Athletic Events 2025-
(Back to Main)
Third Place Game
France-England 4-6
No one could have possibly expected such
low
quality semi-final games in such a major
tourna-
ment. The two teams that lost had proven
that
they had what it takes to compete at the
highest
level and everyone was expecting
memorable
matches, unforgettable derbies. But,
alas, when
the clocks ticked the hour, neither of
these teams
was even there. France went in in a
questionable
mental state and totally unprepared and
England
started well, but, after scoring,
followed an inex-
plicable "strategy" that led to total
incompetence
and a chaotic collapse. For me,
regardless of what
happens in the Final (based on the
quality we've
seen, Spain deserves the
Globe, but Argentina
has given them repeated warnings through
the
sufferings of third parties in their
hands), this
tournament will be distinguishable for:
1. Inappropriately too many games for a
final phase;
2. Almost all decisions taken with
criteria other than
the GAME by vultures
and greedy parasites;
3. The low(est?) quality of the
semi-final matches.
We did see some positives, e.g., some
underdogs
trying hard to show signs of belonging
and tem-
porarily giving some behemoths a hard
time. But
these always happen in the run of play
and are to
be expected. So they cannot be
characterized as
distinguishing features of such a
tournament; not
unless an underdog makes it really far,
which did
not happen.
Semi-Final
England-Argentina 1-2
Worse coaching by Tuchel than by
Ancelotti.
Why all 10 at the line of the area after
the 1-0,
playing sitting ducks and waiting for
the ine-
vitable? Did they forget how to combine
and
play ball? Inexplicable things and
veritable
coaching stupidity we are witnessing...
Pure
incomprehensibility and wonderment...
Semi-Final
France-Espaņa 0-2
At Dallas, France started the match in a
very
"whatever" mood, as if they were facing
a 2nd
division team, with too many careless
and
wasted passes and continuously behind
and
in search of the ball. This insouciant
mood
and carelessness were exactly what led
Digne
to the lapse that gifted Yamal
needlessly the
penalty kick that Mikel converted. In a
game
at this level, with so much at stake,
one cannot
allow even momentary lapses and, here,
we had
a team that was in an almost continuous
state
of lapse and disrepair. Today, something
was
amiss mentally on the French side and it
was
by far the worst France we've seen in a
while,
exactly at the moment when they needed
to
outperform themselves...
To those of us that CAN THINK, it is
clear, and
clearly written in the structure of the
tournament,
that the Continental Qualifiers are part
of each
World Cup tournament and, because only
limited
time is available for the Final Phase
but also since
no one (except, of course, those that
have ulterior
motives and citerior pockets) wants to
spend infi-
nite amounts of time watching box bags
being
punched and underdogs fighting it out
with the
top teams only for the top ones to
prevail in the
end anyway, we all accept that, if one
wants to
be there, one has to do the work and one
has to
advance the level of football in his
Nation far
enough to be competitive at the highest
level and
manage to qualify. After all, that is
what "World
Cup" means and what "World Cup" should
mean.
Apparently, the boss of bosses is one of
the few
people that (for obvious,
understandable, but
unacceptable reasons) pretends stupidity
and
claims that, by increasing the number of
teams
admitted in the Final Phase to 1/3 no
less of the
existing States on the Globe (!!!), he
is giving
(oh, Great Benevolent Savior and Lord of
Mercy!)
the chance to everyone (most likely, of
course,
those who can offer the necessary
bakshish, like
in the past) to take part. Why are the
Qualifying
Rounds in their Continents not enough
for them
to prove themselves, and do those not
provide a
fair chance like they are meant to and
like they
have for so long? And why do we have to
declare
and to pretend excellence everywhere
(1/3 of the
total?) where excellence is not to be
found and to
attribute fictitious accolades, when, in
the end,
only one Supported Globe will be awarded
and
at most the (truly excellent) Final Four
will re-
main in the Books of Footballing History
(and
only money transferred from the pockets
of
fans who suffer extortionate prices to
the bosses'
coffers will remain in bank accounts)?
It wouldn't
hurt if the repulsive, despicable boss
of bosses
told the world the truth for once, but
the truth is
really grim and devastating - and makes
one feel
conned and an idiot - when one hears it
raw, isn't it?
Quarter-Finals
Argentina-Switzerland 3-1 (ET)
Quarter-Finals
Norway-England 1-2 (ET)
It was rather disturbing to have to
watch the
Norwegian center forward walking around
at
the front at 0 mph as if he did not give
a damn
and, essentially, refusing to provide
any help
or support defensively to his teammates.
What
a striking difference in the sense of
duty and of
passion between him and the English
Captain.
I hope he does better next time,
because, no
matter how valuable one is up front,
leaving
the team with 10 when defending is
pathetic.
Against England his team needed all the
help
they could get and he gave none.
