by Ian Melding
Last week there were 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium watching the Olympic Women’s Football final between the USA and Japan. It was supposed to be a showcase highlighting the quality of the women’s game, but all it did was demonstrate just how far away they are from the level of professionalism that the men’s game has achieved. Sure the women’ game has competitiveness, skill, pace, energy and tons of hard work but it is missing some real key elements.
This disparity became blindingly obvious at the end of the second half. The game was in injury time with the USA leading 2-1 and something very odd was happening. The Americans were still playing, still attacking and still trying to score. They were two minutes away from Olympic gold medals and not one player was on the floor feigning injury and calling for the physio. Not once did they run the ball into the corner trying to waste time. They were trying to score goals, in added time, at Wembley, in the biggest game they will ever play in their career. Madness!
That just compounded a few things that hadn’t really been right all game. Alarm bells started ringing in the first half when the referee didn’t award Japan what looked a clear penalty and nothing happened. The Japanese players didn’t surround the referee screaming abuse into her face. The referee didn’t need to jog backwards for 50 meters whilst being pursued by a group of players pointing their fingers and spitting obscenities. There were just a few brief appeals and then they got on with the game. Have they even seen proper football? Did they not really want to win?
During the game there were a few wince inducing tackles, but the players got up and carried on. There was no rolling around screaming, no teammates ran in to support the fouled player by waving imaginary cards at the referee. The only time one of the players ended up on the grass was when they were tripped or knocked over. No one bought a free kick, there was no clever play and when any player felt contact they didn’t seem to know that they should throw themselves on the floor and try and win a set-piece. Make an effort girls, this is basic stuff that happens week in week out in proper football!
Further proof that these players had no idea of how to be real footballers was shown up when the fourth official indicated there was only 2 minutes added time at the end of the game. 2 Minutes! Imagine a game played with so few stoppages that there were only 2 minutes of added time at the end, Sir Alex would still be looking to win his first league title!
It wasn’t just the players that seemed totally unaware of what to do and how to act; the crowd were equally as clueless as to what their role should be. When the referee failed to award Japan the clear penalty, not one fan stood up out of their seat screamed abuse until it looked like the veins in their neck would explode. Not once did someone get behind their team by shouting ‘F**K OFF YOU!’ and at no point did the crowd enquire as to the identity of the ononist in the black. Admittedly, the crowd didn’t get it totally wrong. The cacophony of booing that followed the announcement that the medals would be presented by the one man manilla envelope industry, Sepp Blatter, was heartwarming.
Women’s football? Pah, it’s not even the same game.
Thank you for discribing what a load of cheating overpaid men play football. What a disgrace the national game is that we have to have someone like you to show what is really like by trying to put women’s football down. Women’s football at least can be compared to the rest of the Olympic athletes full of honesty and hard work. What can we compare men’s football to. What else lives in the gutter?
Obviously, you’re not a golfer.
Someone needs a Zanex! It’s sarcasm you fool. The author is showing us how sad men’s football has become with the poor sportsmenship and drama queens that consider themselves super stars. FYI- Obviously you left your intelligence in the same gutter you speak of.
I just hope you never train a team or be related to something that involves teaching kids how to play.
That was the most stupid thing I have ever read in my life.
this piece is a satire…
Fatima – Take it easy. The writer was putting down the professional men’s game behaviors as compared to how well the US and Japan women conducted themselves under the most intense pressure.
I was just going with the flow!! I know exactly what he is saying and is the pure truth
I don’t think you did fatima
I agree chiappa. this article clearly went WAY over their head.
Really?? Someone gets the dumb@#$ award for the day. I think your comment was the stupidest thing i’ve read. Let me teach you sarcasm. “You are the smartest person on this forum.”
So basically you are saying that it isn’t a real soccer match if the players and crowd refuse to act like animals. Brilliant journalism skills at work here.
I think this may have gone over your head Jennifer. The point of the whole article is saying that’s what our game needs to be like, it’s foreign in the men’s game to see normal people behaving decently on a football pitch.
Great article and points made in such a way people apparently thinks you want the women’s game to be like the men’s. Ive officiated for both junior girls and boys football and would back you up 100% in saying the girls/women play the game in a better manner.
Jennifer – Basically the writer was saying the exact opposite. He was being satirical in putting down the professional men’s game behaviors as compared to how well the US and Japan women conducted themselves.
This was journalistic sarcasm. And something some of us fans of soccer have been saying for ages.
Great article. Love the sarcadm. Good to see that us women are getting noticed for our sportsmanship in the game, compared to the multi millionaires we see week in week out diving around the pitch. Men have turned football into something it shouldn’t be, they have no respect for the referee its disgusting! Women’s football all the way, go girls!
very nice article, reminds us just where football has reached. disgraceful!
I’m speechless at the three comments above. Unless they’re joining in on the pretense I am genuinely speechless.
Do none of the previous commenters understand sarcasm?!
News flash: most people are idiots. Think about how clueless the average person is. Half the population is *even dumber* than that!
Fátima and Jennifer, please tell me you’re actually kidding. No, please. I can’t believe someone is unable to notice the obvious sarcasm in this.
Amazing article, by the way! Completely true. That’s why I only watch women’s soccer.
I AM KIDING!! come on people! the guy makes a joke, I try to follow the joke. RELAX!
Hey Ste I’m joining in on the pretense .Just going with the flow! ahah
don’t know about the others.
Came to the site from a tweet expecting to be outraged and had a good laugh instead. Then I laughed harder at the commenters without the sarcasm gene. Thanks!
One thing he got wrong, though. This wasn’t necessarily “the biggest game they will ever play in their career.” They met in a World Cup final — a bigger game — last year. U.S. has played in every Olympic final and won the World Cup twice, once in front of 90,000.
This is exactly what my wife and I have been saying for awhile. The women are more exciting to watch. There is less drama and dive taking. In the France v Columbia game, one of the French players was fouled in the box. Instead of getting a penalty kick, she was instead called with Simulating. The replay just backs up that she was the one fouled and no simulating happened. The French player stood up shook her head and got back to play. No Whining, no fussing. The same can be said of other calls. Sarcastic or no, the author hits the nail on the head.
This article is great! To those of you that don’t know sarcasm or humor, what a sad pathetic life you must live. As far as “going with the flow”… Just admit that you are a total idiot and made a mistake.
What a great article! Thank you so much! Since men’s football has become so pathetic over the last years I have also switched to women’s football – which I really enjoy more. I just wish that the women would be paid better and had better training conditions … oh, and of course, a higher recognition for their weekly games outside of the Olympics, World Cups and Euro Cups …
@ Carlita,
In women’s football, the Olympic final is still a ‘bigger game’ than a world cup final. The World Cup is a close 2nd though.