world cup thoughts of the day

The refs keep getting worse! Okay, well, they couldn't be worse than they were Friday, but they continue to be poor after a good start. Did everyone see Fabiano's blatant double handball on Brazil's second goal? The first one wasn't too obvious, but how could both referees miss the second one? Kaka's second yellow card was extremely harsh, and the same player who embellished that bit of contact could have been sent off for his earlier tackle on Elano, which left him in a stretcher. If FIFA want to seriously crack down on simulation or diving, Keita should be their first retroactive target, and he should be suspended from the third game for trying to deceive the referees into thinking that Kaka had struck him in the face.

Meanwhile, Brazil, who have already qualified, will do fine without Kaka in their third group match considering he's been playing the least inspired soccer of his career. Despite setting up Fabiano today for Brazil's first goal, he's been completely mediocre in the two group games. What a horrible shame that Dunga didn't see fit to include on his team either the in-form Ronaldinho, the most creative player of the decade, or Diego as backups for Kaka. Though Brazil have looked good in their first two group games, they've hardly been playing the kind of soccer to match their overwhelming surplus of offensive talent.

Overly defensive player selections and tactics have been a theme of the World Cup, exemplified by the perpetually uninspiring Raymond Domenech, who has somehow managed to take one of the most talented teams on the planet and turn them into a colossal bore. Today, word spread that the French squad boycotted a training session, and after he sent home their top striker, it's hard to blame them. Domenech had a ridiculous run of luck in 2006, which, combined with inspiring play from Zidane, led France to the final, and unfortunately to him somehow keeping his job this whole time. It's about time France hired a manager who will use their talent to score goals.