Day -561. #WorldCup2018
Toronto FC win! Toronto FC are in the MLS Cup final. I didn't know where to start this. I wanted to build up the suspense for the Europeans who would have been sleeping while all the excitement was going on. But I just had to get it out because it wasn't any normal match. It was one of those "I was there" or "I wish I was there" kind of nights.
It had all the elements of a classic cup tie: goals (seven of them), rain (lots of it), a record crowd (37,000), best atmosphere ever for an MLS match, a bit of pushing and shoving, home team having to come from behind to win, game ending injury for the home team's star player, and extra time.
If it finished 3-2 for Toronto it would go to extra time, we were told over and over again. And what were the odds that it would? And it did. 0-1, 1-1, 2-1 (Toronto are through), 2-2 (Montreal are in), 3-2. Extra time. Seba Giovinco tries a shot, it looks like his calf gives in and off he goes. From the wonderful, game changing skill of the little Italian to the workmanlike, industrious, experienced Benoit Cheyrou. A bit of wind out of the TFC attacking sails. But what's playoff/cup football without an instant, unexpected hero? 90 seconds after he comes on, Cheyrou makes it 4-2. A few minutes later, super sub Tosaint Ricketts scores. Incredible scenes. The crowd really were going wild. The rain kept lashing down. 20 minutes to go, Toronto leading 7-5 on aggregate. It still seemed reasonable that Montreal could score twice to send it to penalties. Didier Drogba was throwing his weight around; Jozy Altidore was chasing him down in a fascinating battle between the two powerhouse centre forwards. In the end everything but the kitchen sink was not enough for Montreal. They threw it, Toronto flung it back at them.
It was enthralling, exciting and nerve-wracking. England-Germany, Italia '90 semifinal was the last time I felt this nervous watching a football match. Maybe there hasn't been a football match I have cared about so much since then. Teams I support never win., I said last week.They did tonight. On what could be a very, very cold night, (maybe MLS's coldest night ever), on December 10th, TFC will host Seattle in the MLS Cup final. What a night for the supporters who have seen the team go though an incredible amount of managers, terrible seasons and one rebuild after another in 10 years. Finally the owners got it right, the manager got it right and the fans have a night to remember.
I could share a video of the amazing TFC support tonight. But it's other fans I am thinking of. Just before kickoff the stadium announcer asked everybody to observe a moment's silence in memory of the victims of the tragic air crash in Colombia. Sadly the moment was over as quickly as it took the announcer to ask for silence. Barely 10 seconds of respect for the football team that was wiped out, it was the only negative of the night. But it did make us remember that there was supposed to be a match in Medellin tonight that was not going to happen. But the Atletico Nacional faithful still packed their stadium and, in a way that football fans know how to express grief, they sang their hearts out in honour of Chapecoense.
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Chapecoense
Day -562. #WorldCup2018
When I woke up this morning to the news of the plane crash in Medellin and that the Brazilian football team Chapecoense were on the plane, my first thought was not that footballers had died, but that a plane crash had, sadly, claimed the lives of so many people.
As I read more about it during the day, the sadness increased. As a football fan, a sports fan, there is an emotional connection. It was such a fairy tale story with the most tragic of endings. The unheralded team, from the small city had made it to the big time and were about to play for the biggest prize in their short history.
As much as it is of little comfort to the distraught families right now the reaction of the football community has been touching and poignant. Chapecoense's opponents in the Copa Sudamericana final, Atletico Nacional, have requested that Chapecoense be named the competition winners. All the teams in the Brazilian first division have offered to lend players to Chapecoense for them to carry on playing this season. They have also asked the league to not allow Chapecoense to be relegated for the next three years.
On a sad day it is maybe scant consolation to remember how this team from almost nowhere made it to this, now fateful, moment. In the semifinal they upset a traditional South American powerhouse, San Lorenzo of Argentina. You cannot but feel sadness watching their joy at their victory. They were within a stretch of a goalkeeper's foot in the 94th minute of the second leg of the semifinal of not being in this final. That hero, that goalkeeper, Danilo, was reportedly rescued from the wreckage but died later in hospital. I can't think what else to say....one last great save, Danilo, one more.
When I woke up this morning to the news of the plane crash in Medellin and that the Brazilian football team Chapecoense were on the plane, my first thought was not that footballers had died, but that a plane crash had, sadly, claimed the lives of so many people.
As I read more about it during the day, the sadness increased. As a football fan, a sports fan, there is an emotional connection. It was such a fairy tale story with the most tragic of endings. The unheralded team, from the small city had made it to the big time and were about to play for the biggest prize in their short history.