Quarter-Finals
Espaņa-Belgium 2-1
Quarter-Finals
France-Morocco 2-0
There are a few points on which Candace
Buckner
of The Athletic is right, but I do
not agree with her
assessment that the United States do not
have the
potential to distinguish themselves or
cannot become
a footballing superpower. Our
miscalculation and
our mistake is to expect this to happen
from one
World Cup cycle to the next, when
our "rivals" and
opponents in the most beautiful sport on
the Planet
have been working consistently and
passionately
on it and have developed a culture going
back at
least to the late 1800's, when the first
Clubs were
founded in the Continent. For something
beautiful
to collapse it takes only a catastrophic
decision
and a little time (like the downfall of
Italy from the
World footballing stage), but for
something lasting,
worthy and beautiful to be built or
rebuilt, it takes
a deliberate and persistent effort of
many years
and absolute focus of a team of
knowledgeable
and determined individuals. It will
come. But we
have to be patient and we have to keep
working
on it without getting disappointed from
one cycle
to the next. Nor should we be demanding
and/or
expecting miracles from those who can
only de-
liver what is humanely possible at a
given point
in time, but cannot, by themselves,
create cultures
and build entire histories single
handedly.
GO USA!!
There is a widespread justified
perception that
both UEFA and FIFA favor the big dogs,
both
during matches and, especially so,
outside the
pitch, behind the scenes, when it comes
to up-
holding rules and regulations and to
imposing
penalties for breaking them. On the
other hand,
VAR, generally speaking, has helped
decisively
in leveling the playing field during
games. And
we have to admit that yesterday's match
was
no exception and that we did not see
anything
extraordinary or provocative in favor of
the
Albiceleste that was fictitious. Having
said
that, I have to point out that what
happened
in that particular play, in which the
goal that
Egypt scored was voided, was not
illegitimate,
but it did look strange. The rules would
have
allowed the game to go on and be
considered
valid if the ball had gone out or an
offside was
given or anything else had happened.
But,
because a goal was scored, the rules
impose
rewinding back half a minute and
considering
the entire play essentially as not
having been
played and for it to be restarted with
at ancient
history. Again, it is not that the rules
were
not followed, it is just that the rules,
in this
instance, create a feeling of puzzlement
and
despair. In the end, we all have to
admit that
Egypt brought the final result upon
them-
selves because, when Argentina picked up
the pace and started the siege, they
could only
surrender and had no convincing answers
or
much strength or stamina left.
Congratulations
to both for a memorable game and let us
not
dampen a day that should be a day of
pride
and of celebration for both selections
and a
day and match all players and all fans
shall
remember fondly for a long time to come.
Round of 16
Argentina-Egypt 3-2
Cabo Verde rang the bell, Egypt prepared
to
officiate the funeral and Argentina
survived.
Round of 16
USA-Belgium 1-4
Politically, the message is "unto Ceasar
the Ceasar's...",
which some, despite their age, have not
yet understood.
And, in any case, despite what I am sure
the "boss"
will proclaim as the most successful
tournament in
history (blah blah blah), this athletic
fiasco will remain
in history as one of the most unfair and
blatant inter-
ferences ever in any tournament under
the auspices
of the "guardians of fair play"...
Athletically, unfortu-
nately, the game revealed that the work
done by En-
trenador Pochettino has been rather
superficial and
that, under a high demand game and under
high and
sustained pressure, the Team was not
only unable to
follow and to respond, but it buckled,
collapsed, lost
concentration and started making
childish mistakes,
incommensurate with playing in a knock
out round
of a major tournament. One cannot create
quality by
placing bandages and mending holes. One
has to
create an entire mentality and an
edifice that can
withstand pull and tear at the highest
level under
extreme conditions and unpleasant and
unexpected
circumstances. And, clearly, this has
not yet been
accomplished. Let us hope for better in
the future.
One laughs when one hears UEFA
pretending great
"surprise" that there is no integrity in
the game...
Where had you been for so long, while
every single
decision was being taken with priorities
other than
the Sport in mind and when the behavior
of this
despicable boss of bosses had been
provocative
and shameless to say the least? Have you
just woken
up from a stupor or have you been
inhaling in your
private quarters and are not in that
much touch with
reality? At least (late better than
never), I hope that
you will withdraw "trust" and
"confidence" in this
man and that you shall do your utmost to
change
"leadership" immediately after the
tournament is over.
Under Infantino, football's values have
been shattered,
favoritism and bribing prevail,
political influence has
been rampant and, under the veil of
"inclusivity", the
calendar and demands have exploded.
Football has
been in dire straits and to keep its
essential character
and values, urgent and immediate action
is needed.
And that yesterday; not tomorrow, not in
five years.
DO YOUR PART NOW AND DO IT AGGRESSIVELY.
STOP COMPLAINING AND START BEING
EFFECTIVE.
Round of 16
Brazil-Norway 1-2
The blame rests, without question, with
Allenatore
Ancelotti. Norway got onto the field
with an intention
to slow the game down because they knew
that this
was serving their style of play.
Carletto obliged and
let his players watch, while scratching
their privates,
for 80 minutes, until it became too late
and the damage
had been done and they at last decided
to wake up...
What a disappointing coaching and what a
waste of
talent and energy that could have been
used for so
much more...
