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I just love World Cup soccer (rev'd) Posted by greenman on July 4, 2026, 5:49 pm Which part is best? The faking, the diving, the simulated injuries; the bad reffing, the terrible VAR, the arm-waving demands for 'justice' by some of the wimpy losers on the field (looking at YOU, Galarza of Paraguay!). Jesus H., this is not a man's sport. No wonder so many Americans hate it. ps - watching Paraguay v. France, and the 'greatest player in the world' (Mbappe - France) doing his drama queen bit. pps - There are great moments too. Long live the team from Cabo Verde! SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Sounds ANNOYING! Posted by Sia on July 4, 2026, 5:54 pm, in reply to "I just love World Cup soccer" ADMIN I dont care for sports at all. The only one I've ever had the slightest interest in is baseball and that interest is quite minimal. Like you, I cannot stand sore losers. If you lose, suck it up, congratulate your opponent, and MOVE ON ALREADY! Tomorrow is another day!

Trump got the head of FIFA to intervene Posted by greenman on July 5, 2026, 5:32 pm, in reply to "Sounds ANNOYING!" Valued Poster ...on a penalty to a U.S. player. 'Injustice!' screamed the Mango Mussolini. And int'l soccer backed down. I don't even care if the U.S. loses, now. This pig pollutes whatever he touches. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

That's not really how the timeline went down. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 3:36 pm, in reply to "Trump got the head of FIFA to intervene" ADMIN FIFA's investigation was already underway when Temu Caligula waddled in. The US federation had already filed an appeal before that. Moreover, their appeal was always going to succeed. Here's why: When the play on the field that started this whole fiasco happened, the center referee didn't call a foul at the time, seeing it as a normal "50/50" coming-together of players that happened to result in a lot of contact when they both fell. That's pretty normal when it's not a clear case of one player charging into another. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) then alerted the center ref that there may have been a red card offense and asking for further review. All normal to this point. But then, when the center ref came over to the pitch-side monitor, the VAR first showed him a slo-mo replay...and that's a direct violation of VAR protocol. Slo-mo always makes a contact look worse than it looks in real-time. Protocol requires the VAR present the play in real time to adjudge the severity of impact, etc., then possibly use slow-mo and freeze-frames to make certain of the point of contact and other critical details. When the VAR broke the review protocol, that invalidated any decision that arose from the review; it's basically the "fruit of the poisonous tree" principle that exists in the legal system. At that point, the decision has to revert to the call on the field...which in this case was no call. Balogun should never have been sent off. Of course, this is one of those "got off on a technicality" situations for many...but it was still the only outcome that would have abided by the rules. Terrible optics, particularly after Trump blundered his way in...but correct. It also ruined the team's already underdog chances against Belgium. The entire fiasco was a massive distraction that killed stone cold dead the considerable momentum the team had going. The reversal of Balogun's suspension happened about half way through the team's prep time for the next match, prep time that's already in short supply in a tournament, with the shorter than usual gap between games. Absent all this nonsense, I have zero doubt the team wouldn't have looked as utterly awful as they did. Enough better to beat a sharp, focused Belgian side? Probably not, but they'd have offered some real fight. There's been SO much misinformation about this incident floating around out there, and as someone who's been watching this World Cup very intently (and who knows the rules), I wanted to clear some of that up. The US team only possibly deserves hate for this because of the initial decision to appeal the sending-off. Appealing on the basis of a technicality always looks terrible (although the contact that eventually got the ref to show the card was completely accidental and possibly unavoidable, given how the two players were falling to the pitch). I realize it's the most important tournament a team can play in, but they should have just accepted the error by the ref/VAR and tried to win without Flo Balogun. Balogun himself was a model of grace and humility throughout...classy guy.

We disagree. Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 4:17 pm, in reply to "That's not really how the timeline went down." Valued Poster It was a red card all the way, and Trump's intervention with the corrupt Infantino was way out of line. It spoiled the subsequent match for me. Not sorry the U.S. deservedly lost. Glad it was with red-card boy on the field. That was well-deserved. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Indeed we do. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 4:44 pm, in reply to "We disagree." Did you watch the play at normal-speed?

