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Prelude: sorry for the delay in publishing today, we have had more technical problems but hopefully we are back on the rails now.
By Tony Attwood
We can be utterly thankful there is no Team GB at the Olympics, given the way things have gone. And let’s hope this continues.
For if there is one thing we can be absolutely certain about in football it is that international bodies are utterly incompetent and should be stripped of all rights to run any sort of football competition. What’s more players should refuse to be part of the fiasco.
For now the Daily Mail has the story of the most chaotic match ever – which given the chaos before is claiming quite something.
For the very first, the match between Argentina and Morocco was chaos – and that chaos continued to, and beyond the very end of the game.
For a start the Argentine national anthem was booed when it was performed which is not supposed to happen at the ultra-friendly Olympics, and then against all the odds Morocco went 2-0 up which wasn’t supposed to happen either.
Then, at the end of the game the fourth official indicated 15 minutes of extra time for stoppages. Argentina scored two and fans came on the pitch while multiple missiles were thrown at the Argentina team. Inevitably in the face of yet more chaos at an international match the referee took the players off the pitch.
However in keeping with the abject ability of any country to run an international game, there was no announcement as to whether this was for the end of the game or for the safety of the players because if the items that were being thrown on the pitch. After all, why would anyone ever bother to tell fans anything? They are after all, only the fans.
Two hours later those spectators still in the stadium were told to leave, and once they had the players came back on to finish off the match – something which itself won’t help encourage fans to leave in any future match that appears unfinished. Then the referee announced that the equaliser which had seemingly been allowed two hours before was not being allowed as VAR had shown it as offside.
The teams then played the final three minutes of the game and the referee blew for the end proclaiming a 2-1 Morocco victory. No one has been able or willing to explain why the players could not be told that before.
The events have been described as a circus – but far more than that it reveals once more that in every circumstance, international football does not work. Just in the last few weeks, we have had problems in Germany with a failing infrastructure, rioting in Argentina, and now a ludicrous and chaotic situation in the Olympics. When will these idiots ever learn that international football is invariably a disaster?
Of course, there were no arrests made as a result of the pitch invasions, and given that it has never happened in the past there will almost certainly be no punishment for any of the administrators or the officials involved in the lunacy. In any other area of work, administrators who made such a total cock up would be dismissed immediately. But not, it seems, in football.
What really needs to happen now is that the clubs of the world should get together and say that given the total, and absolute gross incompetence of international bodies to organise any sort of tournament they will no longer co-operate in anything that they arrange in terms of international games between one country and another.
Continuing to play international football not only brings the game into disrepute which is of course a recognised offence for which many players have suffered fines and bans, it is also extremely dangerous with many fans being injured in ill-thought-out events with ill-preparared infrastructure.
In short if the idiots of Uefa, Fifa and the Olympic Commitee are not banned then countries should be treated as players. If they can’t organise things properly the country should be banned from international competition.
Also all responsible broadcast media should immediately refuse to be involved in any further international footballing events – which would of course reduce the level of income for the organisers, dramatically.
Reporting but doing no more than tut-tut at each and every disaster, discredits the media as much as football..
International football is a disgrace and is killing the players and the game. When will the public realise that the tournaments and friendlies ( surely the absolute poster child for the problems) are for the benefit of the acronym organisations, not the nations and certainly not the players. The players work for these marginally legitimate organisations, not heir country and certainly not for their Club. The acronyms dictate to the clubs and their leagues. And, as I’ve read here, if a player gets hurt on international duty they are sent back to the club with a note, “make sure he’s ready for the next Friendly”. I really hate it.
My main interest is the Club winning the EPL. While they didn’t win it, the last two seasons have been brilliant. Really competitive and entertaining. Arsenal really are a top side now. My enthusiasm for the coming season is tempered by number of players returning from Copa America and the Euros. When do they get a proper recovery? Never. Gabriel was a mainstay for Brasil. Saliba logged minutes for France. And it seemed like Rice and Saka played every minute for England. The season begins in 3 weeks, FFS and the schedule is challenging. COYG!
Restarting the game after 2 hours is against every regulation. What a farce… I think the country that incited the riots (Morocco) should have lost the match 3-0 because of the bad behavior of their fans.
I fine this to be a rather silly way way over the top rant. Totally out of proportion to what actually went on.
Morocco circumstances down to a pitch invasion. So if that happens in a league game, as it does, let’s ban that league eh, or the fa cup?
The rioting in at the Argentinia / Colombia Copa America final was in Miami USA
Such actions in relation to a Premier League match would result in the ground being closed and the club either being forced to play behind closed doors or at another ground.
Playing internationals is no privilege or high accolade .If the football bodies of each country are not faced up by the players then this fiasco will continue