411 Football/Soccer Fact or Fiction 3.10.08: Replay for Diving, CONCACAF, and Champions League
Posted by Sean Garmer on 03.10.2008
Today, Chris Evans and Lotfi Sariahmed explore replay for diving, the US's chances to qualify for the Olympics and more.
Welcome, it is time for more Footy FOF here at 411. This week it is America vs. the UK, as they discuss Champions League affecting League play, replay, and US stuff as well. So, please join us for week five.
Please give a hand to New Jersey's golden boy, Lotfi Sariahmeid from the MMA zone. He graces 411 with a great column called Planet Tapout. Did I mention he is another of the growing list of Arsenal fans on this staff.
Chris Evans comes to us from the UK and is a supporter of Cardiff City (Great win over Boro on Sunday mate.) He is a newcomer to the Games Zone, reviewing PC games, and writing a column called PC Centric Extravaganza It's about you guessed it, PC Stuff.
No more time to waste, onto the questions…
1. Liverpool will easily take care of Inter Milan in the 2nd leg of their tie on Wednesday?
Lotfi Sariahmed:FICTION. With how well Inter Milan has done in Serie A this season and how much Liverpool has struggled at times in the Premiership I think it's almost impossible to say Liverpool will EASILY take care of Inter in the 2nd leg. Don't forget that Inter were playing with 10 men for the majority of the 1st leg after Materazzi was sent off on a couple of questionable bookings at best. Even with all that said Liverpool didn't score its two goals until the closing moments of that game. So Liverpool won't easily take care of Inter. Don't get me wrong, I expect the English side to move on to the final 8. I don't think Inter can make up a 2-0 deficit on aggregate. But Inter will give Liverpool all it could handle.
Chris Evans:FICTION. I agree with Lofti, while Liverpool should progress, it certainly won't be easy. Liverpool have shown themselves to be THE club to beat in the Champions League from the 'Big Four' while Inter have been perennial losers in the competition for too long now. However Liverpool certainly won't be having it easy away in the San Siro. They will scrape through, away goals.
It's plain as day, both the United States and Mexico will be the two teams from CONCACAF to qualify for the Olympics in August?
Lotfi Sariahmed:FACT. I nitpicked with the wording in the first question and while I don't like "plain as day" in this one I won't nitpick here. Yes, Mexico and the US U-23 teams will qualify for the Olympics and it really shouldn't even be a question. CONCACAF's tournaments have always been a bit ridiculous because it's the US, Mexico and everyone else. They bring in the two most talented squads and should move on to the Olympics.
Chris Evans:FACT. The US and Mexico are the only two teams in the CONCACAF federation that realistically have a chance of progressing. No disrespect to the other teams, but they simply are not as good. US and Mexico for the Olympics.
3. FIFA should allow use of video replay to retroactively punish diving?
Lotfi Sariahmed:FICTION. Absolutely not. For as much as I hate diving in the game, to go back and essentially allow make up calls puts this game on a dangerous slope. If the refs miss it in the game well then congratulations you got away with it. Don't go back through the video and then decide if he dove or was actually fouled. It would be a horrible decision not only to allow make up calls for diving but for what it would potentially allow as well. Allow me to explain. Once make up calls for diving are allowed, what's to prevent FIFA from going through the rest of the game with a fine tooth comb looking for what else it missed. There has to be a human element to these games. Leave the post game video replay out of this.
Chris Evans:FICTION. This would be a stupid move, while there are obvious claims about implementing goal-line technology video replays should not be used for diving. The referee is the man in the middle and he should make the final decision. By all means introduce two more linesmen to better assist the referee in spotting dives, but don't introduce video technology.
Hey Ref, There's a Sub
4. An MLS team will win the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup?
Chris Evans:FACT. I think it is obvious that one day they will. Whether it is this season or not, we shall have to wait and see. As I said earlier it is only the US and Mexican leagues that are of any top quality in the CONCACAF, while the MLS may still be maturing, I fully expect a team from there to win the cup sooner rather than later.
Lotfi Sariahmed:FACT. I agree with Chris here basically 100%. It's the same thing as the previous question about the U-23 squads. In CONCACAF there's the US, Mexico and everyone else. So sure the MLS might be the poor man's excuse for club soccer on the world stage, it's still some of the best this area has to offer. So fact, an MLS team will win the Champions Cup in 2008. Why not?
5. Arsenal will win the league, thanks to their inspiring performance in the Champions League against Milan?
Chris Evans:FICTION. Unless they regain the initiative in the League then Arsenal and United are going to go down to the last few games before the title is decided. I really don't think their performance against Milan will drastically alter their fortunes in the League. I will probably be proved wrong, but I don't see it happening.
