The once-every-four-years World Cup is nearing its final stage. Never a football player growing up, I used to be a fan before I left China, like everyone else. I still watch a couple of games here and there, most recently the England-Portugal game and the France-Brazil game. Yet I was greatly disappointed. Below are my random observations and thoughts.
1. The penalty kick shootout is a joke. Given the randomness of the result from the penalty kick, it is insulting to the two exhaustic teams to base the outcome of the game on making a shot any serious amateur player can make. You might as well toss a coin and let the two teams play heads-or-tail! How ridiculous that two of the four quarter-final matches were determined by this pure random act? Whoever designed this rule should be hanged, or more appropriately, secured to a pole and be shot at point blank range by a flying football.
2. The game is booooring!


Few teams really attacked the other team full-heartedly. And those who did–the African teams–didn’t enter the quarter finals. Instead, we saw full-fledged defense (meaning 9 people in the own half) and half-assed, no one-assed attack (only one person in the front). Of course, it is not the fault of the teams or the players–this is the best strategy especially when you are faced with elimination games. It’s the damn FIFA who should get a clue and do something to the rule. Look at the NBA or NFL and learn how to design the rules to encourage offense.
3. What’s with all the acting? In this World Cup, I saw some of the worst actors I have ever seen in my life–on the green turf! The Portuguese players were terrible actors, and they kept acting. Why? Because the referees either believed them, or in the case they did not, they never condemned the behavior. Again, look at the NBA. The rules are that if you flop, you will be called a foul–against you! Only by making the actors pay for their acting can you stop such behavior.