True, but I also can't blame anyone who assumed this was just more DPR craziness. They make such a habit of it. MSNBC just claimed the problem was the flag displayed on the jumbo tron, but I still see the S. Korean flag hanging in the stadium.
I can't believe it took so long to resolve everything. I would have loved to see that for the Great Britain game earlier. I'm sure someone would have gotten a laugh out of that...
It would make more sense if they ********ed that up and that was an issue to fix, but... That graphics package should have been completed, checked and ready to go weeks ago.
I hope there are significant follow-ups into what happened. I'm anxious for more details. Were actual physical flags the problem? I don't believe the men's team will use this venue. Did it take that long to fix the problem? North Korea women's soccer lucky to be in Olympics after 5 players tested positive for PEDs at World Cup '11. Team is banned from WC15.— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) July 25, 2012
The Brits seem to be especially vulnerable to these mistakes... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18339275 South African women's field hockey team had their old Apartheid-era anthem played during a match in London early this year. Yikes.
[COL-PRK] 39' 0-1 North Korea surge up arc left to box top, flick outward to box top wide left. High cross floats and misses #16 Kim Sung Hui at 8m right post. Colombia's LB(?) heads it down off Hui's instep, Colombia pings it back to her face, she heads weakly, ball rattles at 5m. Colombia defender (RCB?) #14 Kelis Peduzine arrives sideways and clears ball hard, point-blank off Hui's shin, and reflects un-perfectly just inside right post low. Welp.
No worries. Newsouth is digging a pretty deep hole. Brasil looks like a really impressive 4th or 5 th place team, though.
It's not the first time that those in charge of the graphics at Hampden have ballsed things up. There's been more than one occasion where players names don't match the accompanying pictures. This is a far worse (and much more hillarious) mistake though. Sincerly though, I hope they weren't too offended and I feel for the poor sod that will probably have lost their job over this!
Sadly I couldn't watch the whole USA - FRA match, but I must say that is exactly what I expected. France are great and all, but lose as soon as they meet a really good team during a competition. So I guess they will be eliminated in the quarterfinals against the winner of group F.
Aww, that's not fair. You are assuming they will beat Korea DPR and get out of the group. So... You expected that France would only get 3 SOG and lose the possession battle 53:47?
This isn't bad as when the Bermudan stadium officials played the Star Spangled banner instead of their own national anthem. http://bernews.com/2011/10/bfa-apologize-for-playing-wrong-anthem/
Wasn't there an issue with the National anthem of Kazakhstan where they played the Borat version? EDIT: Apparently that was in Kuwait, not Britain. still funny.
I don't blame the team for refusing to take the field. This was potentially a life or death situation for them.
They did not. Many flags are flying at the stadium, including both those of North Korea and South Korea. The problem for this match was that they showed the South Korean flag for the player presentation on the large screen of at least one of the players. It happened so fast, I missed it though I was there and watching. Nobody else around me seemed to have seen it either, nor had the security supervisor I asked about it. For the next 45 minutes, we were then treated to the North Korean flag on both large screens and absolute silence as to why nothing was happening. The North Korean team were presented in full twice, the Colombians only once. From what I've heard, the Colombians were left in the tunnel, waiting for the North Koreans to come out. Not what I'd call particularly sporting behaviour. The risk of lightning?
More like the risk of disappearing into a labor camp, possibly with their families, after they arrive back home in lovely North Korea... Everyone still remembers the disappointing show by NK in one major tournament and then having almost their entire line up changed for the next tournament with 15 year olds being thrown into the team and no one knows what happened to the previous players, right? I can't even imagine what the NK authorities would think of a NK player staying on the field while listed as a SK. Considering they're in a 'truce' of a still ongoing war (granted a 60 year truce), that probably looks like she doesn't mind appearing South Korean and from there, it's a short jump to maybe she wouldn't mind being South Korean and swiftly over to maybe she's planning to defect and then, the final stop that's treason.
I thought it was a hilarious way to celebrate Kim Jong-un's birthday... ("'Un' is no longer the loneliest number" according to yahoo. My coworkers and I loved that one). I'm expecting the US and France, but it sounds like everyone else is too...
Well, we will never win a game against a team that is stronger and fitter. Unless we find some solutions. Just steamrolled physically and out of gas after 60 minutes. Actually after 30 minutes, there were sign the girls were tiring and suffering from the physical pressure and not developping any kind of football. Plus giving away stupid goals, well. Either we manage to get to the same level of physical power to get a chance or we find another way.
