why not then have the umpires have a two-up game before the series and decide the "cup winner".

I disagree, the errors either mistakes, or deliberate decisions to help a side, has made the cup a farce. What a TV umpire allows is a consistent and fair application of the games rules.


cheers

TV umpire analysis certainly seems to work during the six nations rugby. If the spectators can also see the incident review on the pitch screens it may also help address tensions in opposing fan groups by providing clear evidence for the decision. The knowledge that incidents have been addressed in a way that does not influence the rest of the game can not be a bad thing.

Cheshirecatman

I agree that if the umpire would be more consistent it would be better. This depends on the guidelines the FIFA issues before the cup.
However you take things too serious and make it too complicate. It is a game, people make mistakes, and most people who watch it can live with it. No player of the Cote Ivoire team complaint about the second goal with two hands. Because they are sportsmen and they know that the true reason for the goal was the poor defence and not the "hand". It would more hurt the game, if we have to wait 3 or 5min after a goal, to get an official video confirmation and take away a lot of the dynamics of the game.
However red cards would be helpful for the two harsh fouls. And in those cases it is possible to issue a red card or other forms of penalty to the player after the match by video analyses.

Lighten up, take a game as a game. And nobody forces you to watch soccer, if you can't bear it.

First, it's hard to argue with the popularity of football (soccer) worldwide...but for me, if they scored more often it would make the game more exciting AND it would make the game much less sensitive to one bad ruling. When the teams are only scoring 1 or 2 points a game, one bad call can drastically change the outcome. If they're scoring 7 to 9 points per game, they have a chance to overcome the bad call.

Sometimes, those 0:1 or 0:0 results can be boring. But sometimes a 1:0 game can be quite interesting, if there a lot of near mises and some other actions. So far the cup was a bit boring with a lot of the teams play defensive...
Bad ruling is a bit overrated in this discussion. Maybe because of the poor showing of the jury in this cup. Well it is life and the teams have to show character instead of crying to deal with it.
So far all European teams are struggling, African teams are desolate. But South American teams are ruling. Still: Germany go!, or in our language: SCHLAND!!!!

er and guys were are your votes?
TonyF18, what is your favorit?
How far USA will go?
Luiz, will Dunga or Maradonna follow Franz Beckenbauer in winning both as player and trainer the cup?

I prefer not to watch a rigged game.. Hence I rarely watch soccer... Then some love WWE which is almost as rigged as soccer..

add hot chicks in skimpy clothing as refs!

maybe goalee's shouldn't use their hands either... that would increase the goals...

release 1 hungry lion or tiger mid game, that would add some excitement...

make body checks and fights mandatory.

maybe some trap doors for players to fall into?

Both certainly could make it, but understanding the "business" rationale doesn't suffice to make this type of forecast.

Before the great Beckenbauer brazilian Zagalo won two cups as a player and one as team coach. After Beckenbauer he won again as coach advisor - but he was there for luck only.

They definitly need to allow more full contact. Take the acting out of the game, or upon faking a hit to the face allowing the offended party have a free shot pending TV review.
Bring the MMA to soccer!

the minute you put fame and or fortune in ANY game, it no longer becomes a game of skill or finesse - it's business.

what about minefields on the soccer pitch?

Think this says it all

That's great!

my ear! err...nose?

Not a sport, as I said. This is 100% show business.

The way I see it, the referee favoured Brazil during the game and gave Kaka the first yellow card to disguise it. The second yellow card to Kaka was actually to his benefit: now he is excused from the game against Portugal, so he can start the next phase without the threaten of a yellow card, rested and clean. Show business to provide fuel for bar discussions, nothing else.

That's just embarrassing for that player.. every sport has its goons though; if we rejected a sport entirely every time one of the players made an butt out of themselves we would be left with nothing.

In other news, apparently the vuvuzelas are attacking back:

"Yvonne, from Cape Town, said: “I had never blown a vuvuzela before but was given one at work and was going to watch the first South Africa match so thought I’d take it along.

I was walking towards the Fan Park in Cape Town and blowing it as hard as I could when suddenly my throat started to hurt. At first I thought I’d gone down with a bug but the next day it was worse.When I went to the doctor he took a look and then laughed.

He said I’d ruptured my throat by blowing too hard, and that perhaps I had been doing it all wrong.”

Nice! Love the vid clip.

Pumas ae gonna get killed in the Tri (now 4) Nations if they keep playing like that. This weekend they lost the 1st series ever against Scotland, and we were local.

Right now Pumas are 'suffering' a transition from the team that was 3rd in the last Rugby World Cup.

But being included in the Tri will elevate their game in the long term for sure.

It seems like Futball is unpopular in the USA...
Sorta Like---Uuuuhhh- If in golf you can score only with a Hole-in-one!
Yeah- that would be way fun!

USA 1 ALG 0 in the last minute

That's why we like football that much, you can´t beat that drama, is more than a mere sport game for sure...