then pulled off a master stroke by bringing on Torres, giving something back to this gifted player not quite in starting form, and driving another psychological nail into rising German anxiety at just the moment when the game itself would lift Torres to full match fitness for the Final. It was inspired coaching strategy and Torres would have had a goal on a plate immediately had not Pedro made his only error of the game and held possession instead of passing.
Vale Robert Enke pic courtesy AP
They wanted it for themselves, but also for him. They were the side that had to be beaten, and they were. Have Spain finally beaten their own demons?
The Final 2030 hrs local time july 11 The Netherlands v Spain (aust tv coverage, sbs 1, from 0330 aest july 12) ....................................................................... world cup 12 guardian football headlines - semi finals pending cole says england not good enough at int'l level the hand of god is mine now, says suarez image gallery from the quarter finals president "graciously consents" to nigeria playing int'l football again ......................................................................... world cup 11 maradona says god wants argentina to win it the quarter finals july 3 2010 Day 1 Three continents in action on day one and the possibility of an upset in one game and an intriguing contest in the other. First, the upset. Brazil 1 - Netherlands 2 The only surprise in the realisation that Brazil isn't the unstoppable force it’s supposed to be is that people are surprised in the first place. On the scale of ill temper, Brazil’s achilles heel, this match started at Grumpy Plus and went downhill from there. The Dutch must have sensed their opportunity very early on at Port Elizabeth. The niggle began immediately and Arjen Robben was often involved. His place in this match was central and the Brazilians went for him from the outset, though he gave plenty back over ninety minutes – rather more cleverly than his opponents. Brazil started aggressively and the Dutch were very cross about it. Very cross indeed. But they still found time to be busy on both flanks through Robben and Kuyt. Brazil showed they weren’t impressed and decided to save on fuel by going straight to the higher gears they usually save for the final humiliations. Robinho’s seventh minute goal looked like a breeze but was offside; but a minute later he picked up a long through ball from Felipe Melo that cut the Dutch defence in half and finished off with one touch. Here we go, we all thought. The Dutch immediately lifted to Double Grumpy Extra but never looked like losing focus and once again one sensed something going on in the deeper levels of this game’s psychology. Shortly afterwards, Heitinga’s sly kick (or was it?) right in front of the referee earned him a yellow but stirred up Brazil, with Bastos again putting Robben down. The football was becoming lovely, the game itself getting nastier.
Melo gets a straight red for this stamp on Arjen Robben pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football Still, though, the Netherlands looked capable of scoring and Robben’s crafty “false corner”, when he tapped the ball marginally out of the quadrant for Sneijder to deal with (intending to fool the Brazilians that the corner hadn’t been taken) was an indication of their resolve. Maicon’s thunderbolt from the wide outside edge of the area, the last kick of the first half, foretold more Brazilian menace to come. By early in the second half it was becoming easier to dislike the Dutch, with van der Weil earning a yellow for a clear dive well away from his opponent. And Kaka’s brilliant control of an airborne ball, flicked forward in an instant, was a glorious and typical piece of Brazilian skill. Sneijder’s long shot, going wide, looked tame by response. Bastos should have had a second yellow for a cynical foul on Robben and the Dutch equalizer, seconds later, seemed fair enough – an own goal (but predictably claimed by the Dutch) from Melo’s head, as he and Cesar failed to communicate at all.
Sneijder gets his second pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Brazil lost it – both their cool and the game – at that moment. Their reaction swung the balance of sympathy, as well as football, the Dutch way and if referee Nishimura had awarded deserved red cards to Kaka and Alves for lashing out without provocation, Brazil could have been down to eight men. Both sides nearly scored again with attempts in the final minutes from van Persie, Sneijder and Kaka. Brazil’s football was superb but the Dutch were better, out playing, out fighting and out psyching them. The wonderful Dunga sadly steps down. Melo’s own goal was Brazil’s first in ninety-seven matches, and then he got sent off – a sad end for him and Brazil but they were well sorted and (attention Craig Foster) the still improving Dutch are looking anything but boring. Uruguay 1 - Ghana 1 (Uruguay 4-2, penalties) Uruguay (whose engaging national anthem has an introduction that lasts longer than the main singing bit) was drawn against a Ghanaian side which had Africa behind it. Nelson Mandela said so. And if that were not enough to sanctify the match it was also being played (noted commentator John Helm) “in the presence of Sepp Blatter”, president of FIFA. Well, you’d think it would be, really, wouldn’t you? It was a Quarter Final, after all. Good of him to turn up, I s'pose. The great man, sitting in his booth in haloed down-lighting, might have been John Houseman’s 'Global CEO' in the film Rollerball. Will FIFA get a corporate anthem written in time for the 2014 World Cup? These were two unlikely quarter finalists, although Uruguay have been quietly impressive throughout. They settled quickly with Diego Forlan looking menacing immediately, while Ghana took most of the first half to find a rhythm. And while the Africans looked fluid and confident the South Americans looked sharper, with the first shot on goal at the ten minute mark – a narrowly angled shot from Suarez that needed saving by Kingson. Soon afterwards, Kingson seemed very uncertain dealing with a Forlan set piece but his keeping would go on to play a vital role in this match. It was good to see the new spirit which Uruguay brings to its football. Despite some hard play, including a number of correctly awarded free kicks against them, there was never really a reason for a yellow card, though they acquired several from “whistle happy” Portuguese referee Benquerenca (Perez, in the second half, was one such undeserving Uruguayan). The South Americans nearly scored in the seventeenth with a deflection from a Forlan corner which would have been an own goal – again, neatly saved by the Wigan keeper. While Ghana looked capable, Kingson again had to save from Suarez in the twenty-fifth. “Why wouldn’t Forlan be up front for the set pieces?” asked Helm. Well, whilst not quite in Beckham’s class, in terms of set piece accuracy, he’s not far off it – although one or two of his corner kicks were rather flat.
Forlan scores Uruguay's equaliser pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Boateng, too, put a spectacular sideways scissors kick over the bar in stoppage time. And then, from nearer the centre spot than the goal line, Muntari conjured one of those African goals which even from long range look homeward bound the moment they leave the boot. 1-0 at the break. In the second half Ghana pressed immediately. Uruguay wanted a penalty when Cavani expertly collected a long ball from midfield and went down, but there was no foul by Vorsa and the contact was outside the area. They seemed shaken by the turn of play but quickly reasserted themselves with Forlan’s superb equaliser from a set piece kick that had Kingson going the wrong way. If it was Forlan’s swerve, it was magnificent. If it was the Jabulani, it was unforgivable. We’ll never know, but the game was abruptly alight. A period of supreme skill from both sides followed with no reward for either. Chances at both ends were punctuated by scrappy, anxious moments and Suaraez was yet again thwarted by Kingson in the seventy-first minute and should have scored. “It’s anybody’s game”, said Helm with fifteen to go. 1-1 at full time. To their credit, both sides played thirty minutes of extra time wanting to win and only fatigue got in the way. The highest of dramas awaited, with thirty seconds to go, when Suarez fisted the ball off the line in a goal mouth scramble and was sent off. It was there for the taking for Ghana but Gyan’s spot kick hit the cross bar. And so to penalties. “Some of those Ghana heads have gone down” observed SBS’s Paul Dempsey but Gyan’s courage in stepping up for the first was huge. Ghana couldn’t hold their nerve, though. Muslera saved shots from Mensah and Adiyiah and although Pereira put his over the top for Uruguay it was a 4-2 South American result. Uruguay go through, without Suarez, and Ghana are left with the pain of coming so, so close to being Africa’s first ever semi-finalist.
july 4 2010 Day 2 Argentina 0 - Germany 4 A friend said to me yesterday that Argentina are a bit like Manchester United – you’d like to support them but it keeps coming back to the bloke in charge. Mind you, he added, it’s not that easy with the Germans either. Ice cool they stood for the anthem. Ice cool they stayed, pointedly separate from Argentina, during the “Say No To Racism” group shot. The 'balance of sympathy', as in yesterday’s classic, would find its own direction as the game unfolded. The Germans delivered the opening hit in the first minute with Klose bringing down Mascherano from behind with a vicious kick to the left ankle, though the Argentine clutched his knee by mistake. Argentina responded in kind immediately to concede a free kick in the second minute. Schweinsteiger’s cross, a graze off Müller’s head, goal. Are you listening, amigos? The Germans were “razor sharp ... swarming all over Argentina” said chatty (and refreshingly un-PC) John Helm at the microphone. With Argentine defensive weakness evident early, the Germans were marauding like dogs off the leash. Messi made an immediate reply with a blistering counter attacking run but it took the Argentines until the second half to settle if, in fact, they ever did. Despite inventive moves worthy of a result, their opponents’ pincer-like passing continued, snapping and snarling thorough a disorganised Latin defence.
mueller heads home germany's first pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Two minutes later Messi did put Teves through but Neuer fell to reach it first. Müller set up Klose in front of an open goal but he shot high. If Germany’s later goals had not been such sitters, Adidas would have had some serious questions to answer in this match. The Jabulani, time and again from the world’s very best, sailed high over the bar. How could FIFA have allowed this abomination to wreck such a game - such a tournament? This column foreshadowed that risk on day one but it has turned out to be far worse than we could have imagined. It was clear Maradona had some work to do to reorganize his defence, but equally clear that he didn’t seem to see this. While Argentina slowly made their way into the game, the risk was always that Germany, with one more goal, might run away with it and put the outcome beyond the reach of Teves and Messi. Müller was perhaps unlucky to get a yellow card for an accidental handball in the thirty-sixth; and Argentina’s superb goal from the free kick that followed, though ruled offside, suggested their playmakers could probably look after themselves and make a game of it, if the leaks were plugged at the back. Still Maradona did nothing, though the backline had been regularly and brutally pillaged by half time, when the 1-0 score might have been 5-2. Still no Argentine changes after the break, apart from Demichalis’s hairstyle. Though Argentina pressed hard and convincingly in an untidy first five minutes, the first half pattern would inevitably reassert itself if nothing was done to contain Germany. In fairness, perhaps this was simply not possible but in any event it did – except that into the bargain Germany also went up a notch. With more cynical fouls from the Germans the 'BOS' had begun to swing towards Argentina and Higuain was unfortunate to be offside in the fifty-sixth minute with only Neuer to beat. Still we hoped for something to even things up. Neuer went through a busy spell, but more often than not good passes found only empty spaces in front of goal. More goals seemed likely and one felt after all that it would be Maradona’s reliance on the divine that would decide this match.
the hand of god deserts the boss pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
The rest of the Argentine team joined the defence in going to pieces though Messi, heroically and characteristically, kept going till the end. This was to be his tournament and he tried and tried and showed no bitterness when his gorgeous football yielded no goals over five games. He remains the finest there is but Germany’s new young lads might have something to say about that in the near future. They wanted four – why wouldn’t they? When it came, from the German left flank once again for an effortless first touch volley to give Klose his second, it was another ‘light training run’ with Argentina put to the sword. The look on Messi’s face was tragic. The BOS seemed unclear at the end, as did the boss. Germany played far the better football and Maradona got it tactically very wrong, with no indication that he really understood this. He’ll have to pay the price for that because this was a fine side that lacked only the ruthlessness in finishing and the defensive strength it once took for granted. Still, the question remains. When Germany can be so philosophically (and admirably) brutal in style, why do they need to be so physically ugly too? Klose’s violent first minute kick on Mascherano; Müller’s ludicrous dive on the merest of contact with Di Maria. The two decade long focus on German youth football is paying wonderful dividends but the baggage that seems to have come with it is not acceptable.
coach jogi loew is ecstatic on germany's passage to the semi finals pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Spain 1 Paraguay 0 On form so far, Paraguay looked less than half a prayer against Spain, with very few goals and an ordinary outing against Japan. Spain, too, looked full of finesse but still, somehow, unsure of themselves. In a World Cup Quarter Final, where anything can happen, it very nearly did. Paraguay came in with a refreshed and more attacking front line, including the excellent Valdez, and it showed immediately. They looked confident from the start and full of attacking potential. So did Spain, though Paraguay were so keen to get at the ball they hounded Spain continuously and kept them, if not on the defensive, then certainly below par and less than settled until almost the end of the game. Ramos looked sharp on the right from the first whistle but Paraguay looked to have him contained, with Riveros particularly effective. Ten minutes in and we might just have a game here. “This is not going to be a comfortable night for Spain”, suggested commentator David Woods, after Valdez nearly caught Spain’s keeper Casillas taking too long to clear a ball on the ground. Paraguay have been a delightful South American ‘value-add’ for several World Cups and well worth the attention they’ve received in this one. The 2010 squad lacks, perhaps, the creative technique of past sides but lacks nothing in confidence and controlled passing. For all their energy, Villa and Ramos were well contained before anything promising really got going and a searching long ball from Xavi to Torres was calmly and elegantly dealt with under pressure by Paraguay’s defence in the twenty-fourth minute. By the half hour mark, Torres was showing signs of serious match fitness at last; and Xavi’s wonderful turn and first time volley from long range went marginally over the bar with Villar beaten off his line. “They’re being hustled, the Spanish, but they mean business”, said Woods. Paraguay’s defence seemed vulnerable for the first time when David Villa burst diagonally across midfield and passed to Torres, whose first time flick across the front of goal from the edge of the area would surely have produced a goal made in heaven if there’d been a Spanish finisher. It would have been a game changer, but Paraguay continued undaunted. Valdez cut through Spain’s midfield and supplied Morel who placed an almost perfect cross just ahead of Santana. Valdez scored a cracker himself in the fortieth but it was disallowed in a contentious but probably correct offside decision. The ball was played in with Valdez onside but Cardozo offside and although Cardozo didn’t touch it on its way to Valdez, sparking suggestions the goal might have stood, Cardozo was close enough to have been the intended recipient. Still, it was a stormer of a finish and a warning for Spain. Valdez cut Spain’s defence to shreds again, just before half-time, but finished poorly from distance. Nil all. Valdez continued to keep Spain alert in the second period and it continued from end to end until an eight minute period of high drama that began in the fifty-second minute. Cardozo was blatantly dragged backwards by Piqué and you’d never see a clearer penalty. But Cardozo’s spot kick was saved by Casillas, with later replays showing Spanish encroachment. Play switched immediately to the other end where Alcaraz did very little, really, to cause Villa’s headlong Klinsmann-esque tumble in the area. Technically, and marginally, it was probably the correct call – but Alonso’s first shot, which found the net, was ordered to be retaken because of Spanish encroachment. His second was saved by Villar and the rebound fell to Fabregas, who probably was fouled by the diving Villar and might have had another penalty. Drama of the highest degree and on balance Paraguay would have felt hard done by.
