Watching England play their final (poor) match
tonight and listening to the commentators, I've been forced to
conclude (again) that the problem is not lack of skill or 'technique'
but a dearth of intelligence. As I've said, we should ban rugby and
cricket and force the middle class to play football in greater
numbers.
As for the commentators . . . Andy Townsend on ITV
displays a stellar ability to tell us what we've just seen and what
we already know. He'd be superfluous even on the radio. I hate to
think what he's being paid for this, just because he used to be a
player. The BBC commentator, on the other hand, specialises in trivia
which even a train-spotter would find beyond boring.
But it's good to see that, while holding off on
goal-line technology for at least a decade, FIFA have been able to
come up with the expedient of spraying foam on the pitch so as to
ensure defenders stay 10 yards/metres off the ball at a free kick.
Something which could have been done in the first World Cup 84 years
ago.
The FIFA rankings going into this World Cup are a
thing of wonder. France was at 16, below England at 11 and
Switzerland(!) and Belgium at 8 and 12, respectively. Even the USA
was ranked higher than France, at 14. Whatever system they have is
clearly unreliable. Sadly, though, Spain's number one position now
looks precarious.
Finally . . . For whose with Spanish who want to
see a hatchet job on the new Spanish queen, Letizia, here you go. Me,
I couldn't care less what she used to be or do. She's very decorative
and that's all that's required of modern monarchs. That's why Queen
Elizabeth wears those hats.
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