Ah, so it's all about 'speed' now! Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 5:07 pm, in reply to "Indeed we do." Slow motion proves you wrong, so let's look at it at a different way.? Spikes rake down the calf. Foot crushed sideways. Nothing to do with the ball. Red card every time. Spikes high alone might have gotten him one, even without the horrible foot-crunch. Unless it's 'Murrica, I guess! SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Playing devil's advocate here... Is it possible that it was accidental? Or are you saying Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 6:25 pm, in reply to "Ah, so it's all about 'speed' now!" ADMIN that the American player orchestrated the collision so as to injure the other player? If so, wouldn't that be a MAJOR risk of being suspended when the stakes were so high? Or do soccer players routinely do that sort of thing?

I don't think it was purposeful, no. Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 6:33 pm, in reply to "Playing devil's advocate here... Is it possible that it was accidental? Or are you saying" Valued Poster But that's not part of the rules, as those 'know the rules' should know. Just like an 'inadvertent' handball, for example. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Explain further? Does that mean that even if it was an accidental collision, it is still a Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 6:47 pm, in reply to "I don't think it was purposeful, no." ADMIN red card foul against one player, but not the other even though both collided? How does that work? What about that technicality Poppet keeps citing in how the VAR playback was supposed to be shown to the center ref? If he violated the rules, does that mean the red flag must be voided or still maintained? I don't know anything about that stuff, but it seems that if one ref broke the rules in deciding a question of a player's rule breaking, the favor goes to the player and any penalty is tossed. Yes? No?

Yes, even if accidental, some collisions are stil penalized. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 7:41 pm, in reply to "Explain further? Does that mean that even if it was an accidental collision, it is still a " ADMIN It's almost always when regardless of intent, the player's actions were just too reckless and not sufficiently considerate of the safety of their opponent. Whether that applies in this particular incident, I leave to the determination of anyone watching the actual footage. Some will argue that any significant studs-to-the-opponent contact should be red carded; others argue that mitigating factors can alter that. In this case, the center ref determined that there weren't, and in the end it's his call. Of course, because of the failure of the VAR to follow the stated protocol on reviews, the results of that review can't stand. "Fruit of the poisonous tree."

I love how you hide behind a technicality Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 7:48 pm, in reply to "Yes, even if accidental, some collisions are stil penalized." Valued Poster I'm glad we lost with Balogun on the field, too. Even Pochettino couldn't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, could he? lol SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Serious foul play is always a red card Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 7:05 pm, in reply to "Explain further? Does that mean that even if it was an accidental collision, it is still a " Valued Poster Quite often given simply for a 'studs up' tackle on an opponent (in which his shoes' spikes contact the leg of his opponent above the ankle). This particular tackle included stepping on the opponent's ankle and foot in a way likely to cause injury. If Poppet knew the rules, she would know these obvious facts. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Furthermore Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 4:30 pm, in reply to "We disagree." Valued Poster I've never read even YOU make a more self-adoring, pretentious statement than this: "There's been SO much misinformation about this incident floating around out there, and as someone who's been watching this World Cup very intently (and who knows the rules).." Hilariously arrogant. Go back to watching women's 'soccer...' lol SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Oh, noes! Someone DISAGREED with greeman! Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 4:46 pm, in reply to "Furthermore" ADMIN /rolleyes

Uhh, look, I'm sorry Posted by greenman on July 9, 2026, 9:45 am, in reply to "Oh, noes! Someone DISAGREED with greeman!" Valued Poster I overreacted a bit. My apologies. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Accepted. Posted by Poppet on July 9, 2026, 10:03 am, in reply to "Uhh, look, I'm sorry" ADMIN And as often happens, I came across as arrogant and condescending (well...I kinda am). Sorry about that. Let's enjoy the rest of the tournament!

I agree to enjoy it Posted by greenman on July 9, 2026, 10:09 am, in reply to "Accepted." Valued Poster So, France and England? The Hundred Years' War again? lol I've heard many predict that. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Oh, it gets better: Posted by Poppet on July 10, 2026, 10:43 am, in reply to "I agree to enjoy it" ADMIN From some English wag on TwittX: "So we play Norway next? That's okay, it won't be the first time we have to beat Norway then march a couple hundred miles and fight France. Hope the latter turns out better this time." Unlikely Kane's gonna catch an arrow in the eye, anyway...

