....and the Dupe
The cause of Association Football lost a lot of ground last night with Australia's 1-0 loss to Italy last night in the Round of 16 World cup clash. Not because Australia lost, Australian crowds are not that fickle. It was the manner of the loss that will do the damage.
Fabio Grosso is a coward and a cheat. Pure and simple. In the dying seconds of the game, he used his unquestioned skills as a footballer to beat Marcus Bresciano on the left and force Lucas Neill into an early slide, and then, instead of stepping to his right around Neill's prostrate form and shooting on goal, spoiled it by jagging left and using his questionable skills as an actor and acrobat to dive onto the ground. Referee Luis Medina Cantalejo, like a 12 year old at his first circus, was completely taken in and pointed to the penalty spot, effectively robbing the Socceroos of the game.
Watching the under 11's playing on the weekend, talking to a past player from Stirling and he said to me "It's such an honest game at this age"
Sadly, Fabio Grosso showed us how the game can be manipulated, and why Australia has been so reticent to embrace it.
My game is fair play. It's just not soccer.
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