# 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677 "2010-06-10T17:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 126
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2501 "2010-07-11T05:20:38Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > That’s because Xavi is an alien, who only looks vaguely like a human man. You know who looks like an alien? That German/Turkish kid, [Oezil](http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/players/player=305036/index.html?cid=google_playeronebox). > [@Frank](#): > > If the game tomorrow has half of the liveliness and excitement of today’s game, I’ll be quite satisfied with it. Best game of the tournament so far. I’d go with Uruguay-Ghana, but just because of the finish, really. That might have been the closest to the edge of my seat I’ve ever been for a non-England match. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2502 "2010-07-11T08:55:53Z")
Have we had a World Cup final decided on penalties, yet? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2503 "2010-07-11T09:12:04Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > If the game tomorrow has half of the liveliness and excitement of today’s game, I’ll be quite satisfied with it. Best game of the tournament so far. IIRC the playoff game is often a very good match. Two god teams on a world stage but with the pressure taken off. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2504 "2010-07-11T09:13:24Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Have we had a World Cup final decided on penalties, yet? 2006’s was. > **[2006 FIFA World Cup final](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_Final)** > > The 2006 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2006 World Cup, the 18th edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, on 9 July 2006, and was contested between Italy and France. The event comprised hosts Germany and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En... ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2505 "2010-07-11T09:34:40Z")
Well, I hope I’m wrong, but this looks a likely contender for another penalty shoot-out. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2506 "2010-07-11T10:55:05Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Well, I hope I’m wrong, but this looks a likely contender for another penalty shoot-out. That’s a risk on any final. And yet both teams have good ofense. None is likely to go after a 4 - nil lead or anything, but I do think that at the end both teams will go with all guns blazing until one of the teams tires enough that a goal is unavoidable. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_ch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dan\_ch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_ch)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2507 "2010-07-11T10:57:23Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > 2006’s was. > > [2006 FIFA World Cup final - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_Final) [1994](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup_Final) was the first final decided on penalties. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2508 "2010-07-11T11:06:10Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > That’s a risk on any final. > > And yet both teams have good ofense. None is likely to go after a 4 - nil lead or anything, but I do think that at the end both teams will go with all guns blazing until one of the teams tires enough that a goal is unavoidable. Trouble is, us footy fans are renowned for building up our expectations for the big events, when I reckon most of them are decided by a mistake, as opposed to sustained periods of skill. I’ll be happily surprised if it is half as open as the Uruguay v Germany game. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2509 "2010-07-11T11:11:25Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Trouble is, us footy fans are renowned for building up our expectations for the big events, when I reckon most of them are decided by a mistake, as opposed to sustained periods of skill. I’ll be happily surprised if it is half as open as the Uruguay v Germany game. True. I honestly believe that most f the major international tournaments these days do not produce particularly interesting football. Maybe it is because there are no real whipping boys anymore. Maybe it is because there is just so much money involved that everyone is too scared to be the one that makes the mistake. I’m not sure, but I always seem to feel unfulfilled at the end of every Euro or World championship. They seem to have nothing on domestic leagues and cups, which is why I really feel for those whose only real experience of football comes from those tournaments. They are definitely missing out. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2510 "2010-07-11T13:45:19Z")
That was a really good game, and both sides did well. Given my unflagging love of Miroslav Klose, I was sorry not to see him play in such a good scoring style game. The announcers here said he has a back injury. Does anyone have more details? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2511 "2010-07-11T14:21:32Z")