It could very well turn out the same way! Posted by greenman on July 11, 2026, 7:29 am, in reply to "Oh, it gets better:" Valued Poster Since plenty of English players know the mighty Haaland and the knavish Odegaard well.. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

MAJOR kudos to both of you for finding your way back ! Posted by Sia on July 9, 2026, 10:27 am, in reply to "I agree to enjoy it" ADMIN

Hey, Sia Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 7:16 pm, in reply to "Oh, noes! Someone DISAGREED with greeman!" Valued Poster Why does your co-board monitor get NO criticism for this personal abuse? At least you could PRETEND to be fair.. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Excuse me??? I didn't criticize EITHER OF YOU. Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 8:52 pm, in reply to "Hey, Sia" ADMIN Do not ever suggest that I am not being fair by NOT taking sides in your squabble! I asked both of you questions about what happened because I don't know the rules, didn't see the play, and was merely CURIOUS about what each of you claimed so I could understand a little bit about the situation. Originally, I had assumed that the player had CLEARLY & deliverately broken a rule, gotten the red flag & suspension and that trump had interfered to get it tossed and that was ALL there was to it. Obviously, that was incorrect! There is controversy surrounding the situation and I wanted more information as well as to understand what each of you were saying. I did NOT want anyone to try to drag me into something so unimportant to me as fighting over a sports game.

Sorry, not your fault of course. Posted by greenman on July 9, 2026, 7:35 am, in reply to "Excuse me??? I didn't criticize EITHER OF YOU." Valued Poster SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Thank you! No worries. Disagreements happen. Posted by Sia on July 9, 2026, 10:15 am, in reply to "Sorry, not your fault of course." ADMIN As long as we all eventually find our way back from feeling disagreeable towards one another over simple differences over opinions, it's all good. We all unintentionally rub each other's fur the wrong way sometimes. None of us are immune to being cranked up whenever that happens. I very much appreciate your willingness to apologize once you realized I wasn't taking sides nor being unfair to anyone.

Hilarious Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 5:08 pm, in reply to "Oh, noes! Someone DISAGREED with greeman!" Valued Poster Not personal at all! lol SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

WOW! So the moronic vulgarian just made it 1,000x worse? Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 3:47 pm, in reply to "That's not really how the timeline went down." ADMIN And then bragged that he got it done? Why am I not surprised? Someone needs to SHTHU! (shut him the hell up!)

Exactly. Blundered in belatedly to make everything far worse. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 4:47 pm, in reply to "WOW! So the moronic vulgarian just made it 1,000x worse?" ADMIN His second term in a nutshell, really...

Yes, he made it worse. Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 4:18 pm, in reply to "WOW! So the moronic vulgarian just made it 1,000x worse?" Valued Poster Balogu obviously deserved the red and the suspension. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

We'll, I wouldn't begin to venture a guess about that Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 4:28 pm, in reply to "Yes, he made it worse." ADMIN Not only do i not know the rules but I didn't watch the game either.

Possibly...perhaps even probably. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 4:53 pm, in reply to "We'll, I wouldn't begin to venture a guess about that" ADMIN If you saw the play in real time (not slo-mo and especially not freeze frames), it's obviously accidental. That's not exculpatory in and of itself, but should prompt the ref to examine other factors. In this case, the argument can be made that there was no fault in the initial contact between the two players, and what happened after that initial contact wasn't fully in either player's control. But can also be argued that any studs-on-player contact can lead to a red card, so I don't really have an issue with that. The problem arises, as I described, with the VAR breaking the review protocol. With an illegally-conducted VAR review, the decision has to return to the call made on the field.

So you're not saying that it should or shouldn't have been a red card, but only that Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 6:39 pm, in reply to "Possibly...perhaps even probably." ADMIN VAR broke the official rules when he initially showed the center ref, so TECHNICALLY, there should have been NO RED CARD no matter what the slo-mo video showed? Similar to an "illegal search finding a murder weapon"with defendant's fingerprints on it" cannot be used in court in spite of the fact that it proves guilt?

Precisely. Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 7:35 pm, in reply to "So you're not saying that it should or shouldn't have been a red card, but only that" ADMIN Whether or not the contact deserved to be punished with a sending-off has no bearing on the decision. It's exactly like your example of illegally-obtained evidence. In such cases in football, the decision reverts to what the ref initially called (or didn't call) on the pitch.

