World Cup Soccer Matches

The World Cup Soccer Games are being played in
Africa, and like the Olympic Games, nationalism is being
shown by all. Soccer in America is referred to as 'football'
by the rest of the world, but it has never caught on as a
real sport in the United States. I am the father of four
grown children and they all played soccer in their youth.
The game has been here, but has never attracted a
national following in the States. I remember back in the
1960's when crowds would riot over the outcome of some
World Cup games and deaths were even recorded as the violence got
out of hand. The true mark of a professional is to be able to
keep control of yourself during a period of pressure. That
leads us to Saturday's game between German and Argentina.
The coach of the Argentine team is Diego Maradona, who was
a world class player in his day. He has been a delight with his
sideline antics during the current games, but Saturday he lost
his composure. Following the 4-0 defeat of his team he became
involved in some name-calling with German fans that were
located behind the Argentine bench. Maradona's daughter and
security guards had to restrain the coach from going into the
crowd. He later told reporters it was the most disappointing
loss of his playing/coaching career. The photo of the crowd holding
a banner reads "Good-bye Maradona". Fans of any sport can be
a bit pushy, but World Cup crowds go crazy for their teams. Last
week the Germans defeated England to advance to Saturday's
game. I was looking forward to an England-Argentina match. These
two countries have never been close since the Falkland Island
war. The two countries have been at odds over those islands since
the early 1800's and it finally came to blows in 1982. The British routed
the Argentines, but it cost lives on both sides. Maybe soccer is the
answer after all.. it definitely is not as dangerous as a war.