If you want to know why Soccer (hereafter called Football) is not top ranked sport in the USA, look no further than Referee Koman Coulibaly who made infamous calls that denied team USA a win against Slovenia on July 18.
It has been hours since Coulibaly's horrifically bad day, and still no word on what the penalty was that was so egregious that it denied the USA a well deserved victory.
As SFGate reported, "You'd think the comments on FIFA's website about the USA v Slovenia match would reflect the outrage expressed by many Americans, but not one as of this writing concerns the call. I've got to believe FIFA's eliminating any comment that would call the outcome into question. That's the only reason for such a development and that's outrageous in itself."
Outrageous, in the least.
As Peter King at SI said, "FIFA deserves equal blame, for putting a system in place that allows incompetent officiating to skate free. So what if we never see this official again? The damage is done. He was in far over his head, and he blew the call that decided the game. He can disappear now, and in all nations but America, the story will blow over. Nice racket you've got going, FIFA."
No explanation has been offered for Coulibably's insult to the game, and certainly non is forthcoming. After all, FIFA invests Referees with full and uncontested control over the game. Make a horrifically bad call, no problem! Need to supplement your Referee income by accepting bribes from a bookie, no problem: there will be no appeal, and no review by FIFA.
There are no rules in FIFA football: but there is "Law."
The "Laws of the Game" are set by FIFA and the conspiring UK Football Associations. The rest of the world has no voice, so shut up! There is a distinctly British traditionalist, classist approach to all of this. Screw the commoners (or as they are called today, "Fans") -- Football's great tradition of fucking fans must be upheld! The British football aristocracy has only contempt for the fans and the players, much as a nobleman might have contempt for the peons.
FIFA rules Football with an iron fist, recalling the glory days of the Victorian British Empire. It carries forward their world view that life is unfair, and there is nothing the commoners can do about being screwed by the ruling class. Britain may have lost its empire, but damned if it will lose control of Football! Damned if they will budge an inch on tradition or open up the "laws of the game" to a democratic or an instant replay process.
Fans around the world know when they've been screwed. Koman Coulibaly and his FIFA masters are undoubtedly laughing at this cruel boner up the ass to budding US football fans.
Until there is a modicum of justice in FIFA to address or review such incompetent, shitty calls such as Coulibaly's, Americans are justified in telling FIFA to go fuck itself.
Being a fan is a serious long term emotional investment, one that can span generations. Just as I would advise any woman who is being beating by her "loving" husband to leave him, even if he promises never to do it again, so I would advise US Soccer fans not to give FIFA's game all of your love. You never know when FIFA is going to turn around and smack you in the face for no reason. If Americans want to be smacked in the face by such shit calls, the money is better spent on home grown sports entertainment. American sports are ever answering the fans pleas for fair play in their sporting events. God Bless the NFL, NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NHL, PRB, Tennis, even the National Rugby League for implementing fair play through instant replay. No, its not perfect, but its a helluva lot better than letting a Koman Coulibaly run roque.
Time for FIFA to follow the lead of those sports. Americans want fair play. Wake up, FIFA!
3 comments:
do u have any idea who http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koman_Coulibaly is?
Making bad calls happens, but this was a clear bias against the american team and i would be more than happy to see him never ref a game again. However football is played on a running clock, video replay would eat up time and ruin the flow of the game. People would pull the video review card all the time and a 90 minute running clock would become a 4 hour extravaganza where endurance would count for nothing.
I still hate Koman Coulibaly. Never forget!
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