cesc fabregas and david villa: spain 1 paraguay 0, ten minutes to go pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Villa’s shot rebounded onto the other upright and finally deflected in and Spain had the game at that moment, with seven minutes to play. Casillas denied Santa Cruz (on for the injured Valdez) in the last minute and Villa almost got a second on the break. The South Americans will feel cheated by refereeing inconsistency when they see the replays of the encroachment on Cardozo’s penalty. But thanks, Paraguay, you've added something special to this tournament, again. Spain edged it, again. The contest with a rampant Germany has the makings of an unforgettable semi-final if Spain can find just a touch more penetration.
The Semi Finals 2030 hrs local time july 6 Uruguay v Netherlands july 7 Germany v Spain ................................................................................ world cup 10 guardian football headlines - quarter finals pending july 1 FIFA's About Face on Goal Line Technology Why The Dutch Are Not Buying The Hype Mueller Says England Were 'Mentally Unprepared' Nigerian President Punishes Team With Two Year Ban FIFA To Investigate Australia's Alleged 'Illegal' 2022 Inducements 'Argentina Will Try To Provoke Us', says Schweinsteiger Galleries, including 'France's World Cup Meltdown' ................................................................................. world cup 9 the last sixteen june 28 2010 Asian organisation takes a hit from South American flair on day 1, and it’s goodbye to a worthy USA. What a pair of games on day 2 with major controversy, England’s humiliation completed and Argentina set to meet Germany in the last eight. Uruguay 2 - South Korea 1 On paper this was a good match up of the improving sides from two continents. But a peculiar Uruguay opener, when Korea seemed to say “here, have a goal on us” set an uneven pattern for the first half. In an open game Uruguay’s captain Lugano was superb, organizing in and from defence while Diego Forlan just gets better and better, if such a thing is possible, as a playmaker and striker.
Suarez celebrates his second for Uruguay as the rain pours down pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
“Can the Uruguayan class of 2010 match the achievements of the 1970s side?”, asked commentator Gary Bloom. They already have – they play like gentlemen not gangsters, and regardless of the results to come they’re a better side, too. How far their game has developed in three and a half decades. The Koreans, too, are not without credentials, having put Italy out in 2002. They pushed Uruguay hard in the second half and the South Americans' misjudgment of sitting back to absorb pressure told in the 68th minute when Lee Chung Yong equalized from a set piece. But it was to be Uruguay’s day and in the 80th minute Suarez finished it off with a sublime strike on a loose ball from a corner kick. To score a goal of such quality in sheeting rain speaks volumes about this man’s talent. A feast of skill in appalling conditions and good sportsmanship all round. Uruguay will need to tighten up in defence, though, from now on. USA 1 - Ghana 2 Sadly, USA could not put their skill and self-belief to full expression in a game which saw the first genuine flashes of the African game at its most enthralling. Kevin-Prince Boateng’s long, low and chillingly accurate 5th minute goal was the first glimpse but more were to come. Ghana danced in the American midfield with creative, adventurous manoeuvres that pushed the playmaking to its physical limits and made the tightest of passing margins seem natural. All the things we love about the Africans, at last. But USA clawed back with pleasing second half attacks from Dempsey and Bradley against a top class Ghanaian defence and earned a deserved penalty on the hour mark. Donovan’s strike looked good going in off the upright but probably wasn’t what he meant to do.
Gyan's winner leaves USA in the doldrums pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
England 1 - Germany 4 “Don’t Mention the Beach Towels” said a banner in the Bloemfontein stands. The Germans have objected strongly to pre-match gamesmanship. They always do, of course, though they dish it out well enough. Ask Pim Verbeek. They dished out something else today, too – a football lesson verging on a thrashing for an England side that never looked as if it wanted to be at this tournament. This game looked for a short time as if it might have everything, with the added spice of historic rivalry and an echo from 1966, when Germany was pressured in the final by a marginal Geoff Hurst goal off the overhead that has never been able to be disproved. Goal line technology has come a long way, though FIFA doesn’t seem to have noticed, and Frank Lampard’s first half strike, which bounced clearly a metre behind the line and then spun forwards for keeper Neuer to collect, was disallowed by Uruguayan referee Larrionda.
Miroslav Klose opens the scoring for Germany after an English defensive howler from Upson and Terry pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
But the truth is that a brief England adrenalin shot fizzled out quickly. Müller made it three on the hour and then calmly steered in his second six minutes later, set up delightfully by Özil on the end of a counter attack from defence which looked like the “light training run” Germany had boasted of against Australia. England went absent without leave. If not exactly barking, the bulldog still whimpered once or twice, but Gerard’s skilful 81st minute shot, blocked by Neuer, came much too late to make a difference.
Job done for Germany and it’s on to Cape Town, for Argentina. Argentina 3 - Mexico 1 The Argentines often use the word ‘latigazo’, meaning ‘crack of the whip’, reports the Guardian’s Sean Ingle. And if Carlos Teves was the executioner it was Lionel Messi, world footballer of the year, who held the whip hand in Johannesburg. It was Argentina’s first real test and you have to say, notwithstanding long memories from 1986, that Maradona has done for his side what Capello couldn’t or wouldn’t do for England – he’s taken the pressure off them and publicly acknowledged them as stars at every opportunity, which of course they are. During the anthems The Argentines seemed almost in a trance of ecstasy, whilst the Mexicans, with their unusual (shall we say) chest salutes seemed to strike a more military pose. Perhaps that was the difference and the Mexicans certainly looked ready for a set to when Teves’s clearly offside opening goal, delightful though it was from Messi’s chip, was allowed to stand by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti. Higuain’s plundering of a horrible Mexican defensive error made it 2-0 at the break.
pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
A strike of similar quality from Javier Hernandez gave Mexico a well deserved goal as Argentina eased off, knowing their next game with Germany in Capetown will be a tough encounter. Will that be the game for magical Messi, playmaker from heaven today, to finally find the net himself?
R16, days 3 & 4 - june 29, 30 Day 3 said goodbye to a courageous Slovakia that’s still a level or two below Europe’s best and provided a devastating foretaste of South American supremacy when it matters. Another contrast of continents between Paraguay and Japan, and a European thriller between Portugal and Spain. Netherlands 2 - Slovakia 1 Slovakia, who do for tattoos what the French do for hairstyles, entered the World Cup as an independent nation for the first time and were far from discredited. With Robben back in the starting eleven, the Netherlands fielded their strongest side. The derogatory comments from SBS’s Les Murray and Craig Foster, suggesting the Dutch were boring, rather missed the point. This is a side that still hasn’t peaked and Foster’s statement that “if the Dutch win the World Cup, it will have been a poor tournament” was, frankly, churlish. What on earth’s got into Foster in this tournament? He’s saying some very odd things for someone who knows so much about the game.
Dutch fans in Durban pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football It came moments later, in fact, from a super long ball out of defence to Robben who took advantage of van Persie’s decoy run and cut inside, elegantly slotting it past the diving Mucha from the edge of the area. 1-0 in the twelfth minute, and at half time. The Slovaks needed something extra and tried hard but their 4-2-3-1 formation denied real service to Vittek and they were kept in it by two fine saves from Mucha in the opening minutes of the second half. The unpleasant side of Dutch football showed itself when van Persie kicked out at Zabavnik for no real reason, and Robben’s deliberate handball in the first half was equally puzzling. In the final analysis, the Slovaks couldn’t go up the extra gear as they had against a much less formidable Italy but they can count themselves unlucky that two excellent attempts on goal stayed out, thanks to Stekelenburg’s superb saves. Vittek really should have buried one of them, though. The Dutch looked more cohesive over 90 minutes and their second from Sneijder was nicely provided by Kuyt while Slovak defenders were still discussing the Dutch free kick that led to it. And that was the story, really. A late penalty from a contrived fall by Jakubko gave Slovakia one back. “The Dutch will take some stopping at this World Cup” concluded Bloom. They won't get a sterner test than in the Quarter Final. Brazil, next, for the Orangemen. Brazil 3 - Chile 0 At the start of this match an upset seemed, if not likely, at least possible. By the end Brazil had surely firmed as tournament favourites after a majestic display of almost mocking football. They don’t mean it that way, I’m sure – they’re just that much better than all the rest when they decide to get going. But at the kick-off it seemed set for something special. Kaka was back from suspension, Brazil had underperformed in earlier stages and Chile looked hot and ready for it. They played crisp, aggressive one touch passing from the off but inevitably it didn’t take Brazil long to serve notice with a stinging long shot from Gilberto Silva well saved by Chile’s captain, Brava.
Lucio and Kaka celebrate Brazil's passage to the Quarters pic courtesy sports.yahoo.com
“Simply fantastic pace and poise from the Brazilians”, said commentator Dave Woods. Right on cue, they’d gone into overdrive to swing it decisively their way. 2-0 at half time. The second half began untidily at both ends and Chile, while still making things happen, looked to have lost concentration and never really completed their attractive attacking. Robinho’s stylish third for Brazil almost on the hour put it beyond them, though Chile never stopped. They just don’t know how to. They almost scored when Sanchez set up Valdivia’s 66th minute volley just over the bar, but you always felt that one back would simply lift Brazil once again; and Robinho almost made it four, anyway, with fifteen minutes to go. Back it went immediately to the other end for the nimble Suazo to nearly beat Cesar and he did it again, volleying from a corner two minutes later. It’s been wonderful to see such football from Chile – and awe-inspiring to see how methodically Brazil dealt with it. It’ll be interesting to watch what The Netherlands can produce in the Quarter Final. Paraguay 5 - Japan 3 (penalties) Even if the shoot out were not the best way to resolve tied games, some matches just deserve them. This one had penalties written all over it from the outset. With a first ever Quarter Final place at stake for both teams, neither seemed able to get past the block of preferring not to lose. On field, the cheerful Paraguayans belied their rather militaristic anthem; the Japanese, until extra time, looked the more likely to score with less of the possession. It was a game which, by the halfway mark of the first half, suggested promise and intrigue just below the surface but the spark needed to set it alight never came, mainly because neither side played with the skills the occasion demanded. Paraguay, particularly, were casual, even sloppy, in their passing, though the hard working Ortigoza attacked with flair and on two occasions in the second half defended superbly. But he and Benitez both took too long over their opportunities. Valdez did well to get a shot away in a goal mouth scramble in extra time but it was well blocked by Kawashima. Honda, for Japan, was often hindered by supply that came just a stride too late.
Oscar Cardozo scores Paraguay's penalty winner pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
More of the same in the second half and extra time made penalties a welcome relief. Komano hit the bar with his, Paraguay went through, neither side looked even half a chance against Spain or Portugal. Spain 1 - Portugal 0 This was more like it. An uncertain Spain on an almost unbeaten run of fifty plus games, and unbeaten in qualifying. Portugal capable of wonderful artistry and seven goals against Korea DPR. It was an each way bet, really. With magnificent performances from Torres and Villa – a shot on goal before Portugal even touched the ball – and wonderful left hand breaks from Portugal’s best on field, Coentrao, there was little to choose at half time. Spain looked fancier but perhaps Portugal looked marginally more likely to score. Spain’s passes, mostly to their own players, were painted across the field like brush strokes on a master’s canvas. A more restrained Portugal waited for opportunities and at first took them better. A thunderous long range shot from Ronaldo, which Casillas failed to hold but quickly gathered, proved the keeper’s point about the Jabulani ball. The ball’s most vocal critic had to contend with both dip and bend of almost a metre. Somehow, these flight variations are quite different from player-controlled swerve, and FIFA must ensure it performs the same about turn on this dreadful mistake as it now has on goal line technology. The shot was Ronaldo’s last hurrah. His game was off colour in the first half and in the second he became a spectator, and perhaps this was the deciding factor when Spain found another level and this finely balanced match turned ever so slightly in their favour just before the hour mark. Several promising moves were finally consolidated when David Villa put his second attempt into the roof of the net following a delicate build up from just outside the penalty area, a nice through ball from Iniesta and a fine first time block from Eduardo.
pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Villa had a couple more cracks at goal before being relieved of duties, but the job was done. A match played in good spirit between two sides who know and like each other was marred by the unnecessary sending off of Costa by Argentine referee Baldassi in the final minute. The knock to Capdevila was hard but unintentional and the game was better exemplified by the nice moment between Carles Puyol and Coentrau after a tough but clean tussle for a contested ball. “Spain edged it”, said Paul Dempsey. “They had the nerve and quality when it was most needed”.
