Real classy these Spanish World Cup winners...

[dkw]

http://www.7amkickoff.com/2010/classy-barcelona-spitting-drunk/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+7amkickoff+(7amkickoff)

[jack h]

Disgusting but not suprising.

more class from the spanish....

look at the pain from the tackle on 54 seconds.

Edited July 14, 2010 by jack h

[Hutch]

this is exactly the kind of thing i was referring to when i wrote in another thread that players who dive as much as the Spanish players do in order to deliberately get players booked, even sent off, deserve to be literally kicked off the park. if Iniesta had been lying on the floor and a Dutch player's boot had .. accidentally... made happened to have made contact with any part of his anatomy, i would have had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever.

three days on. i've heard a seemingly endless amount of praise for the Spanish team and i've heard equal condemnation of the Dutch players. and in the cold light of day, i've come to the conclusion that neither are justified. that the Spanish team were collectively the most obnoxious bunch of cheats ever to disgrace a World Cup final, and that the Dutch should feel righteously aggrieved at the abuse hurled at them after having to put up with 90 minutes of almost non-stop play acting, gamesmanship, imaginary card-waving, underhand dishonest tactics (i.e. blatant diving) .. if you were a Dutch player and you'd seen the ref blatantly conned yet again into booking one of your team-mates, wouldn't you be tempted to put the boot in to the player or players responsible? because i know i would.

[Planet Drogba]

Yep. Stay classy Spain.

[Nibs]

this is exactly the kind of thing i was referring to when i wrote in another thread that players who dive as much as the Spanish players do in order to deliberately get players booked, even sent off, deserve to be literally kicked off the park. if Iniesta had been lying on the floor and a Dutch player's boot had .. accidentally... made happened to have made contact with any part of his anatomy, i would have had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever.

three days on. i've heard a seemingly endless amount of praise for the Spanish team and i've heard equal condemnation of the Dutch players. and in the cold light of day, i've come to the conclusion that neither are justified. that the Spanish team were collectively the most obnoxious bunch of cheats ever to disgrace a World Cup final, and that the Dutch should feel righteously aggrieved at the abuse hurled at them after having to put up with 90 minutes of almost non-stop play acting, gamesmanship, imaginary card-waving, underhand dishonest tactics (i.e. blatant diving) .. if you were a Dutch player and you'd seen the ref blatantly conned yet again into booking one of your team-mates, wouldn't you be tempted to put the boot in to the player or players responsible? because i know i would.

Shouldn't you be called Van Stride as I have come to the conclusion with that sort of bias, you must be Dutch!!

The Spanish diving you refer to is being exagerated as much as the media have exagerated the dutch fouling. At the end of the day, Spain won the world cup fair and square. Move on.

And as for that YouTube clip, try looking up Arjen Robben down the seasons and see what a dive and over reaction REALLY looks like.

[dkw]

Shouldn't you be called Van Stride as I have come to the conclusion with that sort of bias, you must be Dutch!!

The Spanish diving you refer to is being exagerated as much as the media have exagerated the dutch fouling. At the end of the day, Spain won the world cup fair and square. Move on.

And as for that YouTube clip, try looking up Arjen Robben down the seasons and see what a dive and over reaction REALLY looks like.

On that premise should you be called El Nibs, as you seem to have not wanted to say a bad word about them (like maybe not even commenting on the actual thread)? Stride is right in what he has said though, the Spanish spent the entire world cup diving, making the most of any slight touch, trying to get players red carded etc. Other countries did it also and got hammered for it, yet the Spanish dont.

Edited July 15, 2010 by dkw

[Hutch]

Shouldn't you be called Van Stride as I have come to the conclusion with that sort of bias, you must be Dutch!!

The Spanish diving you refer to is being exagerated as much as the media have exagerated the dutch fouling. At the end of the day, Spain won the world cup fair and square. Move on.

And as for that YouTube clip, try looking up Arjen Robben down the seasons and see what a dive and over reaction REALLY looks like.

dkw is right. i made my post in direct response to the continual creaming over all things related to Spanish football. as if the way they play is the only way forward. it's an extension of the attitude that Barcelona and Arsenal are the sole guardians of the beautiful game on a club level. that they and they alone play the game the way it should be played, that anyone who doesn't let them play their own game is anti-football, and that the diving, play-acting, card-waving, and the petulance is a price worth paying because they are the saviours of football etc etc etc ad nauseum.

