Matchday Thread | GROUP A

In the end like you said brasitusa Croatia were not good enough and were outplayed by Mexico. Sad as this our best collection of talent since 1998 but these guys never played like a team like those guys did. Weak mentality another issue with all Balkan nations.

 

With a better coach, your team has the tools to do way more.

 

Great post. Will be a hell of a game.

 

Yes, it's incredible how nobody, except you and me, have mentioned the penalty for Brazil that wasn't called in the Cameroon game, and the failure to show a red card as required by the rule to the Cameroon player who blatantly assaulted Neymar without the ball. Funny enough, the TV didn't even show a replay of the blatant penalty committed by Cameroon. You know, it's not cool to underline this, since it is a lot more sensational to be yelling out loud that FIFA is helping the hosts. So, when the hosts get royally screwed, not even a replay is shown. So, all the Brazil haters here will keep insisting that the refs are favoring Brazil and blissfully ignore the evidence to the contrary. Sure, there were bad refereeing mistakes committed in the Croatia game but that's it. After that, the refs are more likely to call things against Brazil to avoid the impression of impropriety, and this was made crystal clear in the Cameroon game. Still, people will forget those decisive non-calls and say stuff like "Brazil had 19 fouls and wasn't shown a yellow card" when the rule book says nothing about number of fouls - you can have a million fouls but if they are all soft, no yellow card should be given. Then they'll say that one of the goals for Brazil was off-side when it wasn't - same line is not off-side, just look at the tape - and in any case there's been plenty of wrongly interpreted off-sides and as fast as these plays happen, linesmen are actually to be commended for getting most of those calls right - but no, it must be some conspiracy to favor Brazil! I'm sick and tired of it. The reality is that people are jealous of Brazil for having won 5 cups and for being the nation with the best stats in the history of the World Cup, period. Someone in a thread was even complaining that the home crowd is rooting for Brazil which gives the team an unfair advantage! Great, now they expect what, that the home crowd will root for Germany or Holland??? The hatred for Brazil knows no limit.

 

It's one thing to be great. It's another to be righteous and arrogant and defensive about it.

 

Man, calm down, no point in being so defensive
The rulebook of course doesn't say that you must get x number of yellow cards per foul. But even you must admit that it is bizarre that Luiz Gustavo commits five professional fouls in the game and gets no card, Oscar had 4. I mean, think about it, 19 fouls means on average 2 fouls per outfield player and yet no cards? Cameroon had 13 fouls and three yellow. Of course there's a slight ref advantage for a host. If this WC had been in Russia both Neymar and Thiago Silva would likely be out with red cards from the Mexico and Croatia matches. I don't want to turn this into a bigger deal than it is but I find it weird that you can't see the slight ref advantage Brazil have

And another thing - the jealousy argument is really lame and it holds no water anyway. In football the only thing that matters is NOW. I'm from a country myself that won the WC several times and I can tell you that it matters not one bit as as I would trade all three titles happily for a World Cup win NOW. What pleasure can I possible get from the fact that Germany won in 1954 other than stupid internet bragging rights.

 

I'm not being righteous and arrogant and defensive: I'm expressing that I'm sick and tired of people making the same points over and over, contrary to evidence (you know, being sick and tired makes people be vehement about it). If the refs were so bent on helping Brazil, they'd have called the penalty against Cameroon, and would have shown a red card to the Cameroon player who blatantly assaulted Neymar outside of the four lines, with no ball involved.

Lets say Brazil goes on to win this Cup (not easy, maybe not even more likely than not, but definitely possible). I'm already bracing for all the outcry "it was because the refs helped them." So, let's say I'm being proactive about it.

Is the jealousy argument lame? Speak for yourself. Maybe not for you, a very rational poster. However, look at the thread I started in the General area about five favored and five disliked teams, and the reasons for it. There are scores of people there who quote the reason for disliking Brazil is that they've won too many cups. So, no, I'm not taking this out of my hat, but actually quoting reasons *people* quote for disliking Brazil. Like I said to you already, even when I quote one of your posts in my reply, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm putting all on you. I do realize that you're one of the fairer and more rational posters here, but sometimes I reply to the board at large and mention trends I see elsewhere, not just related to the content of your post I'm replying to.

 

And yet you make the same points over and over yourself. You don't know if there is or isn't any FIFA influence for Brasil, no more than any one else. In fact, in your five teams to hate and love thread I'm pretty sure you said you were expecting referees to favor Brasil later in the tourney because FIFA is corrupt. Yet now you seem to be on the warpath against anyone bringing up the non penalty, constantly proclaiming that this or that subsequent refereeing decision evens the score and we should all STFU. Look, I like your football posts, you have interesting things to say. If you didn't, I'd have ignored you long ago and wouldn't be wasting my time responding. That said, sometimes you end up saying some pretty annoying stuff in the process. Just putting my two cents in for the people skills, you know. Why not elevate the discussion?

 

I guess you are right. I was afraid at the beginning of the tournament that given the political situation, president Rousseff talking to Blatter, both being up for re-election, and Blatter being corrupt, refs would help Brazil. Then that Croatia game happened. I wasn't pleased. But then I saw the continuation of the tournament and concluded that no, refs are not helping Brazil. I'm entitled to changing my opinion. Anyway, you have a point about my lack of people skills when I get too passionate, so, I'll try to tone it down. Believe it or not, in real life I'm actually frequently praised for... having good people skills. I guess they aren't very active here, given that I'm allowing my passion for football to take over. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Right on, football is pretty passionate stuff. I'm pretty much the same way, have to watch what I say when it comes to the big games! But I'm not trying to give you a hard time here. I enjoy reading your posts. And I don't think there is a Brasil conspiracy, btw. Probably some bias towards big teams in general, but it's more that a ref may tend to give the benefit of doubt towards a favorite. Today Nigeria got at least one unfair yellow, and seemed to not get the same calls as ARG on similar fouls. Nothing blatant that changed the game, but still seemed slightly off balance. We will never know if there's a thumb on the scale, I guess. Anyway, good luck for tomorrow's game. Cheers