Argentina’s Messi, much less conceited, remains happy to serve his team and take whatever plaudits may come along afterwards. A much more attractive approach altogether. Spain should easily account for Paraguay. Sadly, we now have to say goodbye to either Germany or Argentina.
England (right) have gone to the pub. pic courtesy reader, Daragh, in Ireland
The Quarter Finals 1600, 2030 hrs local time july 2 Netherlands v Brazil july 2 Uruguay v Ghana july 3 Argentina v Germany july 3 Spain v Paraguay
................................................................................ world cup 8 round 3, group stage: the first au revoirs groups a - d group a uruguay 1 - mexico 0; south africa 2 - france 1 Les Yeux Irlandais Souriants june 24 2010 It could have been worse (or better, depending on how you look at it). Thierry Henry might have missed an open goal, or put a penalty wide, or been wrongly sent off. South Africa might have got their vital third goal on a disputed penalty. But in the end, it was pretty ghastly for France – a point and a goal from three games, and the note from Dublin was ecstatic. “There is a God after all. An offside goal and penalty in the defeat by Mexico; an arm in South Africa’s first goal; and a ref’s error in Gourcuff’s send-off for foul play. Amen”.
Uruguay's 1-0 win over Mexico saw them both advance. South African keeper, Itumeleng Khune, rejoices at South Africa's deserved 2-1 victory over France pic courtesy football.co.uk group b argentina 2 - greece 0; nigeria 2 - south korea 2 Greece, the surprise 2004 European Champions, defended well. It’s what they do best, really, and it was good to see them find confidence in their second game after the first up shredding by South Korea. But against Argentina they just didn’t threaten enough, despite the courageous efforts of Samaras.
South Korea jubilant on making the Round Of Sixteen pic courtesy football.co.uk
South Korea's 2-2 draw accounted for a frankly useless Nigeria which managed only a point from three games. North or south of the border, you have to give it to the Koreans. They try and try and try. Nigeria promised such strength and imagination and delivered neither. At their best, they’re wonderful to watch but they were perhaps the least impressive of all the Africans and Yakubu’s miss from two yards in front of an open goal told the story. Not good enough. group c england 1- slovenia 0; usa 1 - algeria 0 Talk about being damned by faint praise. A marginally improved England offered a “workmanlike” performance against a courageous Slovenia (football.co.uk). English flashes of inspiration (especially on the left) perhaps promised something for the next stages; but flashes of mediocrity also allowed Slovenia the chance of scraping at least a draw almost to the end.
An England fan at the tense Slovenia game. England's late corner time wasting for 90 seconds added little honour to a marginal victory pic courtesy football.co.uk What a thriller in the other Group C game between USA and Algeria. An Algerian win might see them through, an American win would definitely send USA to the last sixteen. All to play for then, and they did. With Dempsey twice missing an open goal early in the second half, and the Algerian keeper M’Bholi heroic in repelling quality US attacks, it looked for a long time as if the Americans may go out with only two points, after playing some of the best football so far in the group stage. “Suddenly, we’re a soccer nation” said Silicon Valley’s mercurynews.com, but the tension was unimaginable until Landon Donovan fired home a 91st minute loose ball eight yards out, after Altidore’s quality cross into the area. Top of the group and on every test of skill and courage, no more than they deserve. The Yanks might just be comin’. Landon Donovan buries the rebound off M'Bholi from Dempsey's shot, following Altidore's superb long range cross pic courtesy mercurynews.com
group d serbia 1 - australia 2; germany 1 - ghana 0 When I came to Australia in 1969, UK friends said “you’re going at just the right time, Australia will be a top ten football country by the end of the 70s”. Years of administrative inertia ensured it took until 2010 for the side to reach a FIFA ranking of 20. Much has been made of the Australian fighting quality in this side and the one four years ago which almost sent Italy out of the last sixteen.
Australian captain, Lucas Neill, with coach, Pim Verbeek, after beating Serbia but missing out on goal difference - pic courtesy football.co.uk The constant score updates from the parallel game by SBS commentators during Australia’s match did a first class job of robbing the later replay of Germany vs Ghana of all value. Pity about that, SBS, because it was a good game. Ghana looked pedestrian but still managed to keep Germany scoreless and looking relatively ordinary for long portions of the game. In the end, Germany scraped a 1-0 win to top the group, with Ghana also going through on goal difference ahead of two more deserving sides.
groups e - h group f paraguay 0 - new zealand 0; slovakia 3 - italy 2 World number 78 against number 31 and nil all after 90 minutes said a lot about the belief and determination Ricki Herbert has instilled in a New Zealand side short on finishing but very long on confidence. This was an astonishingly open group, holding every possibility from New Zealand as an unlikely group winner through to the drawing of lots. As it was, New Zealand finished higher than Italy and will go home disappointed at what might conceivably have been, had one of their few shots on goal gone in. Ricki Herbert applauds his side off, after their gritty third round draw with Paraguay pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Chris Wood might have done it for them four minutes from time. Paraguay, and especially Valdez, worked tirelessly as in their earlier group games, looking much the prettier side but no more likely to score, thanks to Paston’s outstanding defence of the Kiwi goal. Coach Gerardo Martino was critical of Paraguay’s inability to cut through but at least they go through. “Can you get any closer to qualifying?”, asked Herbert. Probably not. The wheel of karma turned first for France, then for Italy. The Italians and Slovaks both needed a win of up to two clear goals to join the next round, such was the Group F uncertainty. The Slovaks went into the second half one up and with half an hour to play Italy looked like the ageing side that brought so much criticism for Marcello Lippi. Their control was sloppy, their passes went nowhere and although it’s easy to be wise in hindsight, this Italian side was never worth a Round of 16 berth. And with their football, such as it was, overshadowed by dramatic diving at almost every touch, and often without one, it’s difficult to feel sorry for them.
“I take full responsibility” - Italy's coach, Marcello Lippi pic courtesy football.co.uk “They played as if they were afraid and that can only be my fault”, said Lippi afterwards. At least there was one gentleman in the side. group e japan 3 - denmark 1; netherlands 2 - cameroon 1 Japan and Denmark badly needed three points, with Cameroon out of contention and Holland already on six. After Japan’s two glorious first half set pieces, both producing goals, it was a long way back for the clunky Danes against the brisk, clinical Asians. Denmark’s penalty was a good call and captain Thomasson might have scored again except for a mis-kick; but Japan’s third from Okazaki, unselfishly set up by Honda, finished them off.
Japan goes through after beating Denmark 3-1 pic courtesy football.co.uk Robin van Persie put the Netherlands one up at 36 minutes, making a Cameroon side which had promised so much for African football look very containable.
The Netherlands take all possible nine points, after defeating Cameroon 2-1 pic courtesy theglobeandmail.com Eto’o’s well taken penalty offered just a sniff but when Robben came on and deftly smacked Sneijder’s exquisite pass against the upright with Huntelaar smoothly guiding home the rebound as if the whole thing had been rehearsed that morning, you felt this is a side that’s a long way from peaking. All nine points, without raising a sweat – impressive stuff. group g brazil 0 - portugal 0; côte d'ivoire 3 - korea dpr 0 Brazil went into its last match on six points; and Portugal, with four, could not rule out elimination if Côte d’Ivoire secured a large enough win and a clean sheet in the parallel match. They needed at least a point, then.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gilberto Silva pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
Both were trying just hard enough to make it look as if they were trying. Both went through as a result, but the packed Durban stadium was severely shortchanged.
Ri Kwang-Chon and Didier Drogba tussle for possession pic courtesy football.co.uk Neither outcome was ever going to happen and it’s to their credit that they continued to play good football and to Korea DPR’s that they took the few chances on offer to push forward. Côte d’Ivoire went round and through the Korean defence; Korea DPR, still cheerful, hard working and creative, did their best whenever they could. They were dominated by Africa’s most physical team but still created moments of danger for the Ivorians until Kalou’s effortless 81st minute volley ended all hope of even a draw. group h switzerland 0 - honduras 0; spain 2 - chile 1 Both Group H games should have been humanely put out of their misery. Chile’s six points in the bag meant Spain had to win and Chile still needed a draw to be certain. The tame 2-1 win to a slightly improved Spain against a ten man Chile put the best two sides through, though the final fifteen minutes were gruesome to watch. Chile were content to watch Spain passing the ball around, suggesting they were aware of the likely nil all result in the group’s other game. A risky strategy but it worked in the end, and you wouldn’t bet against them in the Round of 16. As SBS’s Ned Zelic said “Even with ten men they were the better side”.
David Villa gets Spain's opener against Chile pic courtesy guardian.co.uk/football
The Switzerland / Honduras game, taking nothing away from the efforts of both sides, never looked like producing a goal. One feels for a Swiss side described as functional at best. They’ve tried hard and had bad luck for two World Cups straight. Gritty Stephane Grichting, in particular, stood out as a physically courageous defender who took more than one nasty knock in a dour game. Honduras, for all their creative flair, looked even less likely to score. A loose ball floating comfortably across the goal mouth and missed one after the other by three strikers (the word is used loosely) effectively described their day. Both go home, Chile and Spain go through. In the first elimination round Africa has one contender, the Americas seven, Europe six, Asia two.
The Round Of Sixteen 1600, 2030 hrs local time june 26 Uruguay v South Korea USA v Ghana june 27 England v Germany Argentina v Mexico june 28 Netherlands v Slovakia Brazil v Chile june 29 Paraguay v Japan Spain v Portugal ............................................................................ world cup 7a Rounds 1 & 2 - Retrospective (a) june 22 2010 After two rounds of group matches several things are clear. Some of the favourites are out of contention. A couple of surprise packages might go a lot further than expected. And FIFA has no intention of introducing any level of accountability at all to its players or paying customers. It’s also clear that despite the early lack of goals, there’s some sizzling football to come in later rounds, when everything changes. Switzerland’s and New Zealand’s unexpected successes are welcome and overdue. Paraguay and Chile seem worthy representatives of South American strength and flair. Brazil and Argentina are ... well, Brazil and Argentina: quite superb, so far. Chile looked like the find of the tournament in their 1-0 opener against Honduras, but much less sharp for the same result (which should have been 3-1) against Switzerland. Their attacking style gets them into too many offside positions but their progression is likely and they’re worth keeping an eye on, especially if Sanchez can be persuaded to pass the ball in front of goal more often. Paraguay, too, may be worth some smart money at this stage; and Uruguay have lifted both their game and their manners. European football at last, and at its best. That’s what Portugal turned on yesterday in wave after wave of artistic brilliance in the 7-0 hiding of Korea DPR. Like Brazil, Portugal can simply go up three gears whenever they apparently feel like it, although Brazil often doesn’t unless it needs to. Portugal did, and did it for the joy of it, and although one felt for the Koreans, who in so many ways have shown how the game should be played, Portugal suddenly looked like worthy Final contenders, and who’d want to take it from them?
David Villa controls the ball against Honduras (pic courtesy nj.com/soccer-news) Spain will need to finish much more confidently to retain a quarter-finals hope, on form so far.
