Before
everything else, I would like to thank my baby brother who, through
Facebook, encouraged me to create this blog to best express my inner
thoughts and feelings I could hardly contain. Thank you for the valuable
piece of advice, bro!
I have been watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup since Day 1, and it has proven to be as good as advertised so far. Just about all of the matches that have been played up to this point are world-class, although some of them were either sub-par or marred by lousy officiating.
Cases in point include national teams like those of England, Spain, Russia and South Korea. All of them played way below expectations, so bad in fact that the Philippine Azkals could probably beat them. The England players, for one, have been vilified back home for caring only about their pockets and playing without heart, teamwork, or patriotism whatsoever. Spain may have lost their desire for winning, what with their international successes in the past six years, having won Euro 2008 and 2012 aside from the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Russia continues to disappoint today as they did in the 2002 World Cup, although they can console themselves with the fact that they will host the 2018 edition of the tournament where they are automatically qualified and have yet another chance to redeem themselves. Lastly, South Korea are nowhere near the 2002 team that finished a fighting fourth behind eventual champion Brazil, Germany and Turkey. Despite being coached by the legendary Hong Myung-bo, one of the players from that great 2002 team, their performances of the current World Cup showed that they do not belong to the same football field as Guus Hiddink and Company. Just goes to show how difficult it is to develop a world-class champion team, doesn't it?
But perhaps the biggest disappointment of all so far could very well be Luis “Useless” Suarez. Argh! He did it again! He doesn't learn, does he? Those now-infamous gnashers of his has claimed yet another victim in Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, the third of his brilliant yet controversial career. His latest shenanigan netted him a four-month, nine-match suspension that cost him the rest of the 2014 World Cup and all of the 2015 Copa America. By getting himself suspended for the umpteenth time, he rendered himself useless for Uruguay's Round of 16 match against Colombia, which Los Charrúas found too great an obstacle to hurdle without him and thus got eliminated to the tune of 2-0. Luis Suarez. So young, so talented yet so corrupted.
His immature act alone is vile enough, but what is perhaps even more vile is the way his teammates and some of his Uruguayan countrymen defended him despite the video evidence clearly showing him on the wrong side of the argument. In fact, some Uruguayans even wore vampire false teeth to show their admiration for him as a national hero, even though he cost his country the golden chance of winning a third-ever World Cup without him in the team's lineup. Another one is his teammate Diego Lugano, who called Chiellini a crybaby and said that the bite marks he got from Suarez were scars from an old injury.
When I read about Lugano's comments, I thought to myself, "Sure, Señor Lugano! You would be singing an entirely different tune if you were the offended party, wouldn't you? And where's your own solid evidence proving that Signor Chiellini's scars were indeed from an old injury? If you have nothing to prove other than show how inane and baseless your comments and opinions are, wouldn't it better to just keep your own biased views to yourself, lest you will come across as a fool in the eyes of the rest of the world? People like you and those defend veritable thugs like Suarez, including some of your countrymen, make this world sick!" Truly, there are none so blind as those who WILL not see.
So much for thug defenders. A very notable exception to the rule among Suarez's fellow Uruguayans is Alcides Ghiggia, the scorer of the winning goal against Brazil in the 1950 World Cup championship match. To paraphrase his comments, Ghiggia mentioned that Suarez is a kid who is sick in the head, and his act is one that is not normally done in the pitch.
Kudos to you, Señor Ghiggia! You are not only a legend of the game but also a true gentleman off the pitch and an asset to your beloved country. If more people would be thinking and acting the same way as you do, this world and not just your beloved Uruguay will be a much better place to live for all, regardless of differences in creed or color.
In a few hours from now, Brazil will be facing off against Colombia, while France will go up against long-time nemesis Germany. I for one am divided between France and Germany, but I will be clearly cheering for Colombia in the other match. I'll surely be there as the action takes place!
I have been watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup since Day 1, and it has proven to be as good as advertised so far. Just about all of the matches that have been played up to this point are world-class, although some of them were either sub-par or marred by lousy officiating.
Cases in point include national teams like those of England, Spain, Russia and South Korea. All of them played way below expectations, so bad in fact that the Philippine Azkals could probably beat them. The England players, for one, have been vilified back home for caring only about their pockets and playing without heart, teamwork, or patriotism whatsoever. Spain may have lost their desire for winning, what with their international successes in the past six years, having won Euro 2008 and 2012 aside from the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Russia continues to disappoint today as they did in the 2002 World Cup, although they can console themselves with the fact that they will host the 2018 edition of the tournament where they are automatically qualified and have yet another chance to redeem themselves. Lastly, South Korea are nowhere near the 2002 team that finished a fighting fourth behind eventual champion Brazil, Germany and Turkey. Despite being coached by the legendary Hong Myung-bo, one of the players from that great 2002 team, their performances of the current World Cup showed that they do not belong to the same football field as Guus Hiddink and Company. Just goes to show how difficult it is to develop a world-class champion team, doesn't it?
But perhaps the biggest disappointment of all so far could very well be Luis “Useless” Suarez. Argh! He did it again! He doesn't learn, does he? Those now-infamous gnashers of his has claimed yet another victim in Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, the third of his brilliant yet controversial career. His latest shenanigan netted him a four-month, nine-match suspension that cost him the rest of the 2014 World Cup and all of the 2015 Copa America. By getting himself suspended for the umpteenth time, he rendered himself useless for Uruguay's Round of 16 match against Colombia, which Los Charrúas found too great an obstacle to hurdle without him and thus got eliminated to the tune of 2-0. Luis Suarez. So young, so talented yet so corrupted.
His immature act alone is vile enough, but what is perhaps even more vile is the way his teammates and some of his Uruguayan countrymen defended him despite the video evidence clearly showing him on the wrong side of the argument. In fact, some Uruguayans even wore vampire false teeth to show their admiration for him as a national hero, even though he cost his country the golden chance of winning a third-ever World Cup without him in the team's lineup. Another one is his teammate Diego Lugano, who called Chiellini a crybaby and said that the bite marks he got from Suarez were scars from an old injury.
When I read about Lugano's comments, I thought to myself, "Sure, Señor Lugano! You would be singing an entirely different tune if you were the offended party, wouldn't you? And where's your own solid evidence proving that Signor Chiellini's scars were indeed from an old injury? If you have nothing to prove other than show how inane and baseless your comments and opinions are, wouldn't it better to just keep your own biased views to yourself, lest you will come across as a fool in the eyes of the rest of the world? People like you and those defend veritable thugs like Suarez, including some of your countrymen, make this world sick!" Truly, there are none so blind as those who WILL not see.
So much for thug defenders. A very notable exception to the rule among Suarez's fellow Uruguayans is Alcides Ghiggia, the scorer of the winning goal against Brazil in the 1950 World Cup championship match. To paraphrase his comments, Ghiggia mentioned that Suarez is a kid who is sick in the head, and his act is one that is not normally done in the pitch.
Kudos to you, Señor Ghiggia! You are not only a legend of the game but also a true gentleman off the pitch and an asset to your beloved country. If more people would be thinking and acting the same way as you do, this world and not just your beloved Uruguay will be a much better place to live for all, regardless of differences in creed or color.
In a few hours from now, Brazil will be facing off against Colombia, while France will go up against long-time nemesis Germany. I for one am divided between France and Germany, but I will be clearly cheering for Colombia in the other match. I'll surely be there as the action takes place!
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