I think France did play a physical game, and almost took out Morgan a couple of times, but their stamina is definitely an issue. If the game was only 45 minutes long, then I have no doubt their finesse will be good enough to beat most teams. However, making those beautiful runs and passes mean nothing if your legs are dead tired in the 80th minute. I know we criticize the U.S. team for not being very technical, but perhaps the coaches are smart enough to realize that it's better to work on fitness 50% of the time (especially for gruelling tournaments), than just on skill.
Never thought I'd say these words, but I support the North Koreans on this. What a colossal f*** up by Olympic organizers, who of all groups should know better.
Firstly , i would like to support North Korea , I would have done the same thing if i was in their position. Anyway, talking about the group main event yesterday, certainly the USA deserved to win the game , they were better prepared , mentally,physically and had this strong determination that our girls incredibly lack. However , analyzing the match we could see that actually more than USA winning the game it was France loosing it...... I have never seen a team scoring two goals to the americans after 15 minutes, and the goals could have been more, so that means that our offensive strenght could cause them damage at any moment . Our problems were the defense and mental condition ...not physical as many thinks. Firstly, the defense because all the five at the back were shit yesterday , is rude to say but that's the thruth, all the americans goals were actually gift from our defense .....even Sonia played badly ........they five looks like children in their first day at school....completely overcome by the event, Wambach and Morgan aren't novice , the girls should have known out to stop them. Our midfield is composed by highly technical players but no one with pure defensive quality.......Amandine ou es tu ? ..........however, is composed by 3 players against 2, but when a member of the trio,in this case Louisa Necib aka the overrated princess.....,is just not there our strenght became our weakness..... Our team is not so weak physically , we are stronger than the japanese who didn't suffer USA power , but our girls are weak mentally because they couldn't overcome a difficult situation and instead they let themselves down further more.......this is the difference between a great team , which the americans are, and an inspiring one which we are. Anyway , the reaction has to come straight against the north korean and i am sure the girls will find the force to get over this situation. Allez les bleues!!!! Vive la France!!!!
I agree on the N. Korean issue. To have to salute the flag of a country you are still technically at war with seems a bit much. It doesn't really surprise me coming from the British, though. As a holdover from their colonial days, they still seem to make the ignorance of other people and the mispronouncing of names almost a science. I agree with a lot of what you said, with a little different slant. Yes, France prides itself on their offense and passing in the midfield. That is supported by the high line you keep and the support from Bompastor coming out of the back. Unfortunately, that leaves you very vulnerable to fast players and gives them lots of room behind the back line in which to operate. I'll suggest that against teams with speed and some skill, it isn't the way to go. It is more than the back line just playing poorly. It is expecting too much of them against good teams. As you point out, you like to have the extra player in the midfield. Unfortunately, that player either weakens the defense or the offense if those players can't dominate. Your two scores early were impressive, but they were as much from our mistakes as your skill. I have trouble with your view that you could have scored more, though, because the stats only show one more shot on goal. If you made all your shots on goal you would still have lost. I discount errant shots as a means to effective offense, speaking as one who supports a team which has had that issue in the past. As to Sonia, she was a bit preoccupied with Rapinoe ( and didn't do well in the matchup) to contribute to the offense. Beyond that, your defense is not designed to be iron clad, so don't be surprised if they can't emulate the Italian catenaccio. It is rather, designed to go forward as a unit. Why you didn't go into a more defensive mode with a two goal lead is beyond me, but thanks. And why, after Abby beat you last time with a set piece to the far post, you ignored the possibility of putting a body on her or putting bodies on the post, I'll never know. But don't blame your players for that. Blame your coach. And I don't think the French heart is at issue. It's the French rigidity of method that did you in. You did not adjust to how to play with a lead. You were not under duress. That was the USA team. They adjusted. You did not.
This is what you get when you start the Olympic events two days before the start of the Olympics. They didn't even have their "usual" employees on this, so the replacements didn't even know what the chuck they were doing. If you can't put up the correct flag, then what the heck? After the Opening Ceremony, you would never see anything like this. When the Olympic worker-bees (the Olympic ooompa-looompas) arrive on July 27, it becomes a perfect aesthetic event. And they work for nearly free of charge.