Pride restored but another man down, Australia finally showed what it could do in the Ghana match, and regained the support of the Australian fourth estate. The flood of patriotic relief was described unkindly but accurately by the Sydney Morning Herald's Richard Hinds as the media's standard "diggers from the trenches" test of sporting valour; and it was put firmly into context by Ned Zelic on SBS TV. “If they’d played like this against Germany, they wouldn’t have dug such a hole for themselves to climb out of now”. The resentment towards Pim Verbeek, much of it unfair, is dealt with elsewhere (see world cup 3 & 4, below). Verbeek was entitled to field a defensive formation against Germany but it was too defensive, didn’t work and could have been changed at half time. Against Ghana, Australia attacked and but for Kewell’s dismissal may just have been worth three points. Cahill returns for the last game against Serbia and so they’re a chance, though the hole Zelic was referring to is Australia’s total reliance on results elsewhere. Comments from SBS’s Craig Foster and others about “…the heart, the courage, the fighting spirit, the true Aussie grit…”, although terminally boring are understandable if they don't miss the real point. The side didn’t go to South Africa to colour in the media's comic strip notion of national identity. They went to win, and sooner or later you’ve got to put balls in the back of the net. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Cockerill was much more realistic when he observed that it’s time for Harry Kewell Inc to start performing for his country. (...cont in 7b) ...................................................................... world cup 7b Rounds 1 & 2 - Retrospective (b) june 22 2010 England has a big problem and it’s called Fabio Capello, the myth of whose tactical capability was exploded in the second game against Algeria. Every skill is there for England, except the one which matters most - confidence. The first half exposed Capello's inability to inspire self-belief, the second his strategic impotence. Bringing Peter Crouch on for just the last seven minutes was unacceptable. John Terry, a commanding defender, showed the lack of team belief with a tame second half back pass to David James that nearly cost a goal. Whether or not it was wise, or even right, for Terry to openly air the team’s concerns about Capello’s arrogance, they are there. There is simply no other reason why a team promising so much should play for two straight matches as if it were afraid of the ball. It would be nice for the Beckham, perhaps? England defender, John Terry, today apologised to coach Fabio Capello for his press conference remarks. "I'm just here to win it for England", Terry said. (pic courtesy football.co.uk) France has blown it about as completely as it's possible to do and the “karma” emails from Ireland have been uncompromising. In neither of their games have they looked a shadow of Didier Deschamps’s great 1998 Cup winning side, going down 2-0 to Mexico and sharing a tepid 0-0 draw with Uruguay. Now, there are claims some senior players may even refuse to play in today’s third group match against South Africa. That’s unlikely, but if it does occur it’ll be the greatest sporting prima donna act of all time and will put French football back decades. Many say they've had it coming. The USA looks for the first time like a genuine possibility for a quarter- and even a semi-finals berth. This side has been steadily improving under Bob Bradley and when they say, quite seriously, that they expect to play in the Final and win, you know they mean it. It’s not just American self-belief (and that should never be underestimated) – they have the skill, strategy and stamina. Their comeback in round two against Slovenia was heroic and the denial of their third and winning goal by Mali’s referee Coulibaly as deplorable as FIFA’s subsequent refusal to even discuss it. With two points in the bag, that decision might just fire them up in the final group game against an Algerian side that looks beatable by all except England. USA probably won’t go all the way, but watch them closely because you just never know. Good to see. Switzerland looked good in accounting for Spain in round one, when they turned counter-attacking football into something more entertaining and convincing that it usually is. But against Chile yesterday they were pretty ordinary, although hardworking and organised. They deserve a break but will probably struggle if they reach the round of sixteen. The Africans are surely the big disappointments of 2010. Expected to do so well on their own continent, very little really sticks in the memory after two rounds of matches apart from the violence of Côte d’Ivoire against both Brazil and Portugal. This is the side reported by BBC World Service as having asked FIFA if they could bring their witch doctors with them. The North Koreans deserve to take something back to Pyongyang and they’ll be trying hard to knock the Ivorians over. With France on the psychological ropes South Africa suddenly look a chance later today, though they'll need lots more goals than they're probably able to find. For the rest of the Africans it’s a surprisingly lacklustre showing. South African camerawork and television direction is quite simply superb, exemplified by soaring wide overheads and imaginative close up cutaways providing delightful and often thoughtful atmospherics.
There were the tiny sparrow, feathers fluffed against the cold and scraping a meal by the side line, oblivious of the atmosphere around him; the slow motion close-up of a thumbs up from a Cameroon striker to his supplier of a long cross; and the sharp as a tack replays of offsides and interesting footwork. As Martin Tyler said, with fine English understatement, "this TV coverage is very, very acceptable".
England's captain, Stephen Gerard, looking concerned after the Algeria game pic courtesy football.co.uk
On form to date, the best last four would seem to be Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and Germany, with Chile and USA as possible smart money bets. But anything can happen in the elimination stages and most groups will provide tense final matches, starting with A and B today. ...................................................................... world cup 6 Right On Cue, FIFA Fouls It Up june 19 2010 Every four years, without fail, FIFA pulls something out of the bag to degrade the world’s great festival of football. But this time around, they’ve got almost everything wrong. The $2.99 plastic horns, named after something soothing and humane in Zulu, are a pest. President, Sepp Blatter, flatly refused to even consider the storm of protest from players, officials and coaches saying the trumpets were part of the local culture. Drinking beer from two litre glasses is part of the German culture but it didn't happen in the 2006 stadia. The French didn't take chickens to games in 1998. FIFA’s unqualified enthusiasm for everything associated with Africa’s gifts to humanity is tedious and smacks of political correctness. The one-note trumpets just happen to bear the logo, of course, for a global beverage which doubles as a useful restoring fluid for old coins and hub caps. The horns haven’t turned out to be quite the irritant for television viewers which many expected, but the players cannot hear their coaches, each other or – quite often – the referee’s whistle. Mexico’s Dos Santos continued to press forward after missing an offside whistle against France and a less discerning ref might have carded him. As if that weren’t bad enough, players are finding it hard to kick the new ball too, which FIFA imposed on the tournament after extremely limited trials in a tiny number of countries. It, too, is named after something inspiring in Zulu which is unlikely to translate as “flies straight and true”. Fabio Capello, who should know, calls it the worst ball he’s ever seen. Where is the flood of goals promised by Adidas? The Jabulani ball was visibly inferior by half time in game one when it wasn’t too late to replace it. But, of course, the advertising contracts were well locked down. What an insult, then, to players and consumers to place such considerations ahead of footballing quality. FIFA may believe it doesn’t need good consumer relations since it has no competitors for control of the world game. The reality is it needs all the PR it can get. The widespread perception is that the sport’s controlling body has come to represent all that is wrong with the modern game's domination by big money. It's hard to imagine a more complete mismanagement of a tournament, despite much pleasing football. Well wait, there’s more. What makes everything infinitely worse is the culture of denial that has become the FIFA norm. The “veil of silence”, as Martin Tyler described it today, surrounding the extraordinary decision last night by Mali referee Koman Coulibaly to deny the USA’s Edu a winning goal, makes the point perfectly. Coulibaly, who is officiating at his first World Cup (in his first language of French) refused the goal on the basis of a foul by a US player but declined to name the player. He's now gone to ground and neither he nor FIFA is saying anything. Today’s Washington Post is reporting, moreover, that the respected Scottish coach David Moyes, believes he missed or overlooked two clear US penalties. Commentator Ally McCoist agreed. “The Americans have every right to be very aggrieved indeed. The goal should have stood”, he said during his commentary on the England – Algeria game. Coulibaly also awarded a yellow card to the USA’s Robbie Findley for a handball which actually came off the side of his face. There have been other refereeing howlers – there always are – but Coulibaly’s are the most telling so far in 2010 and hold the real possibility of denying a rightful Round of Sixteen place to the USA. America is one of the fastest developing nations in the world. They pulled out all stops to secure what would have been a deserved 3-2 win, after being down 2-0 at half time. Referees cannot always be perfect and we mustn’t expect them to be. But it’s totally unrealistic to place the best players from thirty-two countries on the world’s biggest stage and then have their matches controlled by referees with no big tournament experience, simply to keep regional officials happy. However many refs are required, they should be the best ranked refs in the world. Stephane Lannoy's sending off of Kaka: why are the world cup refs so bad? ................................................................... world cup 5 Foul Play From The Usual Suspects june 17 2010 FIFA’s Fair Play Code is a bit like a Quality Assurance accreditation. If you put up enough signs with enough ticks in boxes it makes it happen, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, no. Foul play remains the standard for too many World Cup regulars. Little has changed for serial divers, Germany. They’ve learned well from the ham acting of Jürgen Klinsmann who used to look as if he was trying for a good start in the Olympic 100 metres freestyle, falling and hurling himself forwards at the slightest touch. He’s taught his compatriots well. Özil gained an 11th minute yellow card for a dive with precisely zero contact with an Australian defender. Bastian Schweinsteiger, too, goes down in agony on little more than a sideways glance. Why, when the German game is so awe inspiring, do they need such deception? The fact that with a minute to go and a 4-0 lead over Australia, Cacau (naturalised Brazilian though he is) took an outrageous dive for no clear advantage suggests the Germans, like Italy, probably just can’t help themselves. Why is it so easy to like so much about Italy and its people, and yet take so little pleasure from their exquisite football? The answer’s easy. They combine flair, brilliance and convincing diving with the additional spice of gratuitous aggression. Camoranesi’s blatant stamping on the feet of round 1 opponents Paraguay was a case in point and perhaps was to be expected given his early grounding in Uruguayan and Argentinian club football. Italian diving with accompanying simulated agony, which I’ve watched with increasing distaste since the mid sixties, has refined itself over four decades into a genuine dramatic art form (see World Cup 1, below). An impressive example came early in the Paraguay match when de Rossi distributed the ball to his right and then fell forwards outside the penalty area clutching his leg as if suffering a multiple fracture. For this blatant attempt to secure an unmerited free kick in front of goal he received no yellow card despite the fact that almost a metre of daylight was visible between him and his closest opponent. Unsurprisingly the shattered leg healed instantly. In the same game, captain Fabio Cannavaro accidentally slipped over on a damp playing surface half a metre from the closest Paraguayan and rolled around in such mock agony you’d have thought he was having a leg amputation without anesthetic. Perhaps it’s just a Juventus thing but despite the beauty of Italian football, how can a side like this be supported? Variety - The Spice Of Life While the Italians have always alleged injuries to the lower leg area, Brazil continues to prefer its rich tradition of alleged facial pokes and fingers in the eye. Portugal’s Ronaldo, never averse to a good dive himself, perhaps had cause to grumble at the way he was consistently felled by Côte d’Ivoire players. But he made sure he got a couple of good tumbles in early just to make the point, one of which resulted in a yellow card for Côte d’Ivoire’s Zokora who seemed to make little if any contact. Older South American offenders, Uruguay and Argentina, seem on first showing to have turned over a new leaf. Who can forget Later teams did little to improve the nation’s sporting integrity – witness Diego Maradona’s outrageous and unpunished 1986 quarter final handball into the net against England (pictured). But Argentina now seems to play a cleaner style of football and in their first game against Nigeria they were noticeably attentive to injured opposition players. Uruguay also have a lot of previous, including a vicious assault on Australian Col Curran in 1974 at the Sydney Sports Ground which kept him out of the country’s first ever World Cup appearance. I was there and it was cynical in the extreme. Three players surrounded Curran, the referee was intentionally distracted and Curran was openly felled with a chop to the neck. He was hospitalised and temporarily paralysed. But in 2010 the Uruguayans, too, seemed to be a reformed and gentlemanly side in their scoreless opener against France. Good to see. France itself owes its presence at this tournament entirely to the second most cynical handball in the game’s history by Thierry Henry, which kept a more deserving Ireland out. A standard piece of weak FIFA dissembling ensured no sanction was applied to Henry, who essentially said “Yes, I did it, but the ref didn’t see it, so that’s alright”. French luminaries like Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini sadly backed him up in varying degrees. Shirt pulling is equally a stain on the game and was allegedly addressed with gusto in the last World Cup. Guess what, Sepp. Nothing happened. The blatant Japanese shirt tug on Emmanuel Eto’o, near the sideline and in full view of the linesman, went unpunished. How Football Should Be Played Despite all this there have been heartwarming moments of real sporting affection like the warm encounter between Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo and a similar one between Japan’s Honda and Cameroon’s Eto’o. And what a pleasure, whatever you think of their politics, to see how Korea DPR performed in their opener with Brazil. This is how football should be played: no spitting, no diving, no creeping throw ins, no histrionics, no arguments – and often a smile and a handshake for a fallen opponent. They look amazingly fit (they probably get half the country’s protein ration) and were impressive in pulling one back against Brazil. Why, though, when the serial offenders are generally the finest teams, whose skills we should be relishing with joy, do their players need to dishonour the game by cheating? And how can FIFA possibly argue that a few Fair Play signs have made this repugnant problem go away? The only conclusion to be drawn is that FIFA’s concern has as little substance as the mock injuries. If Thierry Henry’s handball against Ireland was missed by the referee, then let him play on. But if FIFA can consider applying a retrospective additional penalty to Tim Cahill, why can't they do the same to the real cheats? “Thanks for coming tonight Monsieur Henry. The match result stands, France goes through, and you’re banned for five years. Close the door on the way out, would you”. That would fix it, Sepp. maradona's 'hand of god' goal, 1986 quarter final (YouTube)