As much as it is of little comfort to the distraught families right now the reaction of the football community has been touching and poignant. Chapecoense's opponents in the Copa Sudamericana final, Atletico Nacional, have requested that Chapecoense be named the competition winners. All the teams in the Brazilian first division have offered to lend players to Chapecoense for them to carry on playing this season. They have also asked the league to not allow Chapecoense to be relegated for the next three years.
On a sad day it is maybe scant consolation to remember how this team from almost nowhere made it to this, now fateful, moment. In the semifinal they upset a traditional South American powerhouse, San Lorenzo of Argentina. You cannot but feel sadness watching their joy at their victory. They were within a stretch of a goalkeeper's foot in the 94th minute of the second leg of the semifinal of not being in this final. That hero, that goalkeeper, Danilo, was reportedly rescued from the wreckage but died later in hospital. I can't think what else to say....one last great save, Danilo, one more.
Monday, 28 November 2016
TFC....it's coming....
Day -563. WorldCup2018
When the day job gets in the way of the fun not-job.
Anyway, two days to go to the big match in Toronto. Things are looking good for the 30,000+ fans who are going to be at the stadium. The weather will be kind, a high of 11 degrees but rainy. It may make somebody from the Mediterranean shiver at the thought of sitting outside to watch a football match, but it could have been -11.
To help build a bit of excitement two of Toronto FC's players were on Toronto's most popular breakfast TV show this morning. Poor guys. Either 7am was too early for them or they were the reluctant two who drew the short straws. They didn't do too much for the reputation of footballers and their stereotypical lack of personality. Not that I really care, just as long as they score a couple of goals on Wednesday
When the day job gets in the way of the fun not-job.
Anyway, two days to go to the big match in Toronto. Things are looking good for the 30,000+ fans who are going to be at the stadium. The weather will be kind, a high of 11 degrees but rainy. It may make somebody from the Mediterranean shiver at the thought of sitting outside to watch a football match, but it could have been -11.
To help build a bit of excitement two of Toronto FC's players were on Toronto's most popular breakfast TV show this morning. Poor guys. Either 7am was too early for them or they were the reluctant two who drew the short straws. They didn't do too much for the reputation of footballers and their stereotypical lack of personality. Not that I really care, just as long as they score a couple of goals on Wednesday
Sunday, 27 November 2016
Toronto FC after the Grey Cup
Day -564. WorldCup2018
It's late and I was about to go into another mini-rant about the lack of Toronto FC coverage in Toronto, but I'll spare you. There was a pretty big story about Wednesday's second leg against Montreal in today's Star newspaper. It didn't talk much, or at all, about the football. It focused on getting the pitch ready after today's Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League final, or the Canadian Superbowl, kind of. (Apparently the NFL got the idea for the Superbowl from the Grey Cup, but made it a lot bigger). The grounds keepers will have to get all those funny yard lines off the pitch. I really think that to honour their fellow Montreal Olympic Stadium grounds crew (the ones who had to do some last minute line painting last week) the Toronto crew should leave some of those gridiron lines on the pitch and paint over them as part of the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
I got distracted, said I wasn't going to be negative. There may not be much coverage but that hasn't stopped me looking forward to Wednesday, like I haven't looked forward to a football match for a long time. Maybe not hard to figure out why. Malta keep losing and can't score. And my other team, Aston Villa, may be on a bit of a good run but they are celebrating wins against the likes of Cardiff, Rotherham and Reading.
It's late and I was about to go into another mini-rant about the lack of Toronto FC coverage in Toronto, but I'll spare you. There was a pretty big story about Wednesday's second leg against Montreal in today's Star newspaper. It didn't talk much, or at all, about the football. It focused on getting the pitch ready after today's Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League final, or the Canadian Superbowl, kind of. (Apparently the NFL got the idea for the Superbowl from the Grey Cup, but made it a lot bigger). The grounds keepers will have to get all those funny yard lines off the pitch. I really think that to honour their fellow Montreal Olympic Stadium grounds crew (the ones who had to do some last minute line painting last week) the Toronto crew should leave some of those gridiron lines on the pitch and paint over them as part of the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
I got distracted, said I wasn't going to be negative. There may not be much coverage but that hasn't stopped me looking forward to Wednesday, like I haven't looked forward to a football match for a long time. Maybe not hard to figure out why. Malta keep losing and can't score. And my other team, Aston Villa, may be on a bit of a good run but they are celebrating wins against the likes of Cardiff, Rotherham and Reading.
