# If you're following the World Cup... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096 "2006-06-17T20:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/81 "2006-06-23T06:27:19Z")
[QUOTE=Noone Special] Being of the straight male pursuasion myself, I neither know nor care 😛 But I’m pretty sure the Brazilians still have the cutest **fans** 😃 [/QUOTE] Argentina, with its German/Spanish/native racial blend, has quite a bit of female talent in the stands, and Mexico can give anyone a run for their money. Brazil is of course the reigning champion, but don’t count those other nations out. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/82 "2006-06-23T07:56:22Z")
[QUOTE=Arch Trout] Since they didn’t one can only assume it was (a) idiocy (b) not caring for the majority of customers (c) what **GorillaMan** said. [/QUOTE] (d) because Brazil were playing. Everybody loves Brazil, right? ISTR that in the past they have advertised one game and switched to the other at the last minute, so I assume that BBC and ITV between them have rights to all games and could have shown Australia-Croatia on BBC1. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/83 "2006-06-23T08:33:46Z")
I hate myself for saying this, but I actually would like to see the Germans win ☹ I just can’t stand the way England games are obsessed over and built up by the meeja - it inevitably makes them an anticlimax ('cos nothing will _ever_ match up to '66 :rolleyes:) . And while I’m here, a hearty fuck-off to the BBC for showing the Brasil game last night, instead of the Croatia - Australia match :mad: I can’t believe they thought watching Brasil take apart Japan would be more interesting that an “all-or-nothing” battle between two of world football’s biggest rivals. Same on the French and German TV stations - they must have known the Ausssies and Croats would play their hearts out. On a positive note… at least there’s no way Graham “3 yellows” Poll will be reffing the final now 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/84 "2006-06-23T08:43:46Z")
[QUOTE=Arch Trout] I thought they could show whatever game they want on whatever channel if they have rights to both 😕 … I would have thought they’d do the same on TV and show the game with most riding on it on the main (available to everyone with basic equipment) channel. [/QUOTE] No idea what the actual agreement was, but I suspect it involved specific games being on analogue terrestrial services. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/85 "2006-06-23T09:08:44Z")
Brazil. Because when they play well, it’s beautiful. For the people interested in the “visual aesthetics” of the players: For brazil, although Ronaldo and Ronaldinho aren’t much to look at, Robinho, Ze Roberto and Kaka are quite pretty. Other pretty players IMO: Thierry Henry (France), Lucas Neill (Australia), Javier Saviola (Argentina), Francesco Totti (Italy), Jesus Arellano (Mexico), Jose Antonio Reyes (Spain), Karl Svensson (Sweden) and Freddie Ljungberg (Sweden). For my money, Japan was the best looking over all team. If you go [this](http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/) page and select your team from the pull down menu on the left, you can go to “squad” to look at all their photos. The Croatia/Australia match was on BBC3, which we’re all supposed to have now, because of Freeview. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/86 "2006-06-23T10:14:38Z")
I’d love to see Australia win. But lets face it- they beat Japan. They got hosed by Brazil. They drew with Croatia. One win out of three? My roughie- Spain. And I don’t think England have any chance. Too inflexible, too boring, too everything. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/87 "2006-06-23T11:05:48Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] I actually though Graham Poll had a good game until the fiasco of the last ten minutes. He can’t be blamed for missing the offside, and the first handball was a very good spot. He also diffused some tense situations very well. Then he went and blew his chances of officiating any more games right at the end. [/QUOTE] It was a difficult game to referee, but even so Poll had a shocker: Offsides are the job of the linesmen, but when Simic received two yellow cards, he should have been sent off. Apparently Poll didn’t record the first yellow. :smack: Simic performed a rugby tackle (on Kewell, I think) in the penalty area. Missed by Poll. Simic handled in the penalty area. Missed by Poll. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/88 "2006-06-23T11:17:55Z")