...................................................................... world cup 4 Foster Turns On Verbeek june 16 2010 Thirty-six hours on from Australia’s defeat by Germany, some of the media comment risks turning ugly. There’s legitimate concern, understandably, about Pim Verbeek’s tactical approach in that game. As Craig Foster and Les Murray noted on SBS TV, the way Australia played to get there is not the way they played in their opening match. Furthermore, Verbeek has not been tactically tested at this level and it’s fair enough to put some searching questions to him. In his defence, Verbeek has quite reasonably pointed out that Australia was outplayed by a better side, that the first two goals conceded were down to on-field errors rather than the game plan, that a likely penalty for Australia which might have made some sort of difference was not given and that Cahill’s red card then changed everything. Nonetheless, his game plan was flawed and Ricki Herbert’s plucky New Zealanders underlined this in their match against Slovakia last night. Playing their natural game, with great self-belief against a far better side, they managed an admirable draw. Foster is SBS’s chief football analyst and on the day of the defeat he was advocating strong moral support for the Australian camp. A day later he seemed to have moved to a more strident position, one which risks causing problems. He took it a step too far on SBS 2 last night calling for Verbeek’s marginalisation and, if necessary, arbitrary dismissal. It was almost a personal attack and from a normally measured, objective commentator it was a surprising outburst, suggesting the possibility of partiality. More to the point, though, it was entirely unhelpful to the situation the Australians find themselves in. It’s questionable whether SBS was editorially justified in reporting unsubstantiated “rumours of a rift in the camp” in the tournament news segment. Foster himself went on to say he would have sacked Verbeek outright straight after the German game; that the players should now take matters into their own hands; and that a supervising committee of Australian “experts” should step in to approve Verbeek’s every move. This is the stuff of kangaroo courts, of course, and would make the coach’s position impossible. He would be quite within his rights to claim breach of contract and sue Football Federation Australia up, down and sideways. Foster’s suggestion, moreover, that “…it’s time some Australians took over” is a statement which some may construe as unwise if not divisive. It certainly sits oddly on a multicultural channel which counters racialism at every turn; and it won't help the FFA when they advertise for Verbeek's replacement. The concern felt by Australian football supporters and officials will not be helped by this sort of ill-considered outburst. The channel’s coverage generally, including Foster’s knowledgeable analysis, is excellent though it sometimes seems in danger of believing its own publicity. As a reputable commentator Foster is entitled to air his views, even if they’re uncomfortable for Verbeek. But they can be aired with a measure of restraint and an eye on team morale. By all means pose the searching questions, and if Verbeek ultimately fails Australian football then let the dirt fly and the lessons be considered. But let’s not forget it was a committee of Australians (the FFA) who appointed Verbeek in the first place and if he does fail, they are responsible. Making him a scapegoat now, after one poor game, is the last thing he or Australia’s players need. This column noted on June 14 the substantial question marks against Verbeek’s tactics in the German game. No-one, moreover, doubts the sincerity of Foster’s passion for Australian football. He would probably make an excellent national coach himself, come to think of it. But this is dangerous territory he’s stepping into. “If necessary, Verbeek can walk”, he said last night. In the final analysis, though, it’s the coach’s responsibility to see the job through and, within reason, on his own terms. Verbeek must respond to the concerns over his tactics; but unless he starts speaking in tongues and training with a square ball, he’s entitled to ask for support, not moral condemnation. ................................................................... world cup 3 Australia vs Germany june 14 2010 To their credit they tried until the end, as you’d expect. But the full extent of the wishful thinking that has characterised the Socceroos’ build up to their opener against Germany was laid bare by half time. The Germans, sadly not known for their natural modesty or good taste, referred to Australia as minnows before the game and described it afterwards as a light training run. Whilst Australia was hugely outclassed on the day, those observations say rather more about German arrogance than accurate football analysis. Fortunately, their football was more elegant than their media. The fact is that coach Pim Verbeek has questions to answer. This is not as good a team as the one that ran Italy ragged four years ago but it is good enough to be given its head and allowed to play its natural game. Verbeek’s almost preposterously defensive formation from the outset ensured this could not happen. He’s a fine coach and there was always reasoning behind his decision to play Cahill as a single striker up front, without support, and contain Germany in the midfield. Unfortunately it was soon evident neither strategy would work. Craig Moore remains a temperamental wild card at the back; and stretched too widely in midfield because of Germany’s sheer passing class, Australia never had the means to smother clinical penetration through the middle by the likes of Özil. By half time, with a 2-0 scoreline, Verbeek ought to have reconsidered his formation and provided Cahill with support up front from Kewell or Kennedy. Australia may have scored and with a little luck may even have snatched a draw (they may have had a penalty at 2-0 for an obvious though probably unintentional handball, missed by the officials). As it is, they have a big swag of goals conceded and a shattered morale which is unlikely to be repaired in time for the next encounter with a formidable Ghana, to be played without their number one striker. Tim Cahill’s straight red card from a referee with previous hairy chested card form was unacceptable. It happens every four years and this time it happened to Australia. FIFA must look, for once and for all, at the endless problem of the quality of World Cup officials it selects. Australia must win the next two games. It’s not out of the question and Cahill is not the only attacking player capable of finishing. If Verbeek adopts an attacking formation and encourages them to play as if there’s nothing to lose – well, perhaps. Anything can happen in the World Cup. But in a tight group which may well come down to goal difference, Australia now has an uphill struggle for an unlikely move into the next round. Supporters should brace themselves for an unfortunate and perhaps undeserved early exit. As long the Germans don’t peak too early, they already look like a good bet for the last four. ......................................................................... world cup 2 New Balls, Please - For FIFA june 13 2010 By twenty minutes into the World Cup opener between S Africa and Mexico it was apparent Adidas has sold FIFA a dud with its new ‘Jabulani’ ball. Day two confirmed it. The name apparently means something warm and inspiring in Zulu and the makers say it represents design perfection. Well, they would, wouldn’t they. Former socceroo, John Kosmina, agrees with Adidas and says the ball will guarantee more goals and so what if goalkeepers are inconvenienced, they’ll just have to get over it. Tell that to Rob Green. There are careers at stake here, not to mention the reasonable expectations of the paying public. Getting over it, in fact, is the problem. There are some who believe the game needs consistency, not more goals; but on Kosmina’s own logic it won’t just be goalkeepers who struggle with the Jabulani’s erratic flight. It’ll be everyone. In the opening game, at altitude, the ball too often failed to behave as expected. Long shots on goal and close range headers went high; medium length passes failed to fall as receiving players anticipated, or ran past them; corner kicks, set pieces and long crosses to the goal mouth failed to fly true, or held up too long; and a long aerial pass from Mexico’s Rafael Marquez, known for his long range passing mastery, landed two metres ahead of the receiving player. One of the game’s most sublime art forms, the inch perfect long ball, is thus compromised. Even allowing for the effects of altitude there’s a more basic question. It’s generally recognised that no-one has been able to improve on the design of the Tango ball, also made by Adidas for the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. Why then does the game suddenly need a new one, unless this was seen as a marketing chance too good to miss? We may not need a new ball but if we make one and get FIFA to endorse it, we’ll sell lots and lots. Let’s give it a warm fuzzy African name and take Sepp out for a long lunch. And FIFA, never very savvy on the strategic front, has bought it hook line and sinker without stopping to ask “Why have you made it swerve? Don’t we actually want it to go in the direction it’s kicked? Isn’t swerve something the players do?”. In both day one games correctly positioned players, including the French goalkeeper in the game against Uruguay, were consistently denied a clean receive when the ball bounced over their heads. In that case, the keeper fell back over the line and should have conceded a corner, which the referee missed. This might conceivably have affected the outcome. The Jabulani is therefore unlikely to spoil the overall spectacle, except for purists, but can clearly influence a possibly critical result. In a similar scenario, Nigeria’s Uche was denied a possible equaliser against Argentina with five minutes to go, firing over the top of an open goal when the ball’s huge high bounce ensured he had no chance of getting over it. England’s Rob Green, though he conceded his own mistake against USA, may well have felt the low shot he failed to save swerved away from him after he’d positioned himself to receive it. Taken individually, these situations might each have a different cause. But taken together over the tournament’s first two days, there are just too many high bounces and shots for this to be written off as errors by players of this calibre. The world’s best players, on the world’s highest stage, are entitled to play their natural game and paying customers are entitled to expect to see this. An artificial contrivance introduced for commercial gain may well have embarrassed the tournament. Finally, let’s assume the game does need a new ball that behaves quite differently from all previous balls. Why introduce it, untried, at the premier global football event with everything this implies for tournament integrity? The World Cup hardly needs a promotional boost so if the game itself needs improvement, why not introduce a new ball between tournaments, instead of using the tournament as a vehicle for novelty marketing? That would add to the World Cup. This way risks wrecking it.
.......................................................................... world cup 1 Signor Fabio Grosso c/- Italian Football Federation ROME June 11 2010 Dear Signor Grosso On the eve of the World Cup, it is with a heavy heart that I write to express the deep condolences felt by all Australian football lovers on hearing the tragic recent news of your axing from the 2010 Italian World Cup squad. A flood of raw emotion has engulfed our country since this appalling news was announced. Men, women and drama students have been seen openly weeping in the Even by the superb standards of your countrymen, the performing arts skills you displayed in that 2006 match against Australia (pictured, right) were utterly unsurpassed; and it is no exaggeration to say that your performance during the final minutes of that game elevated your profession to unimagined new heights. No matter that your side was being outplayed in every facet of the game and had virtually given up; nor that Italy was facing defeat and elimination, had the match gone into extra time. Like the magnificent performer that you are, you single handedly rescued your team and your nation when all seemed lost by perhaps the finest sleight of foot ever witnessed in the history of drama, exemplifying the on-field judgment every Italian footballer aspires to. If only the Frenchman, Henry, were half as gifted with his hands as you are with your feet. The full extent of your contribution to the dramatic arts was rendered all the greater when video replays showed conclusively that you had made no contact whatever with the opposing defender, Lucas Neill, in falling over just inside the area to gain a penalty with three minutes of normal time left. This was an artistic feat of the highest calibre and lovers of the game here and everywhere are rightly devastated that audiences will be denied your incomparable performance skills in 2010. I hope you will take some small comfort from the knowledge that Australian football lovers will never forget you, Signor Grosso. Not ever. Yours etc ................................................................... Can Rudd Survive? june 2 2010 As of this morning, the main game in Canberra must surely be “when will the ALP give Kevin Rudd the flick, and will he go quietly?”. Although little has yet been said publicly apart from the occasional question on a possible challenge by Julia Gillard (until recently, no more than mild journalistic mischief), tensions are rising. The early signs have been visible for a while, with ministers like Wong and Roxon carefully couching answers with prefixes like “As the Prime Minister has said, Kerry …”. Backbenchers are worried about immigration and new marginal seats are at risk in WA from the government’s proposed resources rent tax. Although in world terms there is nothing harsh or even remarkable about this tax, it has served to underscore the government’s (and in particular Rudd’s) ungainly communication. Independent senator, Nick Xenophon, said recently the government couldn’t sell heaters to eskimos and last night on the 7.30 Report, Kerry O’Brien made treasurer Wayne Swan look juvenile in his attempts to justify the timing of advertising for the tax. Now (AM, this morning), one of this country’s most informed journalists, Chris Uhlman, says many in the government know there is something very wrong in the PM’s office and it may be the PM himself. Out of the blue, Rudd is suddenly on the nose in opinion polls and the always unforgiving Australian Labour Party is panicking. Things are coming to a head. Even though a switch to Gillard may well be enough, on novelty value alone, to shore up the party’s chances for another term, the problem in considering a tap on Rudd’s shoulder is three fold. How, so soon before an election, do you credibly change a leader who until recently was miles high in the polls? But how do you not, when defeat suddenly seems a real possibility? And … would he make a fight of it? The health option could be a way out. Rudd (supported by this writer as the obvious choice at least three leaders ago) came in with huge potential, assuring a new style of politics. Virtually all the promises with which he gilded that assurance have been broken or perceived to be broken. On TV he loses you halfway through the first sentence and in general he’s begun, in fact, to look like a loser. Rudd is committing the worst of political sins. He’s boring the nation to death. He needs to go if the ALP wants to improve its chances of retaining government, which on economic management it probably deserves to do. Mea culpa. This writer was wrong. This writer is unconvinced, though, about Julia Gillard who despite her populist inclinations, folksy TV style and a work ethic rivaling that of Rudd himself, has shown herself in her education portfolio to be a party animal first and foremost, placing political gain ahead of educational principle. If principle counts in leadership, foreign minister Stephen Smith may also be worth a look, though his time may not have come. The climate change reversal; the ditched child care centres; the scrapped home insulation scheme (with the headmasterly humiliation of the previously totemic ‘Minister Garrett’); the apparent abandonment of promised homes for the homeless and perceived downgrading of the national broadband scheme; the continuation, essentially unchanged, of the Northern Territory indigenous intervention; the placement, again, of refugees in remote desert locations; the hard hats and safety vests; and, above all, the collapse of the moral spine promised by Mr Rudd. It all comes on top of the admission a couple of weeks ago by the alleged alternative PM, Tony Abbott, that you shouldn’t necessarily believe everything he (Abbott) says publicly. Put it all together and the perception, whether or not correct, is clear. On all sides, they lie. Australia, always cynical about its politicians, briefly heartened by the prospect of a new dawn, has now plumbed a new depth of political depression.