Saturday, 26 November 2016
The day Castro died
Day -565. WorldCup2018
Come on Toronto. Let's get excited. A few days to go until the biggest match ever, by far the hugest, the event anticipated like never before in Toronto FC'S history and barely a whimper of interest in today's Toronto Star newspaper. Barely a whimper fit nicely in my sentence but the truth is that is an exaggeration. There was no whimper, no whisper, no mention at all in the pretty substantial Sports Section. The editing team must have put all their effort into putting the pages of "Holiday Entertaining" together.
I sound like a broken record, I know, but I thought the hype in the media this week would be much bigger after the titanic battle in the first leg last Tuesday. Again, just when it seemed like football made in North America (as opposed to that watched on TV) has made it into the realm of major sports in Toronto, this lack of attention shows that it hasn't.
But I'll move on and look forward to Wednesday's second leg, and will enjoy it as will the over 30,000 fans in the sold out stadium and the many thousands watching on TV like me.
Today I should be marking one of those significant world events which I can look back on in. 565 days and know that today was the day. A former dictator who drove his people to extreme poverty in his quest to give the country "back to the people" died today. Fidel Castro was celebrated on the day of his death as a great revolutionary and derided as an oppressive leader who silenced all of his opponents. As I always tie everything back to football, or any sport, the most I ever heard about Cuban football in the news was when a player or two or three defected to whatever country the national U20 or U23 team was playing a tournament in. It happened repeatedly, and not only with footballers, and that says a lot about what kind of country they lived in.
Come on Toronto. Let's get excited. A few days to go until the biggest match ever, by far the hugest, the event anticipated like never before in Toronto FC'S history and barely a whimper of interest in today's Toronto Star newspaper. Barely a whimper fit nicely in my sentence but the truth is that is an exaggeration. There was no whimper, no whisper, no mention at all in the pretty substantial Sports Section. The editing team must have put all their effort into putting the pages of "Holiday Entertaining" together.
I sound like a broken record, I know, but I thought the hype in the media this week would be much bigger after the titanic battle in the first leg last Tuesday. Again, just when it seemed like football made in North America (as opposed to that watched on TV) has made it into the realm of major sports in Toronto, this lack of attention shows that it hasn't.
But I'll move on and look forward to Wednesday's second leg, and will enjoy it as will the over 30,000 fans in the sold out stadium and the many thousands watching on TV like me.
Today I should be marking one of those significant world events which I can look back on in. 565 days and know that today was the day. A former dictator who drove his people to extreme poverty in his quest to give the country "back to the people" died today. Fidel Castro was celebrated on the day of his death as a great revolutionary and derided as an oppressive leader who silenced all of his opponents. As I always tie everything back to football, or any sport, the most I ever heard about Cuban football in the news was when a player or two or three defected to whatever country the national U20 or U23 team was playing a tournament in. It happened repeatedly, and not only with footballers, and that says a lot about what kind of country they lived in.
Friday, 25 November 2016
Sexual abuse and young footballers
Day -566. WorldCup2018
The sad case of sexually abused young footballers.
I can't even imagine the psychological pain and so will not even try offering an opinion, My only contribution? Sadly, I'm not surprised. I'm amazed it took this long to come out, but then again since I cannot understand it, how can I be surprised that it took them so long to have the courage?
I will say no more other than listen to these ex-footballers explain the horror they went through and their ruined lives.
The sad case of sexually abused young footballers.
I can't even imagine the psychological pain and so will not even try offering an opinion, My only contribution? Sadly, I'm not surprised. I'm amazed it took this long to come out, but then again since I cannot understand it, how can I be surprised that it took them so long to have the courage?
I will say no more other than listen to these ex-footballers explain the horror they went through and their ruined lives.
Thursday, 24 November 2016
Referees in CAF's bad books
Day -567 WorldCup2018
This is going back a few days but even though I was caught up in the Toronto FC excitement I couldn't forget about it.
CAF’s (Confederation of African Football) Referees Committee announced its’ decisions regarding the performance of four of the referees officiating matches in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers. It is unusual for any confederation to issues such public rebukes of its’ referees. UEFA would never do it even if a referee has committed an obvious mistake. The individual in question usually just disappears from any football matches for a few months. There may be a question that UEFA do this so that they cannot accept any blame for a decision that had a significant effect on the result of the match. This argument goes out the window when you consider that despite CAF’s suspensions and admission of refereeing errors there is nothing that can be done about the results of the matches in question. The teams that lost and are crying foul can keep doing so until Russia 2018 starts and they are not part of it. Nothing will change.