Speaking of referee fiascos, how about the new “free gravity goal”, where if you’re playing against the USA and you go up for a header, and you can prove gravity still works by falling to the ground of your own volition after losing the header, you get a penalty kick? So far the most exciting part of watching the US team’s matches is the fun new rules that get invented. By 2014 Americans will be getting yellow cards for each shot they take on goal. That said, they had to take care of business and they failed, and I doubt they would’ve won even without the free gravity goal. But it was a pretty amazing spectacle anyway. Bruce Arena’s time has long come and gone, signaled not only by his utter inability to motivate and lead his team but also by the way he has thrown professionalism out the window in the last year of his contract. Calling out your employees publicly, one by one, in a press conference? Sounds like something a callous asshole would do upon resigning his post. I’m pretty sure I’m right about the callous asshole part; I hope I’m right about the leaving-his-job part too. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/89 "2006-06-23T11:28:57Z")
[QUOTE=glee] Simic performed a rugby tackle (on Kewell, I think) in the penalty area. Missed by Poll. Simic handled in the penalty area. Missed by Poll. [/QUOTE] Well two Aussies thought they were playing rugby for a moment, and first started to ruck and then attempted to drive the Croatian goalkeeper and ball over the line. That should have been 2 red cards right there. There were also some incidents of dissent on both sides that went unpunished. I’m not sure why he didn’t see the Croatian player’s name and number on his yellow card when he booked him the second time, however, the second booking did come at a time when tempers were flaring and it looked like a punch up was imminent. But when it comes to complaining about missed penalties, bookings and sendings off, the Australian team really shouldn’t complain. Cahill should have been sent off in the match against Japan, but wasn’t and went on to score two goals. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/90 "2006-06-23T12:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=Marienee] What’s your type? There are a number of, um, excellent exemplars of their type playing in the Wk this year. But they range from northern european to southern african so you gotta get specific. Still I am sure we can find something for you in this bag \>rumage, rumage\< I personally have catholic tastes; I only require that my own eye candy be an excellent exemplar of his type, whatever it may be. [/QUOTE] Ooooh, I like any guy of any color who has a lean hard body. There, that narrows it down. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/91 "2006-06-23T12:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Argentina, with its German/Spanish/native racial blend, has quite a bit of female talent in the stands, and Mexico can give anyone a run for their money. Brazil is of course the reigning champion, but don’t count those other nations out. [/QUOTE] There is a picture out there somewhere on the web that showed a perky blondish fan from …uh…I have no idea, but she was topless and painted a red strip/cross thingie across her girls. It was an awesome picture. And I’m straight. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/92 "2006-06-23T13:06:38Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] Ooooh, I like any guy of any color who has a lean hard body. There, that narrows it down. 🙂 [/QUOTE] What is your position on a guy who has a … body? (insert hopeful smilie) ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/93 "2006-06-23T13:21:32Z")
Remember I mentioned the Swedish player Freddie Ljundgberg? Will [he](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/jeph21/ck2005-03.jpg) do? ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/94 "2006-06-23T14:34:23Z")
The ladies of Germany chose the World Cup Sex Gods recently and \*Der Spiegel \* has a photo gallery for you. I am personally fond of Ronaldo (evidence that some guy took the photos: no rear view, mmm, mmm) and Shevchenko. And in the interest of equal time, fellas, you do have to scroll past some Swedish lovelies to get to it. We aim to please. [http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,421777,00.html](http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,421777,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/95 "2006-06-23T15:02:14Z")
Re: Ronaldo- he’s at least 10kgs overweight. Do you guys think it’s just poor physical condition due to injury and lack of training, or is it (as I suspect) a raging cocaine habit? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/96 "2006-06-23T15:03:19Z")
