The 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the protests in Brazil.

[Vieira151]

Why do referees still exist as they do? With all the technology and cameras that focus on each and every player, why aren't the referees more coordinated with the footage that comes off of all that?

Tradition, mainly. I'd rather it was not changed too drastically. Mainly because officiating decisions are always a talking point. People get too angry with referees, and it makes me wonder why referees want to put up with as much of the **** as they do.

And the reason referees aren't as coordinated with technology is because if they make a decision, and then technology shows the wrong one, it would cut down the authority that the referee would have during the match, and I think it would make it that much more difficult to officiate matches.

I think things along the line of the goal-line technology that they have would be good. Or something along the lines of how rugby referees can use video technology.

Because Fifa are pretty much a bunch of corrupt morons?

They're like a stupid version of the mafia.

And this.

 

[shadowarcher]

Good god Germany, way to leave it to the last possible second to get a goal in. Full credit to Gotze, somehow i knew he'd score the moment i saw him get put on the field.

 

[Vieira151]

Draxler's girl = highly attractive.

 

[Mage246]

Gotze? More like Goatse.cx.

 

[Golradir]

Messi winning the golden ball?
What a load of horsecrap, seriously what the ****..
@vieira, yup!

 

[Wellenbrecher]

Holy **** that ref. Did you see what they did to Schweinsteiger? I mean he's only a crook and **** from Bayern, but ****, at the latest after getting cut down by two players ta once the ref should've seen something.


Beautiful goal. "English" style, I am told.
Next European Cup could be the same team plus Reuss and badstuber, minus Klose. Could be good :>


Also holy ****, some folks around here saved up fireworks from new year's eve. So much of it.

 

[Vermillion_Hawk]

Clearly not if they can't be trusted to end within a reasonable timeframe, barring exceptions where extended play shouldn't even be that big of a deal anyways.

In matches that are non-knockout (ie the group stages and every league ever) don't have extra time, and thus even if it's 0-0 it ends.

But as this is a knockout tournament, it has to end sometime. Penalty shootouts guarantee that it does end.

And what does trust have to do with how competitive a match is? Sure, Argentina vs Netherlands was a turgid piece of ****. But the final is 0-0, and it is far from uncompetitive. Netherlands vs Costa Rica was intensely competitive, but that went to a penalty shootout.

Teams and tactics can sometimes cancel each other out. Or maybe a keeper just had a fantastic game and didn't concede a goal. If anything, 0-0 draws are much more competitive than matches such as, say German 7-1 Brazil, which was a complete trouncing.

As much as I loathe bringing the stereotypical comparison up once more, the NHL playoffs are knockout games as well (mostly) whereas they do not ever go to a shootout. There's never been a days-long game either. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference but ultimately I think the better way of ending the game would be to play until someone legitimately wins. They get paid enough, I think, to deal with a little fatigue.

 

[Wellenbrecher]

On the average there are more goals in ice hockey than in football though. All the "popular" American sports are those where there's plenty of scoring of some sort, period.
It's just a mentality thing with you lot. Nothing really to argue about.

 

[Vermillion_Hawk]

From the little I've followed the World Cup there are certainly either a similar or greater amount of goals scored in soccer as in hockey. And no, you're right, there is nothing to really argue about with my lot, as I personally would enjoy watching the NHL playoffs as much as I would enjoy watching the World Cup, that is to say, not. In fact, the only sporting event I'd find more torturous is the Superbowl. At least in soccer the pampered manchildren are nearly constantly in action as opposed to playing for 4 seconds and then breaking for 10 minutes.

 

[Leifr Eiríksson]

Fantastic Germany.
Messi was disappointing. Our commentators kept suggesting that "tonight was not his night... he's just 'off' tonight... he was unlucky.", if you're not up to performing to the best of your abilities on the night when it truly counts, you're clearly lacking. He was found wanting tonight, Messi won't ever lift that World Cup.

 

[Wellenbrecher]

No idea why they gave him the medal for being the best player overall. to be honest.
Same with that ref...

Dude, try finding a highlight reel of what they did to Müller and Schweinsteiger during this cup. Especially Schweinsteiger during the last three games.
Not all of them are like Robben or are Italians that fit the stereotypical picture.

There's probably other folks as well, but I don't really know the other teams too well due to not being interest in club level football, so I wouldn't know if one of them was targeted overly much.

 

[Vermillion_Hawk]

There probably are but they don't seem to be in the majority from an outside and highly disinterested observer's perspective.

 

[Wellenbrecher]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Why are they playing that song? :c
It's a cheap knock-off in style of a band that's a hundred times better and that the band in question has been in a retarded and unnecessary "political" rivalry with.
The "Toten Hosen" are so old and so cheap these days, they do not deserve this.

 

[wrc]

Congrats to Germany, well deserved.

 

[ComingWinter]

Well, that was fun 

Spoiler

Brilliant shot by Gotze 

 

[Vieira151]

Draxler's girl = highly attractive.

To reiterate (best pictures I could find):

Spoiler: Not Dream Woman, but still.

There's never been a days-long game either. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference but ultimately I think the better way of ending the game would be to play until someone legitimately wins. They get paid enough, I think, to deal with a little fatigue.

Bolded: Not a fan of tennis, then?

They do get paid too much. But that isn't their fault. You can thank the owners for that. Yes, they can deal with fatigue, but normally at that level even the best struggle to play a high intensity 120 minutes, never mind more.

NHL is played on a small indoor arena using a smaller number of players where you use sticks to hit a flat puck (spelling?) across the ice. A better comparison would be NHL to futsal or beach soccer. Both are short, fast paced games in a small pitch/arena. You can go out and out for the entirety of the game, whereas in full sized football you have to be much more strategic when it comes to expending energy.

Plus, I don't see how winning on a penalty shootout is not a 'legitimate' way of winning.

Fantastic Germany.
Messi was disappointing. Our commentators kept suggesting that "tonight was not his night... he's just 'off' tonight... he was unlucky.", if you're not up to performing to the best of your abilities on the night when it truly counts, you're clearly lacking. He was found wanting tonight, Messi won't ever lift that World Cup.

He'll only be 31 in 2018. Still a chance, he better just hope that Argentina can find a good enough team to take the weight off of his shoulders by then.

Yeah, Messi was not that great tonight. Though the German defense was solid, as usual. Messi hasn't been all that great for the past 6 months or so.

There probably are but they don't seem to be in the majority from an outside and highly disinterested observer's perspective.

That'll probably be because all the **** like Robben and Ronaldo and Ashley Young and co. get all the news from their pampered antics. I mean, do you know much more about Luis Suarez other than the fact that he bites people and cheats frequently? 

 

[Wellenbrecher]

Finally seeing Klose hold that thing makes me way too happy and a bit teary eyed for the old bugger :c
I mean imagine being in the top three for 16 years straight and never winning.

 

[Vissy]

CONGRATZ GERMANY! The right team won the championship

 

[vota dc]

Messi winning the golden ball?
What a load of horsecrap, seriously what the ****..
@vieira, yup!

Funny thing is that Muntari managed to draw against Germany, the match after there wasn't Muntari and Ghana lost against Portugal and was kicked out the world cup competition. So Muntari > Messi lol

 

[Vieira151]

Finally seeing Klose hold that thing makes me way too happy and a bit teary eyed for the old bugger :c

Yeah, same. I feel the same way for Schweinsteiger. He has been so good for so long, and he has the most German of names, and he has been around the team for so long, I just wanted him to lift it once. Along with Klose. Klose more so, though. Underrated bastard that he is.