> [@The\_Punkyova](#): > > That was a really good game, and both sides did well. Given my unflagging love of Miroslav Klose, I was sorry not to see him play in such a good scoring style game. The announcers here said he has a back injury. Does anyone have more details? “He was hurt in an aerial duel,” according to a Mannschaft trainer. I actually wondered if he’d injured it doing that flip at the end of the Argentina game; he didn’t look so hot against Spain. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2512 "2010-07-11T14:33:42Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Oh, the other thing I was going to comment about. > > Here’s the current list: > > 1. Ronaldo - 15 > 2. Muller - 14 > 3. Klose - 14 > 4. Fontaine - 13 > 5. Pele - 12 > 6. Klinnsman - 11 > 7. Kocsis - 11 > 8. Batistuta - 10 > 9. Lineker - 10 > 10. Rahn - 10 > 11. Cubillas - 10 > 12. Lato - 10 > > I’m not really familiar with Rahn, but Klose has go to be the least impressive forward on that list by a large margin, right? He’s had some luck in padding his WC total against Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica, but that’d still put him in a position to push into the top 10. > > I’ll be sad if Klose does break the record, and I’m rooting for Germany. Well you got your wish. Ronaldo still has the record and I have to agree he is more deserving than Klose. Who knows; perhaps Thomas Muller will be challenging the record in World Cup 2018. ---
**Author:** ![carm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@carm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2513 "2010-07-11T17:40:00Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > True. I honestly believe that most f the major international tournaments these days do not produce particularly interesting football. Maybe it is because there are no real whipping boys anymore. Because Portugal 7-0 N Korea was exciting? > [@](#): > > Maybe it is because there is just so much money involved that everyone is too scared to be the one that makes the mistake. I’m not sure, but I always seem to feel unfulfilled at the end of every Euro or World championship. They seem to have nothing on domestic leagues and cups, which is why I really feel for those whose only real experience of football comes from those tournaments. They are definitely missing out. Pressure perhaps, money, no. Anyway I feel the exact opposite. Club football is full of mercenaries and dominated by a few big clubs, and is boring as a result. In England, any player who has two good seasons ends up at either Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea or Man City. In Spain the same is true of Real and Barcelona. Most top German players end up with Bayern. In the South American leagues, players are only trying to impress so they can get a move to Europe, where the money is. The talent follows the money, and the smaller clubs never get a chance to build up a squad capable of taking on the richest clubs. If they uncover a gem of a player, a) they wont be able to compete with wage offers from bigger clubs, and b) the player’s agent will be doing all he can to convince him that a transfer to a bigger club is exactly what he needs (as the agent takes a cut of the transfer fee). Sooner or later, they have to let him go. Contrast that with international football. In international football you are stuck with the country you come from; George Weah could not decide to go and play for Brazil, for example. Who wins in international football is down to who produces the best players, not simply which club is backed by an Arab or Russian tycoon. Every country will periodically produce a good crop of players - Uruguay at the moment, for example. With a population of 3.5 million, Uruguay would be the international equivalent of Preston North End, and if they had to pay their players the same way clubs do, Forlan and Suarez would probably be warming benches for Brazil or Argentina. There is basically no money in the international game. It’s all about pride. Club football, on the other hand, is all about the money. Pride and loyalty were once a huge part of the club scene, now they are becoming harder and harder to find. Thank God for the international game. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2514 "2010-07-11T18:28:43Z")
all right, Hup Holland Hup ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2515 "2010-07-11T18:29:49Z")
It sucks that it’s all ending, but on the bright side there’s only two, maybe three, more hours of vuvuzelas and then never again will we have to respect them as “culture”. That can’t happen soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2516 "2010-07-11T18:36:08Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It sucks that it’s all ending, but on the bright side there’s only two, maybe three, more hours of vuvuzelas and then never again will we have to respect them as “culture”. That can’t happen soon enough. I think they might catch on world-wide… ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2517 "2010-07-11T18:42:19Z")
It’s all Spain early on. They could have had a couple of goals already. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2518 "2010-07-11T18:42:21Z")
Nope. I think FIFA will ban them from stadiums after this. It has been reported (and argued here) that the only reason they didn’t do it this time was because of “culture”. Now they’re out of excuses. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2519 "2010-07-11T18:49:07Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > It’s all Spain early on. They could have had a couple of goals already. Looks to me like they should at least go home with an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Xan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@Xan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2520 "2010-07-11T18:52:38Z")
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