A number of people on the BBC’s site are complaining about their Brazil fixation (and ITV’s, to be fair): > [@BBC big cheese](#): > > As for why Brazil were on our main television channel: Brazil are the most-watched World Cup team in the UK after England, and that was demonstrated again last night. The peak audience on BBC Three was 1.4m while the peak for Brazil was 8.4m on BBC One.(And yes, we did regularly tell people they could opt into BBC Three for the excitement going on in Dortmund.) > > We switched around our plans this afternoon because the Spain v Saudi Arabia game is definitely dead in the sense that Spain are group winners and the Saudis are out - whereas last night Japan could still, just, have qualified. > **[BBC SPORT | World Cup 2006 Blog | If it's Sunday then it must be Stuttgart](https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldcup/2006/06/if_its_sunday_then_it_must_be_1.html)** > > Visit BBC Sport for all the action as it happens - up-to-the-minute news, results, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC Sport covers the major events and all the professional football clubs in the UK, plus cricket, rugby, golf,... ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/97 "2006-06-23T15:50:32Z")
[QUOTE=irishgirl] Re: Ronaldo- he’s at least 10kgs overweight. Do you guys think it’s just poor physical condition due to injury and lack of training, or is it (as I suspect) a raging cocaine habit? [/QUOTE] I think it is injury and lack of training. I’ve never heard rumours of a cocaine habit. Wouldn’t cocaine kill you appetite like speed does? ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/98 "2006-06-23T16:08:44Z")
[QUOTE=Caffeine.addict] I think it is injury and lack of training. I’ve never heard rumours of a cocaine habit. Wouldn’t cocaine kill you appetite like speed does? [/QUOTE] [Maradona](http://www.gymsfoci.hu/Kepek/Hirek_kep/maradona.jpg) developed a prodigious pot-belly (coke-belly?) during his years of drug abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/99 "2006-06-23T16:12:50Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Ooooh, I like any guy of any color who has a lean hard body. There, that narrows it down. I would recommend all 32 teams, then. Brazil’s Ronaldo has lost his form in the “lean hard body” game, though. > [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > There is a picture out there somewhere on the web that showed a perky blondish fan from …uh…I have no idea, but she was topless and painted a red strip/cross thingie across her girls. It was an awesome picture. And I’m straight. You might be talking about a fan of Trinidad & Tobago. Their flag is red and black with a ‘strip/cross thingie’ going diagonally across like a sash; I saw a Trinidad & Tobago v. Paraguay game a couple days ago where they showed a topless T&T fan painted with the pattern of the flag. Perky, quite. Blonde, not so much. Still might be the same person. I wasn’t overly excited by the shot, frankly. I tried to be, but the whole flag thing doesn’t really do it for me. > [@irishgirl](#): > > or is it (as I suspect) a raging cocaine habit? Raging cocaine habits make you lose weight, not gain it. One of cocaine’s biggest side effects is appetite suppression. I’m not sure why you think he’s on coke, but the way he’s gained weight he doesn’t do it at all or at least not even close to regularly. Raging marijuana habits make you gain weight, though. In other news: I woke up early to see _that_? Spain cared not one bit–and considering they were mostly fielding players who don’t get playing time, you’d think they’d step it up to get more minutes! Ukraine was also incredibly complacent even though they needed a win or tie to advance–sure they were in #2 to start the day, but only by two points. Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, despite being handed the ultimate underdog situation–shoo-ins that don’t run and don’t care about the match–were so incredibly inept that they could never establish an offensive rhythm. Then referee Amarilla made it even worse by turning his cheek to an obvious Ukraine handball on a Tunisia free kick, which should’ve set up a Tunisia penalty kick; and then awarding Ukraine a penalty kick on a non-foul. In a 1-0 game, taking a PK away from one team and giving it to the other amounts to running the game. That’s not what a referee is supposed to do. Not that it mattered, since Tunisia was so unable to do anything whatsoever on the attack. What a lame couple of games. And the tighter group’s games, I can’t see because I have an appointment with my doctor. Grr. Should’ve slept in. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/100 "2006-06-23T16:18:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Posted by BBC big cheese > As for why Brazil were on our main television channel: Brazil are the most-watched World Cup team in the UK after England, and that was demonstrated again last night. The peak audience on BBC Three was 1.4m while the peak for Brazil was 8.4m on BBC One. Fucking morons. Put it on a channel that many people aren’t able to watch, or simply that they never watch, and then claim you’ve proved something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096.md?page=6)