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Truth In Christmas Cards may 22 2010 Not an especially convincing minister in a media scrummage (and therein probably lie the seeds of his downfall), Transport Minister David Campbell was generously described as diligent and dedicated by his Premier, Kristina Keneally, after he resigned on Thursday evening following Channel 7’s clandestine film showing him leaving a Sydney gay sauna club. On radio next morning, Seven’s head of news and current affairs, Peter Meakin, duly ran through the carefully rehearsed script about the sanctity of the public interest. The story must have been in the public interest because Campbell apologised, didn’t he? On logic like this is a life destroyed, without a second thought. Meakin went on to use Campbell’s wife’s serious illness as another reason why the politician had to be publicly revealed as bi-sexual. What rank hypocrisy. Adam Walters (the reporter) and Meakin referred to Campbell’s family Christmas Cards, as if implying a bi-sexual man could not have a family life. What ignorant drivel. In fact, there was self evidently no public interest in this story and as far better journalists than Walters or Meakin well understand, there is no such thing as a public right to know. In this case, no public policies were compromised, no blackmail was perpetrated and no regulations or codes of conduct were breached. As David Marr has correctly observed, Campbell was unwise given that he’d previously held the Police portfolio. Keneally nailed another critical issue. She criticised her former Minister for leading a double life and then said the saddest thing of all was that he’d had to. The reason for this is that even the toughest politician cannot withstand the onslaught of a media morality play, once it is decided that someone must be shamed. Channel 7 has taken a firm hold on ratings through its acquisition of channel 9's best executives, following the lack of interest in television by James Packer. Its news service has not risen to the challenge and, if anything, has deteriorated. Characterised by suburban ambulance chasing, seedy exposés and free kicks to favoured politicians, it typifies the ‘fat cats in their ivory towers’ school of journalism. A recent attack on South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, was another example. Rann didn’t come across as a particularly pleasant person but his private life was also his own business. In his case the exposé (shortly before a state election, funnily enough) came to nothing and the channel made a retraction. There’s an election in NSW soon, funnily enough. NSW front bencher and leadership aspirant, John Della Bosca and opposition leader, John Brogden, have also tasted the media’s contrived moral outrage following personal indiscretions. The reporting landscape is littered with examples like these and channel 7 leads the way. In the late 70s I was privileged to work for a brief time with perhaps the finest radio journalist Australia has produced, the late Brian White. Even then, long before the internet, he and others of his time foresaw the decline of reporting standards which here and overseas is now accepted as mainstream. “Enjoy it while you can”, they said, “because in a generation from now you won’t recognise journalism in this country”. They were right, of course, and there are reasons why this has happened. That’s another story, no pun intended, but what goes around comes around. Listening on radio yesterday to Meakin and Walters feebly trying to explain their actions it’s clear neither has the wit, sadly, to understand how this episode will surely blight the rest of their careers. No bad thing, either, some may say; and many may feel, too, that Meakin’s conviction three years ago on drink driving and dangerous driving charges was rather more a matter of public interest than his revelation of David Campbell’s bi-sexuality.
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Lessons From The British Election may 13 2010 Why is the election of David Cameron of more than passing interest – even of qualified enthusiasm – for those whose politics have usually leaned the other way? Disregard the fact that his conservatism is not the traditional high Toryism we’ve come to know and dislike; and put aside the suspicion that Labour in Britain (as here in Australia) has apparently abandoned historic commitments to social democratic values. Listening to Cameron speaking in Downing St there was just the merest whiff of something in the political air, at last. Days of riveting drama (monitored here via Radio 4’s program of record, Today, streaming from 3.00pm aest; and through the night on the World Service, relayed on ABC News Radio) saw Britain’s toxic Tory press turn viciously against Nick Clegg on the Monday following the election, when it seemed the Liberal Democrats were edging towards a deal with Labour. Then, the final climax on Tuesday 11th was pure history, played out live on the radio and analysed on the run by the best in the business, like the BBC’s Nick Robinson. What we heard from the steps of No 10 was a departure of courage and dignity from a man lampooned as an oaf, followed by words of clarity and inspiration from a man labeled as an insubstantial smoothie by the press of the other side. Both speeches were marked by a scarce commodity in modern politics. They had the ring of truth about them. There are other reasons to take note of the British election, such as the fact that the Labour Party, notwithstanding Gordon Brown’s initial public offer to stand aside, apparently made a collective decision against returning to government. In the age of professional politicians this was remarkable indeed, with a dim echo of the nineteenth century when governments often made it clear when they felt their time was up and, very occasionally, recommended a vote for the other lot. Altruism was not a likely scenario in this case because the next few years will be a good time not to be in government in Britain. But perhaps another reason was the probability that Labour has come to comprehend its need for a period of reflection and reformation. It needs to find out whether the Blair/Mandelson ‘New’ Labour model, with all the baggage now attached, is still viable. That couldn’t be done in government. Still, the fact is that Labour appears to have gone voluntarily into opposition, for perhaps a long time, when an extra inducement or two to Clegg during Tuesday’s negotiations would probably have secured government. Is this a sign that democracy is not dead yet? It’s a coincidence – and a neat one – that on the same day a series of radio documentaries began on Radio 4 by the former Conservative front bencher, Michael Portillo, detailing the history of democracy and why we need to look after it properly. The promise of the British election outcome needs to be qualified by two important caveats. In the end, Cameron and Clegg are politicians and will do what politicians do to stay in office. Witness the recent abandonment of carbon reduction trading by Kevin Rudd in this country. More importantly, Portillo’s point needs reinforcement – that democracy is as strong as its weakest link, and at the moment is widely seen as failing to address the problems the world keeps throwing at it. Portillo noted that Britons under thirty have only ever known one election; and a recent BBC survey of 18-25 year olds revealed that a majority of them would consider voting only if it was something they could do while checking their emails. Days like these, when you feel that democracy might just be up for it after all, are few enough. So, for the time being, let’s wish the Clegg/Cameron coalition well in its difficult days ahead. ....................................................................... Two Rare Talents april 20 2010 I’ve long been an admirer of Kerry O’Brien, presenter of the nightly ‘7.30 Report’ on Australia’s ABC1. But it was not until his recent conversation with President Barack Obama that I realised the full extent of his enormous talent. It was, for me, the most compelling piece of television of recent years, reminiscent of the best of the 60s and early 70s when the medium was more actively committed to its own betterment. But I was never quite certain of whom O’Brien reminded me until I took a book off the shelf last week which I’ve intended to read for years – the autobiography of the great British journalist, writer and documentary maker, Alan Whicker. Whicker, interestingly, started in TV on a similar show, as a roving reporter in 1957 for Britain’s ‘Tonight’ which ran from 6.05 pm until 6.45 pm. The original early evening current affairs and magazine program, it also featured biting satire from Derek Hart; the homely, offbeat regional reporting of the legendary Fyfe Robertson; a topical calypso most nights from Cy Grant; and the superbly off hand anchoring of Cliff Michelmore. It would be far fetched to suggest O’Brien’s 7.30 Report is modeled on Tonight – the genre has come much too far for that, and anyway the 7.30 Report has been doing it right in its own right for a long time. Nevertheless, in many respects Tonight got it so right at the time, on the first pass, that many of its finest qualities still echo around the world in the best ‘today tonight’ shows, and especially on the 7.30 Report. The similarities are more apparent in a personal comparison between Whicker and O’Brien, where the same dignity, authority and mild mischief are evident. The same impeccable research and preparation. The same ability to push just a little further than the interviewee wants to go, but with such gentility and good humour that no-one could object. The same ease with worldly whimsy, and the same skill in weaving it. Whicker used to say that everyone has one good television interview in them, and it’s hugely rewarding to see the 7.30 Report encouraging O’Brien to take on more lengthy, personality-based interviews. The moving conversation with James Taylor recently was a gem, for instance, and the program’s website archives others you’d want to watch again. But the conversation with the US President was the best thing of its kind I’ve seen on Australian TV, perhaps ever. Television as a medium is long past its best and, frankly, not much to write home about in this country. But when Obama leaned forward to shake O’Brien’s hand and said “I enjoyed it”, you knew he meant it and you knew you’d seen something special. O’Brien is a quietly compelling presence – the best – in his usual role as a hard nosed political harrier. But as a conversationalist he’s also the best thing by far in this country and ranks with any of the more established names of the craft ("... our ‘Craft’ ", capital C, as Whicker called it with delicious irony). In conversation mode, O’Brien teases and tantalises information from his guests just as Whicker did, self-evidently on equal terms but never dominant or presumptuous. The Obama conversation combined both approaches and the result was incomparable. In an era of formularized panel programs, where ugly people sit around sneering at whoever’s drawn a short straw in the news that day, this has become an exceptionally rare talent. Thank-you, Mr O’Brien, for ensuring its survival with such poise.
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Gillard and My School april 17 2010 There have been some remarkable adjustments in Australian political landscapes lately. The party of market based solutions changed leaders last December over its instant enthusiasm for regulating carbon emissions; while the Labour Party insists private enterprise is the road to the right result. More recently Labour, which has traditionally been the champion of education as social investment and a supporter of teaching principles, has embraced comparative schools evaluation and online publishing of alleged performance criteria. “In no way whatever will this become a system of league tables”, said education minister, Julia Gillard, when this scheme was first proposed. On day one of the system, of course, the Sydney Morning Herald published the inevitable front page lead highlighting its “league tables” and inviting readers to evaluate their school’s position. No surprises there. The Rudd Labour government was quick to promise (like Tony Blair’s in the UK) that every child would soon have a computer and that all would then be well again in schools. But the idea that the internet can ever be a basis for holistic teaching is nonsense. Extending it as a platform for parental decision-making is a new folly. “Australian parents want to know what’s going on in schools” said Gillard on ABC TV’s Insiders (April 11 2010), tritely adding that the sheer number of visits to the ‘my school’ website proved the government was right all along. Well, no actually. Certainly, there’s a conversation to be had about teaching standards. Many teachers, suffering in an environment that’s become unacceptably stressful from the endless encroachments of non-educationists like professional politicians, committee-loving bureaucrats and quality assurance nazis, are probably not performing as they’d wish. Some – though the statistics suggest very few – may simply be lazy. It’s unlikely that the journalissimos writing about these lazy, under-worked teachers enjoying months of paid holidays ever really understood the teacher’s lot. It wasn’t true then and it’s not true now though the well-worn cliché, when it re-emerges, is never refuted by politicians. It’s revealing, moreover, that Gillard initially said her ‘education revolution’ was not about identifying errant teachers but is now not bothering to deny this useful side effect. Socio-economic variables alone ensure it can't achieve that but it may, of course, secure useful political support as the debate heats up. Although education philosophy has sometimes been obscured by ideology, especially in NSW, teachers have a real argument when they point to the conflict between teaching principles and the damage done to them by politicians ignorant of education values. As if to prove the point, Gillard’s answer to an ABC question on this subject was her dismissive little laugh and a repeat of the mantra about website visits. The internet generation (and therefore, one supposes, many parents) has an unhealthy trust in anything prefaced with ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘my’ and the appeal of a site called ‘my school’ is not surprising. But is it good policy? Gillard’s emphasis on site hits and teacher performance completely ignores the crucial centre ground of quality and objectives. It undermines an essential debate with the specious belief that opportunity and achievement can be quantified, and therefore ranked. No doubt some parents will take away a comfortable sense of ownership from this trendy new e-space but it’s an illusion. They're being conned. It hasn’t worked in Europe or America, where teaching professionals consistently warn that something as precious as education must never be subject to hierarchy. If Gillard’s philosophy is allowed to prevail, politics being what it is, the inevitable reversal won’t occur for at least a generation. Who knows what damage might be done in that time? It was the progressive left, let’s not forget, which initially promoted a departure from structured grammar and which is now quietly re-inventing its position to discover the importance of things like verbs, sentence construction and punctuation. Look at a Facebook comment page if you want to see the damage language has sustained in the interim.
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Some Glittering Prizes and Brilliant Careers april 7 2010 After six years, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull yesterday abandoned his ambitions for Australia’s top political position, announcing his intention to relinquish the Sydney seat of Wentworth. For a while, when his recent offer to return to the front bench was rebuffed, it seemed he might continue a Costello-esque role quietly leaking from the back bench his many differences with new Liberal leader, Tony Abbott. But whatever one might think of Turnbull – and opinions are sharply divided – he was never one to tolerate indefinitely the constantly shifting policy sand dunes which constitute Australian politics. Turnbull’s entry to Parliament had seemed a natural evolution following a lucrative and often controversial career portfolio. His legal triumph as a young barrister, when he humiliated the British government and its secret intelligence community in the ‘Spycatcher’ case, marked him as someone to watch. His move to the corporate world of investment banking and insurance consolidated both his bank account and an abrasive business reputation. His leadership of the Australian republican movement was criticised for its eventual failure (perhaps unfairly, in a country where social and constitutional referenda have virtually no chance of success). It also earned him the lasting enmity of the Liberal Party’s self-proclaimed elder statesman, John Howard, whom Turnbull described at the time as the man who broke the nation’s heart. For all his public posturing as the jovial, wise old owl of conservativism, Howard hates with a vengeance and never forgets. Howard built a career on changing his mind and it's hard to imagine two men with less in common. It was Howard, behind his own closed suburban doors, who would eventually engineer Turnbull’s eclipse with the soon-to-retire Nick Minchin and others. Turnbull’s entry into politics was equally controversial. His pre-selection battle with the popular incumbent, Peter King, was ugly to watch and went as near as makes no difference to branch-stacking. Effectively, Wentworth was purchased. For a man with loudly proclaimed progressive ethics, the reversion to 19th century ‘rotten borough’ tactics was an inauspicious start to the distinguished Parliamentary career promised by his supporters. But it worked and, through sheer talent, Turnbull soon forced his way onto Howard’s front bench as Minister for Environment & Water Resources where he did worthwhile and lasting work. After Howard lost the 2007 election, and his own seat, the leadership passed to Brendan Nelson, a principled and honourable man whom Turnbull undermined almost from the moment of Nelson’s four vote victory. Politically challenged in terms of nous and ruthlessness, Nelson is nonetheless cited (on openaustralia.org) as a politician whose speeches could be understood by the average 19 year old, according to the ‘Flesch-Kincaid’ scoring system, which must say something. But it was only a matter of time. Nelson’s principles gave way to Turnbull’s, whose strength of character and early capacity to unsettle prime minister Kevin Rudd held for a while the promise of uniting party divisions, despite a perception of arrogance and lack of party room consultation. Sydney Morning Herald columnist, Paul Sheehan, often an editorial front runner, was the first to criticise Turnbull, accusing him at this time of transforming the Liberals from a political party into a platform for personal ambition and noting with distaste his treatment of Nelson. After several inglorious and badly researched Parliamentary errors it was an irony that Turnbull, too, became a victim of his own philosophy in a party with a short attention span on principle. His reasoned and uncompromising support for the government’s carbon trading position saw him off. Turnbull and Nelson were both seen as men of the left in a party which likes to describe itself as a “broad church” but which had already been brutally transformed by Howard from the conservative into the actively reactionary. Turnbull leaves politics on his own terms and he’ll be back. On balance, although there was much about his approach and demeanour which rankled, his political courage should not be overlooked. He represents a net loss to Australian politics, if only for a sense of duty in sticking to his principles. But the fact that he merits praise for something like this, which ought to be taken for granted and which on all sides of politics is now a discarded and irrelevant value, makes its own sorry statement.