CAF has suspended two referees and one assistant (a linesman to many of us) and warned another assistant. The committee published a list of its’ decisions, together with a description of the offences which I cannot not help but find amusing even though I have to keep in mind that it’s not funny for the teams who were on the wrong end of these offences.
Joseph Lamptey has been suspended for three months for incorrectly awarding a penalty to South Africa in their 2-1 win against Senegal. He “awarded a wrong penalty for handball despite the fact that the ball never touched the hand of the player”. The assistant signalled a corner and, apparently, even the South African players were ready to take the corner. He was also cited for “poor performance”.
Davies Omweno was also suspended for three months for another “poor performance.” His crime was “wrong positioning and movement, incorrect identification of fouls and failure to administer some disciplinary sanctions”, in the Libya-Tunisia match. Tunisia won 1-0 and Libya were denied a perfectly valid goal. The assistant in that match, Berhe O’Michael, was guilty of “offside decisions including one denying a valid goal by Libya.” He, of course, also had a “poor performance.” And the other assistant, Theogene Ndagijimana got off with a warning as he “missed multiple basic offside decisions which denied teams’ promising attacks.” And, yes, he too had a “poor performance.”
These public shamings make you think that CAF are trying to send a message that they will not stand for any mistakes by their officials and that they, the referees, are actually bring shame on African football. These four individuals may be the sacrificial lambs, used as examples of what may happen if any referee or assistant is so unfortunate as to be unsighted and make a wrong decision. Even though I am one who believes that terrible refereeing has influenced the outcome of many a match, this sets a bit of an uneasy precedence for referees. Their performances are analysed constantly during a match, after a match in super slow motion and in newspapers, social media and all over the internet. Now their own confederation is showing them up for moments of incompetence. What a great way to instill confidence in your officials.
This disciplining by CAF may not be working very well anyway. Lamptey was suspended for 6 months in 2010 for wrongly awarding a goal in a CAF Champions League semi-final.
This is going back a few days but even though I was caught up in the Toronto FC excitement I couldn't forget about it.
CAF’s (Confederation of African Football) Referees Committee announced its’ decisions regarding the performance of four of the referees officiating matches in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers. It is unusual for any confederation to issues such public rebukes of its’ referees. UEFA would never do it even if a referee has committed an obvious mistake. The individual in question usually just disappears from any football matches for a few months. There may be a question that UEFA do this so that they cannot accept any blame for a decision that had a significant effect on the result of the match. This argument goes out the window when you consider that despite CAF’s suspensions and admission of refereeing errors there is nothing that can be done about the results of the matches in question. The teams that lost and are crying foul can keep doing so until Russia 2018 starts and they are not part of it. Nothing will change.
CAF has suspended two referees and one assistant (a linesman to many of us) and warned another assistant. The committee published a list of its’ decisions, together with a description of the offences which I cannot not help but find amusing even though I have to keep in mind that it’s not funny for the teams who were on the wrong end of these offences.
Joseph Lamptey has been suspended for three months for incorrectly awarding a penalty to South Africa in their 2-1 win against Senegal. He “awarded a wrong penalty for handball despite the fact that the ball never touched the hand of the player”. The assistant signalled a corner and, apparently, even the South African players were ready to take the corner. He was also cited for “poor performance”.
Davies Omweno was also suspended for three months for another “poor performance.” His crime was “wrong positioning and movement, incorrect identification of fouls and failure to administer some disciplinary sanctions”, in the Libya-Tunisia match. Tunisia won 1-0 and Libya were denied a perfectly valid goal. The assistant in that match, Berhe O’Michael, was guilty of “offside decisions including one denying a valid goal by Libya.” He, of course, also had a “poor performance.” And the other assistant, Theogene Ndagijimana got off with a warning as he “missed multiple basic offside decisions which denied teams’ promising attacks.” And, yes, he too had a “poor performance.”
These public shamings make you think that CAF are trying to send a message that they will not stand for any mistakes by their officials and that they, the referees, are actually bring shame on African football. These four individuals may be the sacrificial lambs, used as examples of what may happen if any referee or assistant is so unfortunate as to be unsighted and make a wrong decision. Even though I am one who believes that terrible refereeing has influenced the outcome of many a match, this sets a bit of an uneasy precedence for referees. Their performances are analysed constantly during a match, after a match in super slow motion and in newspapers, social media and all over the internet. Now their own confederation is showing them up for moments of incompetence. What a great way to instill confidence in your officials.
This disciplining by CAF may not be working very well anyway. Lamptey was suspended for 6 months in 2010 for wrongly awarding a goal in a CAF Champions League semi-final.
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