FIFA head is American in disguise

[ejp626]

Just a small joke, but apparently the head of FIFA is thinking seriously about getting rid of penalty shoot-outs to decide the World Cup Final. Something that many people, mostly Americans apparently, complain about. Excellent -- if it happens. Here's the article from the UK Guardian.

Blatter suggests scrapping shoot-outs

Paul Doyle

Wednesday September 27, 2006

Guardian Unlimited

It'll be too late to save the likes of Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle and David Trezeguet, but Fifa president Sepp Blatter today revealed that penalty shoot-outs could be abolished in time for the 2010 World Cup.

Shoot-outs were introduced to the World Cup in 1982 and almost three months after Italy became the second team to lift the trophy thanks to their superior accuracy from 12 yards - they lost to Brazil in similar circumstances in 1994 - Blatter has declared that this method of deciding winners is "a tragedy".

He said a replay or gradually removing players in extra-time would be preferable. The Fifa president's principal gripe with shoot-outs is that it places the focus on individual rather than collective skill. "Football is a team sport and penalties are not about a team, they are about individuals," he said. "When it comes to the World Cup final it is passion, and when it goes to extra-time it is a drama. But when it comes to penalty kicks it is a tragedy.

"We have four years or so, so I think we have time," continued Blatter. "Maybe to replay the match if it's the final, you can't do that through the tournament because of lack of time. Maybe to take players away and play golden goal."

Golden goals were introduced in 1993 and determined the outcome of several key matches in major championships, notably the finals of Euro 1996 and Euro 2000. But the law was scrapped in 2004 as regulators realised it had failed to encourage teams to attack in extra-time - in fact, it achieved the opposite, as depriving teams of the opportunity to equalise after conceding meant they were even more reluctant to take risks. Blatter apparently believes, however, that making sides remove players at regular intervals until a goal is scored would force them out of their shell.

[Van Basten II]

Sepp Blatter is the same idiot who thought that female players should wear skirts. So who gives a flying fart about what he thinks. That guy is an embarassment.

As far as the Shootout, i think they are a necessary evil. If you want a final result the day the final is being played, i don' think you have any other choice.

I've seen some games where they could have save people's time by going straight to the Shootout. The best example was probably the final for the 1994 World Cup in the US.

If it wasn't for the shootout i think we would not have a winner yet.

[Jazzmoose]

Sepp Blatter is the same idiot who thought that female players should wear skirts.

This is just the kind of forward thinking that could actually make the sport catch on in the U.S.!

[Rooster_Ties]

Why stop there??