Round of 16
Paraguay-France 0-1
For the sake of fairness, France's
performance was
disappointing and, had we not gotten to
know the
team's true potential, no one would have
been sorry
if the ensemble we saw yesterday had
been left out
of the competition. But I have to say
that it is very
hard to imagine a team with a worse
attitude and a
more intentionally unsportsmanlike
behavior on the
pitch than Paraguay. France may
have been disappo-
inting, but Paraguay will have to do a
long and hard
work to mend the damage from its
abrasiveness and
its repulsive and despicable antics that
no one should
use in any sport, let alone the most
beautiful sport on
the Planet.
Round of 32
Argentina-Cabo Verde 3-2 (ET)
One of the most suspenseful and
fascinating games
of the tournament with the cost-benefit
ratio favoring
the African Team hands down.
Round of 32
USA-Bosnia 2-0
GO USA!!
When you witness a team that has raised
high
expectations and whose performance is so
much
below par, then I do no think it is the
right thing
to blame a single referee decision for
its woes,
even if it was a harsh decision and even
if it did
happen at a very critical point. Truth
is we saw
a colorless, wasteful and aimless style
of play,
a cross between rigid discipline and
wasteful
passing, without much inspiration or
excitement.
I think Klopp understands this and his
comments
reflect a frustration that Germany did
not have
the answers and did not find a way
against
rather inferior opponents that knew what
they
wanted and stole it coldblooded.
Turkey-USA 3-2
GO USA!!
Tunisia-Japan 0-4
USA-Australia 2-0
GO
USA!!
Instead of the personification of shame
in
football being ashamed, he is smiling,
like
count Dracula, and raising thumbs. His
only point of pride, of course, is the
un-
interrupted flow of cash in his pockets
and in FIFA's coffers. That is not what
football, the most beautiful and the
most
popular sport of the Planet, should be
about, nor should its custody be left in
the hands of such repulsive, despicable
and greedy vultures that are literally
turning everything into a ruthless and
outrageous attempt to draw blood from
a stone, some of them having already
been squeezed and ground to dust...
IMPLODE FIFA
after this world cup!
Let the next one be organized by a
consortium of Associations, with the
sport being at the
center and not with
money, commerce,
glamor and celebrity
being indisputably the guiding
principles.
Roberto Martinez continues (after the
Belgian
saga) to coach in a very questionable
way.
First, his "method"
seems to be:
-Apply pressure so as to take initiative
and
dominate until you score;
-Withdraw and defend until they
equalize;
-Repeat the above as needed.
With such a plan, both against "weaker"
and "stronger" opponents, Portugal is
going nowhere.
Second, by using Ronaldo by fiat,
regard-
less of form and utility, for 90
minutes, he
is demonstrating that he does not have
the
guts to coach a World class team with
al-
most every single one of its players top
class and most of them currently in
better
form than Ronaldo. A participation of a
star
for stardom's sake, must in no way
create
an impediment (being tantamount to his
team playing with ten men), nor is it
one
of the defining characteristics of a
wise
and prudent coach.
The Captain of the Oranje is absolutely
right.
If it had been only about the players'
health
and endurance, this would have been done
on a game-by-game basis and, knowing
FIFA, their mentality and their
ruthlessness,
most likely erring on the side of
jeopardy.
But, when it is for filling Infantino's
pockets
and stashing the dough in the Swiss
coffers,
it has to be done every time on the beat
and
without argument, special consideration
or
any equivocation. This
is who you all have
allowed to administer football and you
should
be ashamed of it and make the
courageous
but necessary decision to implode FIFA
and
build something
different on solid foundations
and on the RIGHT VALUES &
PRINCIPLES.
BRAVO to the Japanese on and off the
field!!
On
the pitch, they showed resilience,
stubborn-
ness and persistence. They went behind
twice,
they gave all they had, with
organization and
skill, and they came back again and
again.
And off the field their fans, by
cleaning up
the Dallas Stadium, showed how much they
respect the public places that admit
them
and that they use and how much they care
to leave them in at least as good a
shape as
they found them for others to enjoy.
Civili-
zation and Civility lessons from the
Land of
the Rising Sun. THE
GREATEST
RESPECT!
BRAVO, JAPAN!!
USA-Paraguay 4-1
GO
USA!!
Olympiacos-Ferencváros
17-14
LEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026!
Max Allegri or Antonio Conte
for The Azzurri!!
The fact that the first four spots on
the Table
were won and lost in the last couple of
Days
in Serie A just shows how competitive
the
League has become. I do not agree with
the
decisions of the directors at Napoli and
at
Milan to let two of the best Italian Coaches
of their Generation and two Members of the
Pantheon go, even though they
might have
wished for more and they might have
expe-
cted more. They surely must hope that
these
decisions do not come back to bite them
next
season. On the other hand, I am very
pleased
that JUVE stays focused and dedicated to
the
project begun under Luciano's leadership
and
I hope that, only very few adjustments
and
minor changes will occur during the
summer
transfer period and that the main
skeleton of
the TEAM stays the same (including Tim).
Do not try to fix something that is not
broken!