Lotfi Sariahmed:FICTION. That's hard to say as I just finished up watching Arsenal struggle to put the ball in the net against Wigan. The 2nd leg against AC Milan was an amazing game to watch but in no way does that have any impact on the Premier League race. I think it would be easier to say Arsenal will be facing a very angry Manchester United squad and possibly an even angrier Chelsea club after their respective losses this weekend. But Arsenal isn't going to win the Premier League because it beat AC Milan. Like Chris said, the race will go down to the wire and it'll give fans of the respective teams heart attacks going down the stretch.
6. Getting Knocked out in the Champions League for Real Madrid, hurts their season?
Chris EvansFICTION. Real are still a great side, they may have been knocked out from the Champions League but they are still one of the dominant forces in the Spanish league. While they may not go on to win La Liga, they won't be knocked out of their groove to any great extent.
Lotfi Sariahmed:FICTION. It's basically the same thing here as the Arsenal question, except in reverse. Real lost to a formidable Roma club. It's not like it fell to Porto or Schalke or Fenerbahce. Real is still one of the best squads out there and won't plummet from the top of La Liga. Barcelona will still give Real a run for its money and that will be a captivating race to watch down the stretch. But Real's fall from grace from the Champions League won't impact its La Liga status.
Well, that is all for this week's FOF. Wow, 6 out 6, I can't believe they totally agreed on everything. See you all again soon.
Arsenal wont win the league this season, i feel that Arsene already set his eyes on Champions League.
Posted By: sivapc (Guest) on March 10, 2008 at 12:54 AM
Any FA Cup related questions next week?
Posted By: Guest#4359 (Guest) on March 10, 2008 at 02:58 AM
as an arsenal fact am i current casting doubts over whether we'll win anything. it's been a brilliant season, up to the 5-1 against tottenham, and has been really inconsistent. i don't think we'll win it, but i think we've proven a lot of people wrong this season.
would it not be "if he dived" rather than if he "dove"? maybe, maybe not.
Posted By: pete thorn (Guest) on March 10, 2008 at 06:28 AM
I think Arsene has made up his mind on where the focus will be. I think if we are paired with Barca in the next round of the Champions League, you might see a total focus shift to the CL. I think with the injuries we've had a top three finish would be a great accomplishment for us. Rosicky has been unavailable all year, RVP has been on and off for the majority of it. Then with Theo and Denilson both being knocked out by our dreaded rivals the Colorado Rapids...really? Wow ya the Colorado Rapids. It's time to shake off the failure of 2005 and win our first European Cup.
If you didn't think REAL losing was a big deal just ask Schuster, Calderon is about to sack him and give "the special one" all the money he wants a few more million to go out and buy his donkey drogba.
Posted By: Kip (Guest) on March 10, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Yeah, there will certainly be a few FA Cup questions next week.
I still think Mourinho will wind up at AC Milan next year. I think winning the league is not out of Arsene's mind yet, yeah it depends on the draw for the CL. However, they tried too hard this year to just give up on the league.
Posted By: Sean Garmer (Registered) on March 10, 2008 at 02:21 PM
god, if you'd knew that a lot of people here in mexico are worried that we won't go to the olympics, they've been playing quite horribly in their friendly games lately and we're hoping we don't have another disaster like when we missed the 2000 olympics in sidney
Posted By: blah (Guest) on March 10, 2008 at 04:33 PM
While you make a fairly good point about the replay/diving issue, something has to be done to combat it. Two more linesmen would be a nice idea - but personally, I'd rather have two more refs on the actual pitch (assistant refs, whatever). It's a big pitch, there's a lot going on and three pairs of eyes simply isn't going to catch everything.
Of course, video replay is still going to be the only way to really catch the divers. There may not be a way to use that to issue cards, but it might work for handing out fines after the game. Taking a hit in the pocketbook might actually get the divers thinking.
Posted By: woody (Guest) on March 11, 2008 at 03:57 AM
The fact that you say "In CONCACAF there's the US, Mexico and everyone else" really shows a little bit of ignorance when it comes to the rest of the clubs in Central America. At times, Guatemala can have a couple of decent teams, but Costa Rican teams always seem to wipe the floor with the MLS. Whenever a team travels down to play Alajuela or Saprissa, they wind up losing by 2 or 3 goals. Then its a tie or a minor victory when on US soil.
So yea, no disrespect to you guys--maybe you just don't know Costa Rican soccer as well as I do, but I personally think the MLS is vastly overrated, and it will be between a Mexican and Costa Rican team for the cup.
Posted By: Matt (Guest) on March 11, 2008 at 11:44 PM