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Tony Abbott's Three Strikes But Is He Out? mar 26 2010 Seldom do new political leaders drop the bundle quite so quickly as Tony Abbott, Australian opposition leader since December 8. But Mr Abbott seems to have accomplished a comprehensive reversal – from party saviour and man of the people to opportunist of unsound judgment – in just a few weeks. Early December presented an archetypal wet / dry division reminiscent of Thatcher’s Westminster, with the Liberal Party evenly split. Abbott got home by one vote, the displaced Malcolm Turnbull went to the backbench and the opposition was transformed into something which even John Howard might have called old school. The sinister saintliness of Bronwen Bishop again stalked the halls of shadow cabinet. More controversially, Barnaby Joyce demanded and got Finance. Bishop, sensibly, hasn’t said much yet, perhaps sensing that matters are not quite as settled as they may appear. Not so Barnaby. From the outset, Abbott was conceding his finance spokesman required occasional “correction”. A series of Joycian gaffes culminated in an embarrassing prediction of government debt default. By early February, after private warnings from “senior Liberals” about Joyce, Abbott must have realised he’d made a terrible mistake. Then, he wasted a perfect chance on the ABC’s Four Corners to re-define perceptions of his views on women and their place in the scheme of things – views seen as reactionary, even allowing for some unfair reporting of private family advice. In a program clearly produced with his agreement, Abbott actually reinforced perceptions he could have buried; and several appearances by Howard (who seems to be having real difficulty accepting responsibility for his party’s plight) didn’t help. With dark humour, Four Corners presented an exquisitely side-lit, colour-saturated Howard, shot close up from low down, playing the elder statesman and outlining the undoubted benefit to Abbott of his own fatherly guidance. It was turgid stuff. And finally, there was this week’s debate on health reform where Abbott’s Press Club performance might be described as clumsy verging on coarse. It’s a pity because the Prime Minister’s presidential approach to health requires scrutiny. Moreover, Abbott is right to question the objectionable audience reaction meters. But he made the robotic Rudd look warm, genuine and a clear winner when the result probably wasn’t that cut and dried. Now, he’s had to dump Joyce. Through all this, Turnbull has been the model backbencher, excepting some early salvos from his own website. Now, he’s openly signaling new intentions, letting it be known he’d requested the front bench position relinquished by Joyce. An ominous sign for Abbott. Saying nothing, Turnbull is again the elephant in the room. Abbott is a nice man and in many ways has brought a breath of fresh air to Australian politics. God knows, it needs it. But the political judgment of a leader who said climate change was “crap” is now compromised. The penny must be dropping among those “senior Liberals” that they may just have made a ghastly miscalculation last December. Perhaps Nick Minchin, more than anyone responsible for Abbott’s elevation, departs at just the right time.
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Seconds Out, Round 2 oct 9 2008 The Sydney Morning Herald, on its October 6 front page, reports the “Bill Henson Saga”. It came as a surprise, though, that there was any such a thing as a saga running over this matter. To all intents and purposes, it had seemed that an unpleasant and contrived news event earlier this year (see Art, Police & The Suburbs, may 30), benefiting a nervous new prime minister, child protection advocates and circulation auditors, had finally finished. Previously in the Henson Saga: A new exhibition at a Sydney Gallery had included Henson’s photographed nude study of an adolescent girl (with her parents’ full and public consent). A complaint was made to the police, enabling a media report that Complaints Had Been Made To Police. The exhibition was disrupted. Many politicians expressed immediate revulsion over art they had not seen. Publicity was generated for the child protection cause, no bad thing in itself. A fine and reputable artist was denigrated with his work removed in front of television cameras from several Australian galleries. A very bad thing. And suburban puritans generally enjoyed themselves. When it was over, the image received a spotless bill of health from the censor’s office, police announced no grounds for charges and the confiscated artworks were returned to galleries. There was much shock and horror, much waste of limited police resources and nothing approaching an informed debate. Yawn. Let’s go to the pub. But wait. There’s more. Some months later, a small detail from a journalist’s book on the matter is re-printed in the Herald and other outlets. The section describes objectively (and not unsympathetically) how Henson observed strict protocols in seeking possible adolescent models at a Melbourne school in the company of proper authorities. Henson’s photography has long been concerned with adolescent anguish, which is not exactly uncommon in Australia. He does it with skill and integrity but now the knives are out again. This time, it's the deputy prime minister who is "filled with disgust", offering the media a juicy quote about strangers entering schools looking for nude children, duly re-printed in the Herald. And so, with nothing having happened at all, we enter a new round in what is now, according to the Herald, “the Henson saga”. In the chapter What is News? in his recent book on the history of journalism, My Trade, BBC editor Andrew Marr makes a number of points in a British context which may well apply in Australia. The number of child sex crimes, he observes, remains generally static and the number of child murders has declined in recent years. Available studies show only that we know nothing of how prevalent these crimes are. And yet the number of paedophile stories in the media has risen astonishingly since the mid 1990s. Marr concedes this may eventually emerge as a valuable warning from a caring media about a highly sexualized age. On the other hand, he notes, society has rapidly developed a deep suspicion of men who lead scout troops, coach swimming, take photographs near beaches or lead youth groups. Parents are afraid to allow their offspring out alone, many innocent men have been made miserable and a large number of children have been unnecessarily frightened. Treatment for paedophilia has not noticeably improved and much innocent voluntary work has been curtailed. Marr goes on to write that “brave, intelligent, probing reporting is so important that it is now impossible to imagine a decent society surviving without it [while] bad journalism … ready to whip up irrational fears, is a fast route to social perdition”. Whether a new round of reporting of Bill Henson’s art and methods (or, at any rate, what others think of them) amounts to brave, intelligent journalism or just another free bite at the cherry is clearly a debate we need to have but I'm not holding my breath. ................................................................
Zimbabwe: Time for Thabo to Lead, or be Left june 17 2008 On a continent famous for many outstanding statesmen, there have been some truly unpleasant leaders in Africa. Malawi’s Hastings Banda and Uganda’s Idi Amin Dada are archetypes. Yet, the regime of Robert Mugabe remains a casebook study in tyranny, determined to hold power at any cost to its people while the “international community” does what it recently did in Burma. Nothing. Since act 1 - the atrocities of Matabeleland - Mugabe has constructed his epic tragedy using the so-called liberation war veterans to violently force farmers from their land and brutally intimidate political opponents. He has publicly compared himself to Adolf Hitler (Panorama, BBC TV, 2004 - click for audio). Unlike Hitler, however, he has caused not solved inflation and ruined Africa’s healthiest economy, creating unemployment, disease, starvation and misery for millions of Zimbabweans. When the country’s Supreme Court, on rare occasions, has found the courage to defy him he has simply ignored its rulings through the common mechanism of the tyrant, the special decree.
He perverted the outcome of the most recent elections through pressure on the electoral commission, which took a month to partially announce voting returns and has still not fully released them, though the nationwide results posted immediately at polling booths showed a substantial victory for the Movement for Democratic Change. Since then, Mugabe has steadily increased pressure on anyone who may oppose him in the forthcoming presidential run-off election, itself a farce, employing thugs to threaten, beat and, allegedly, to murder MDC supporters. External media and independent election monitors are banned, though the courageous undercover reporting of ABC and BBC journalists leaves little room for doubt about these events. Now, presumably for his personal safety, Mugabe appears to have cut a deal with Zimbabwe’s military. The MDC Secretary-General has been arrested on treason charges based, according to a brother in Australia, on a forgery. The party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, viciously beaten up last year, is effectively prevented from election campaigning by regular detention, release and re-detention. MDC voters are denied food aid, available only through Mugabe’s Zanu PF party. Most recently, whether speaking for himself or the army, Mugabe has threatened civil war and publicly stated that the democratic opposition will never be permitted to govern; and if further proof of his lunacy were needed, he now claims a divinely appointed right to rule and once again blames Gt Britain for all Zimbabwe's hardship. Britain, like all former colonial powers, has much to answer for in Africa, but not for this. Zanu PF’s sweetly smiling election posters, meanwhile, offer soothing captions suggesting that all is entirely well in Zimbabwe, thanks to them. There is one African leader who could have helped prevent all this – the South African president, Thabo Mbecki. But the man who took up Nelson Mandela’s mantle has not only denied the link between HIV and AIDS and kept antiretroviral drugs from AIDS sufferers; himself presided over dramatic economic inequality; and done little to protect foreign refugees from mob violence. He has consistently appeased this modern day Amin. Kenyan, Tanzanian and Angolan leaders have now publicly pressured Mugabe. Gordon Brown says it's all an outrage. Zzzz. Condoleeza Rice says "it's time the world got tough with Mugabe". Well, go on then. It won't happen, of course, and Mbecki's deafening silence continues. The time when he could plausibly use the ‘African Brothers in Arms’ notion as an excuse for silence is long gone. The horror of life in Zimbabwe increases daily and the “international community” will do nothing. It is time for Thabo Mbecki to speak. Whatever he may have tried behind the scenes has served only to grant impunity to Mugabe, which Mugabe knows. Before the final, scarcely imaginable act of this tragedy plays out, and for the sake of his suffering fellow Africans, Mbecki must say “Mugabe must go”. If he fails to do this, he will leave to history the perception, already current, of being perhaps Africa’s weakest leader of modern times. Footnotes: Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Australia (SBS News, 17/6/08) said the MDC had perpetrated serious violence on Zanu PF supporters. On June 18, Zimbabwe's government was reported to have withdrawn its ban on food distribution by NGOs (unconfirmed). Thabo Mbecki has since travelled to Harare to meet Robert Mugabe but made no statement. On June 22, the MDC withdrew from the run-off election saying that over 70 of its supporters had been murdered and further loss of life was unacceptable. Mr Mugabe continued with the election as the sole candidate, won it with a vote of "over 90%" and declared himself President. On July 27, Mr Mbecki criticised the UN Resolution to charge the Sudanese President, Hassan Omar al-Bashir, with genocide in Darfur. .......................................................... Art, Police and the Suburbs may 30 2008 Dear Prime Minister, I have advocated your leadership of the Labour Party for many years. Like you, I live by Christian values, or try to. I worked locally for your election victory and on election night I eagerly anticipated a new, principled and enlightened national direction. Your precipitate judgment on Bill Henson’s adolescent nude photographs as “revolting” suggests the process of achieving this direction has yet to commence. This is a media-driven issue. That is what the media does and should do. But it is not a matter for police or political interest and, most certainly (as legal ambiguity over the soundness of mooted charges suggests), it is not an issue of pornography. Perhaps the host gallery was naïve in posting a promotional image on the internet. Perhaps. But that is a different issue and it is not the only Gallery in the world to promote controversial material. That is what galleries do, and should do, and today’s strong support for the artist from the adolescent’s parents makes its own statement. The media were always going to approach you promptly on this and the difficulties of delivering an immediate live response on a contentious issue are understood. But it would now be helpful to redress the damage caused by a genuinely held but, frankly, emotive remark which has delivered an imprimatur for other agendas. We now see the results, which a more considered response may have mitigated. As with the previous Prime Minister’s tacit endorsement of the Hanson position early in his tenure, many respond readily to reactionary leadership signals and the consequences can be unpleasant. The Nazi book burnings were born in contrived moral outrage. In the 21st century, do we really want police raiding art galleries around Australia, confiscating artworks? I believe they have more important work to do and I imagine they would mostly agree. A conciliatory statement to the effect that despite your personal indifference Henson's work represents unequivocal artistic merit, and that his career must not be jeopardised by a witch hunt or unfounded judicial action which would be likely to fail, would go a long way towards achieving this. The “debate” has become unseemly and risks damage to the artist, artistic freedom and the nation. It needs to be decisively concluded and that would be easy to do in a measured, dignified way which could enhance your leadership. If we do need a real debate, this is not it. And in a wider sense, the residue of suburban zealotry which can still divide us, retarding social growth, needs to be addressed for once and for all. You are in a position to do both and I hope you will. That’s why I voted for you. Yours etc
footnote: On june 2 2008, Bill Henson's photographs received a ‘G - General’ classification from the Classification Board. A Board Member stated on ABC Radio that images reproduced by news media contained no pornographic context. Shortly afterwards, the Police announced that no charges would be laid and confiscated Henson works were returned to galleries . ................................................... Liberating Burma uk guardian weekly letters april 25 2008 The Burmese military had three days' warning of an extreme cyclone, certain to cause huge loss of life, and decided not to warn its people. It then did nothing to help them for two days, and virtually nothing since. Further, it actively stopped outside help (while it made films describing its own generous aid efforts, making people clap for the cameras on the eve of an election to perpetuate its own illegitimate rule). Does this not amount to genocide by a government against its people? Meanwhile, the conflict in Iraq costs about $5000 a second. If such obscene amounts must be budgeted for 'defence', why can some of these resources not be directed to the removal of animals like the Burmese junta? Was Burma liberated from fascism, sixty-four years ago, for this? ...................................................... The Vision Splendid october 7 2007 Sometimes it seems we were all away the day they did imagination. An ABC Local Radio call-in segment recently asked listeners to outline their sixty second grand vision for the nation. There’s an election due any week now, apparently, with regiments of promises from both sides charging over the hill, but little vision from either. A good chance, then, to call and 'have your say'. The segment was intriguing, even allowing for Local Radio's established focus on the lighter side of life. All entertaining enough, there was talk of free optical surgery for people with eye disease and putting respect back into schools. Good. Lots of calls for better public transport, making local government planners more accountable and real redistribution of wealth. Yes, let's do it. Someone suggested the piping of city storm water inland. Nice idea, if it's practical. And, of course, let’s get rid of the states, that'll fix things. No argument here. In fact, it's difficult to disagree with any of this except that it hardly amounts to vision. What was sad was that not one caller nominated a genuine process of reconciliation with Aboriginal people which, it might be argued - and I do - is where the grand vision must begin. Perhaps we’ve all just ‘moved on’, as the Prime Minister likes to put it. And this isn’t the only country, of course, to turn away from historical discomfort. The British have collective baggage to reconcile in India, Ireland and Palestine, as do the French in North Africa. Canadians, South Africans and Americans have made advances in legally binding recognition of their own indigenous peoples. But there’s more to be done. Even though the institutional apology risks becoming a cliche, around the world there are many sorries still to be said. So, is any talk of future vision realistic before the present achieves an honest equilibrium? Not to denigrate the good intentions of the radio callers, I don’t believe so. Mr Howard often speaks of the need for balance but balance in the present first needs balance with the past. The ‘sorry’ dialogue in this country, after a period of inspiring reconciliation marches in the 90s, has gone quiet. Some sympathisers with the wider cause say the word itself may no longer be relevant, anyway. Aboriginal people are encouraged by some leaders to point the way by looking to their own house and the statistics on black violence, intoxication and child abuse confirm this imperative. But why does the nightmare exist at all? Why is domestic violence in indigenous Australia so much greater than the national average? Who brought the grog? I recently discovered Kate Grenville's spellbinding historical novel Secret River. I had thought I understood quite well the situation in which Australia’s conquered people finds itself, until I read this book. Nowhere have I seen described so eloquently how alienation, accrued over generations, can be absorbed into self perception. So I don’t agree that a dignified apology to black Australians has become irrelevant. It remains long overdue and until we do it (and until, for that matter, the British do it in Palestine and the French in North Africa) the people of these places will remain embittered and continue to collectively self harm. Why is this simple word ‘sorry’ so difficult, when to say it would liberate both them and us; and, more importantly, do away with the very idea of them and us? It would take longer than sixty seconds, and perhaps there might be some court cases. But perhaps, too, a grand vision for a future together could at last be properly considered. And then, at last, we could really move on.