Oh, okay, that explains what wasnt making sense to me. Thanks! Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 8:57 pm, in reply to "Precisely." ADMIN

You're welcome! Posted by Poppet on July 8, 2026, 9:03 pm, in reply to "Oh, okay, that explains what wasnt making sense to me. Thanks!" ADMIN

It was a red card Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 7:10 pm, in reply to "So you're not saying that it should or shouldn't have been a red card, but only that" Valued Poster It was GIVEN as a red card, and the red card was not revoked. Balogun is still subject to the red card, at least if he commits another offense in coming months. So all that was done, at Trump's behest, was to remove the SUSPENSION against Balogun for the Belgium game. This was contrary to FIFA'a own rules, as UEFA (European football federation) has pointed out. That's corruption. Glad USMNT lost. They didn't deserve to win. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

I assumed that it was clear cut. Apparently it was not. Posted by Sia on July 8, 2026, 6:21 pm, in reply to "Possibly...perhaps even probably." ADMIN I played soccer on the playground as a child (minimal rules aside of NO HANDS) and had more than one accidental collision with other players when trying my best to win. Even as small as I was then, there was significant momentum involved by both of us and great difficulty slowing it down once in close quarters. So I can just imagine how it could happen with professional, adult players who are considerably bigger, stronger, and faster than my middle school friends ever were. It seems counterintuitive that either player would have deliberately collided when both risked serious injury doing so. Even to stop another player from getting a goal. Then again, what do I know about what any player might risk to win? In any case, I didn't see it, so can't make any knowledgeable claim either way. What you're saying makes sense though. Still, I do wish that mental midget hadn't stuck his nose into it and made things worse.

It was Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 6:34 pm, in reply to "I assumed that it was clear cut. Apparently it was not. " Valued Poster At least, to anyone who watched the replay. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Such feeble excuses Posted by greenman on July 8, 2026, 5:13 pm, in reply to "Possibly...perhaps even probably." Valued Poster This kind of argument is why I hate soccer. No real rules, lousy reffing, worse VAR, endless arguments and whining (Egypt right now), diving, shithousing, and so on. What's a red card? A yellow? A foul? no one knows. What's a handball, a penalty kick, anyrhing? F---soccer. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

Of course he does. If the USA wins now, it will have an asterisk beside it Posted by Sia on July 5, 2026, 6:16 pm, in reply to "Trump got the head of FIFA to intervene" ADMIN forever!

No worries, we lost 4-1 Posted by greenman on July 7, 2026, 7:38 am, in reply to "Of course he does. If the USA wins now, it will have an asterisk beside it" Valued Poster Belgium beat us BADLY, and with the player in question starting. So no complaints please about not having him available. No excuses. One Belgian after the game messaged Americans 'Overturn THIS!' Can't blame them. SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR! RESIST!

I saw that and was GLAD! Not that I give a rat's patootie about Posted by Sia on July 7, 2026, 8:58 am, in reply to "No worries, we lost 4-1" ADMIN soccer or any other sport, but THAT was some bullsh!t trump pulled and it HAD to be shutdown HARD. Just one more brick in his f☆ckin' wall!

This thread is a great example of why I hate most sports Posted by Trish on July 9, 2026, 9:29 am, in reply to "I saw that and was GLAD! Not that I give a rat's patootie about" Admin

It usually works out here once people have a little time to calm down Posted by Sia on July 9, 2026, 10:40 am, in reply to "This thread is a great example of why I hate most sports" ADMIN After all, it is mostly political discussion here and we manage to navigate those discussions without getting ugly with each other - most of the time anyway. If folks can't find their way back to civility when arguing about sports, we'd have no hope of getting there discussing politics. Personally, I dislike most sports only because they bore me. That people get SO angry about the results makes me detest them.

I only like watching about three sports. Posted by Poppet on July 9, 2026, 10:05 am, in reply to "This thread is a great example of why I hate most sports" ADMIN Ironically, none are the sport I was kinda good at (racing bicycles). I never watch it, not even the Tour. Football (soccer) and MotoGP for sure. Usually Formula 1, although the botched new regulations have made me a bit disinterested in this season. I have only a very casual interest in other sports.

I like gymnastics and very rarely, a good baseball game. Posted by Sia on July 9, 2026, 10:49 am, in reply to "I only like watching about three sports." I especially like floor exercises in gymnastics. My daughters were succesful, competitive gymnasts so I grew to enjoy watching them. But even watching that has its limits. I get bored quickly with the bars, balance beam, and vault/pommel horses. The only time I bother with baseball is if my husband is cheering on the BoSox, which is relatively rare since he isn't very much into sports, (thank the gods that be!) I won't watch an entire game, but will wander in and out whenever he (rarely) watches a game.

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