Footnote: The new government of Kevin Rudd formally apologised to the 'stolen generations' of Aboriginal people on its first parliamentary sitting day in 2008.
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She styles herself an "archetypal symbolist" – this is her fourth show on this theme. Her worn out corporate monoliths invariably clutch briefcases limply by their sides. Water laps against expensive designer shoes. Comb-overs fly wearily in the breeze.
Van der Wiel and de Jong returned for The Netherlands, Torres didn’t start for Spain. Yorkshireman, Howard Webb (who is also English), had excellent governance of a difficult game, except for one major late error. The balance of sympathy was evenly divided at the kick-off marginally tilting towards Spain on sentiment, perhaps. Whichever side lost, their demons would run wild again.
A yellow for Puyol himself in the seventeenth, for a late challenge on Robben, led to a free kick and a fine strike from Sneijder. Ramos was unlucky to get one for a 50/50 encounter with Kuyt. “Spain are getting the ball and trying to play”, Foster observed. “There’s just no room for Dutch options”. 
The game became scrappy, violent and tedious with both sides at fault. Villa put a shot two metres out from goal over the top in the sixty-ninth. The attacking Elia came on for Kuyt with twenty minutes to play and when the Dutch decided to play some football at last the heart seemed to go out of Spain, with chances still being conjured by Xavi and Iniesta but no-one up front to do them justice.
More of the same in extra time with missed chances at both ends prevented by supreme goalkeeping skills by both Casillas and Stekelenburg.
There were no complaints from Heitinga when he retired with a second yellow for a professional foul on Iniesta.
The Netherlands’s ‘total football’ approach of the 70s served them much better. “Dismay for the Dutch”, said Dempsey, “but maybe they buried themselves today. They lose in a World Cup Final for the third time”.
The superb equaliser was the result of a similar Uruguayan break of three, with Cavani sliding the ball past Butt after Perez, who had a stellar game, surgically disentangled the ball in midfield from Schweinsteiger’s control. For a few minutes Uruguay played with a dash and daring that suggested they had several more in them. 
Khedira neatly poked it off his head high and wide past the outstretched Muslera. Kiessling should have made it four but shot high above an open goal with ninety seconds to play. 
This was splendid football all round, the match swinging again towards The Netherlands by the hour mark. Sneijder, a little weasel, was everywhere and deserved his deflected goal in the sixty-ninth minute though van Persie was offside.
In the thirty-first Trochowski, on for Müller, let go a long shot that needed saving by Casillas. It was Germany’s first real attempt on goal and generated a period of both sustained German pressure and exciting end to end action. Spanish talent was exemplified in the forty-third minute when Villa turned exquisitely and stepped easily through three defenders to put a pass across midfield that was worth more than the corner it led to. 
Ten minutes to go and not quite enough for Germany, though they came close once or twice. Neither side deserved to lose this game. A German spirit crafted by Jogi Loew and the progressive German football authorities was solidified by the team’s memory of the late Robert Enke.
Robben and Juan went close to scoring for their respective sides and Kaka’s splendid shot, from a neat back heel, tested Stekelenburg. Brazil were looking good, injecting measured doses of style and cutting the Dutch defence into neat slices like sandwiches at tea time. 
Instantaneously, with thirty-five minutes to play, the flower of Brazilian flair looked ready to wilt before the machine of Dutch organisation. The “signs of growing confidence” (said commentator Gary Bloom) were transformed into a goal when Kuyt flicked on from a Dutch corner for Sneijder to head home the second at sixty-eight minutes.
By the half hour mark Ghana had a head of steam up and Vorsa rose above Lugano to head just wide from a corner; and a Ghana counter attack saw Gyan shoot just wide. They continued to push Uruguay with better passing and as half-time approached Muntari headed wide soon after Uruguay’s inspirational captain Lugano went off injured.
In midfield, Teves looked off form from the start and, in fact, he and Messi were simply kept out of the game by a side that always seemed to have two extra men on the field. Over ninety minutes, it was Higuain and Di Maria who came closer to scoring. In the twentieth minute Germany roared out in a counterattack from defence with a seven men charge. It was terrifying.
With the boss now considering attacking changes, his defence was still asleep at the wheel in the sixty-sixth when a pitiless Teutonic penetration gave the ball to Podolski, who flicked it to Klose to tap in unchallenged from half a metre. With a better chip (and he had the time), Podolski himself might have made it three a minute later. But they strolled a third, very similarly crafted, in the seventy-third, and that was that.
They do seem to like this 4-0 scoreline, chuckled Helm. Ein, Zwei, Drei, Fear. This is the side that will have to be beaten.
With ten minutes to go, Iniesta showed why Wayne Rooney thinks he’s the best player in the world. Cutting through Paraguay’s defence with exquisite and seemingly effortless artistry, he passed to Pedro whose shot came out off the upright to Villa, who then hit the same upright. 
The glorious Luis Suarez, who scored both goals for the South Americans, looks as if he’s still to peak if the side can push on with it in the next round. 
It was Gyan’s brilliant finish five minutes into extra time that sealed Ghana’s control of this match – a classical African goal of power, precision and sheer beauty. Thanks and condolences to the Americans, but they’ll be back. USA has arrived, and Africa has a quarter finalist.
And if it had stayed at 2-1, after Klose’s mechanically competent opener on 20 minutes, Podolski’s second soon afterwards and Upson’s header, England would have had cause for serious complaint.
England now face an even more fearful opponent – their own media – and although Capello insists today he will not resign you have to think it’s Ciao for Fabio. As Martin Tyler put it, the disallowed goal will be talked about for years to come “… but it really only papered over England’s cracks”. It may be unfair and it’s often naïve to lay the blame at one man’s feet but Capello’s “ponderous 4-4-2 formation” (guardian.co.uk/football) was unable to motivate a tired side that has never looked the goods. 
Mexico came out again looking good against a weak Argentinian back line, but Teves soon put paid to that with probably the goal of the tournament so far – a spinning turn from the little terrier, outside the area, followed by a swerving blitzkrieger, perfectly placed in the top corner of the net. 
There were plenty of glimpses of Dutch vision and finishing and UK commentator Gary Bloom was more on the money – “They’ll take their time to find the decisive opening”. 
By midway through the first period, Chile were pressing and Brazil were replying with well crafted moves from Kaka and Maicon on both sides of the field. Brazil might have had a penalty when Lucio and Contreras tangled legs, though Lucio made a lot of it. But it wasn’t long in coming. Maicon’s 35th minute corner went straight to a well shielded Juan to head powerfully past Brava and three minutes later Fabiano finished off a beautifully combined Brazilian attack.
Matches like this are difficult to write about because while so much happens, nothing eventuates and the nil all score line at half time was concisely summed up by commentator Dave Woods as “… very nil nil”.
They’d found that something extra that Portugal hadn’t and Ramos almost made it two, denied only by more extraordinary keeping from Eduardo. “No-one deserves a goal in this tournament more than Sergio Ramos”, said commentator, John Helm.
Ronaldo bows out after predicting this tournament would prove him the world’s best player. 
South Africa tried so hard and deserved to go through, with two second half chances missed, one arguably due to the Jabulani. Like Australian coach, Pim Verbeek, Carlos Alberto Parreira will wish he’d played a more attacking formation earlier. It’s sad to see them go and they might have taken much more from this tournament but their second half against France was a joy to watch. Well done Bafana.
There’ll be a bit of one-upmanship on the Korean peninsula now, as the southerners go through and the northerners are already eliminated, with the unlikely possibility of a maximum three points. 
Slovenia’s Dedic will find an honourable mention in the Cheats Hall Of Fame (coming soon) for his dive with nil contact by Johnson, who was on a yellow card. England through, but with much work still to do, and a grumpy Rooney replaced in the second half.
The gushing nationalism, a bit tedious after a while, does at least have a ring of truth. On their day, if they’re allowed to play their natural game, they’ll potentially knock off any side in the world. They weren’t allowed that luxury early enough, sadly, and to his credit Pim Verbeek has conceded this. Against an excellent Serbia they were superb, but it wasn’t enough. They needed a minimum improvement of three on their goal difference and the thoroughly merited 2-1 win, with top quality strikes from Cahill and Holman, didn't quite get them there.
They saved their best football for the genuinely dramatic final minutes which saw two Italian and two Slovakian goals plus a goal line save by Martin Skrtel and (it has to be said) some characteristically Italian goal mouth histrionics from Quagliarella. Slovakia go through owing much to their inspiring young captain Hamsik. Italy bottom of the group. 
As SBS’s excellent imported anchorman Paul Dempsey observed, noting the skills of USA, Japan, Serbia and Australia and the promise of New Zealand, the seeds of a new world football order seem to be sprouting. Dempsey’s good value. Asia gets two in the last sixteen.
Dutch stubbornness with more than a pinch of class when needed, took them through with all nine points, playing well within themselves.
Brazil began brightly, but Portugal looked far superior by midway into the second half. At that point, it became clear what was happening. Both sides would have taken a goal if scoring was absolutely unavoidable, but the nil all draw suited them both too much to produce anything like a decent game.
2-0 up at half time, Côte d’Ivoire still needed another seven goals against Korea DPR to progress (or an equivalent loss by Portugal). 
But it was ugly and unworthy football and Spain still have a lot to do. Given their history at the tournament’s sharp end, they don’t look convincing to me.
Pre-tournament favourites, Spain, look much less convincing. Even with some delightful attacking football, conceived deep in midfield and executed with Latin elegance, their finishing was patchy and 2-0 should have been at least 6-0 against Honduras.
tournament if they find form but at this point England can no longer be considered a serious tournament favourite. Capello, a good coach in a club environment where his headmasterly emphasis on discipline finds its natural habitat, has questions to answer from English fans for applying it so sternly in the national arena (even though that was apparently his brief). Get rid of him, and find another Alf Ramsey.
the 1966 quarter final (if you’re old enough) and Argentina’s brutal physical tactics culminating in the send-off (with escort) of captain Antonio Rattin?
streets, unable to conduct their daily business, and the authorities are considering setting up free emergency counseling stations to contain the deepening crisis.