[bjd]

100% with the Spanish haters here im afraid Nibs. The diving and surrounding the ref annoys me but i very much accept its part and parcel (as Chelsea fans we really cant moan!) but my main issue is that this is ignored they are seen as saints and gods and utterley beyond critiiscism by the media and so called experts.

Just like Barcelona in fact (who seem to make up half the Spain team strangley enough)

Edited July 15, 2010 by bjd

[paulo]

the continual creaming over all things related to Spanish football.

Sorry excuse my ignorance, but by who? The majority of people on this site seem very critical of Spain and their style of play. Is it the UK mdeia you are referring to? As I'm currently residing in Australia I have the fortune of being completely unaware of what they spout.

[Hutch]

Sorry excuse my ignorance, but by who? The majority of people on this site seem very critical of Spain and their style of play. Is it the UK mdeia you are referring to? As I'm currently residing in Australia I have the fortune of being completely unaware of what they spout.

mostly the media. TV, radio and the press are all over the Spanish.

also Liverpool and Arsenal fans because of the Spanish connection, and in the case of Arsenal the comparisons with the way they play, trying to score the perfect goal, petulance when they're not allowed to play their own game and all the rest of it.

[Nibs]

On that premise should you be called El Nibs, as you seem to have not wanted to say a bad word about them (like maybe not even commenting on the actual thread)? Stride is right in what he has said though, the Spanish spent the entire world cup diving, making the most of any slight touch, trying to get players red carded etc. Other countries did it also and got hammered for it, yet the Spanish dont.

That El Nibs tag does has a certain ring to it. Might well use that in future!!

Must admit I didn't actually look at your link when I made my post. Just quickly scanned over the thread before starting work and saw the usual anti-Spain stuff which IMO has been totally over the top.

Having now seen the link, that is totally disgusting and he deserves a damn good kicking for gobbing on that bloke. Next time he is on the football pitch, I hope someone gets a bit of revenge for the bloke who was gobbed on and takes Piqet out chest high a la De Jong.

Still think Spain were derserved winners of the WC though.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Disgusting but not suprising.

more class from the spanish....

look at the pain from the tackle on 54 seconds.

I dont doubt that they deserved the win on the balance of that game, but it astounded me how people went on and on about rough play from the Dutch when this stuff was going on. Its two sides of the same coin.

Again, I dont begrudge Spain their win, I was very glad to see a first time winner, especially one so talented. But to hold them up as paragons of fair play is a bit ridiculous. The term "disgraceful" being tagged on the Dutch and remind me of how Barca have villanized Chelsea whenever the two have met in Europe. It wasnt that bad for christ's sake, and things were much more even tempered in the second half.

[PloKoon13]

Pique's latest classy antics:

[ashwin]

Nibs(and Paulo) I really don't see where the Spanish diving has been exaggerated by the media or even discussed in detail. Iniesta's dive here is one of so so many. Even Pique's spitting hasn't drawn much attention. A non Spaniard doing that will have the world media going on about it for weeks. The best part is that the Spanish don't even require a touch to go down. Exaggeration comes I guess after the fall! THAT is what Robben does.

I'm quite sure that if De Jong's karate kick(horrendous as it may have been) was directed at a non Spaniard it would have been ignored entirely! What is it about them that induces blindness(and pigheadedness) in people? Why does everyone go on about Spain's football when it was almost as uninspiring as any this world cup?

The Spaniards have been hoodwinking people the whole tournament and the Dutch get berated for anti-football? Interesting but unrelated fact - All Man U fans that I know back here in India seem to unanimously be in support of Spain. Chelsea and Arsenal fans seem to think otherwise!

Agree entirely with this

"Again, I dont begrudge Spain their win, I was very glad to see a first time winner, especially one so talented. But to hold them up as paragons of fair play is a bit ridiculous. The term "disgraceful" being tagged on the Dutch and remind me of how Barca have villanized Chelsea whenever the two have met in Europe. It wasnt that bad for christ's sake, and things were much more even tempered in the second half."

[Barry Bridges]

"Again, I dont begrudge Spain their win,

I begrudge them for winning in such a boring manner when they have some of the best attacking players in the world.... you know, aside from the unsportsman like conduct stuff :P

[Zola]

Should have the medal stripped from him.

Disgraceful behaviour.

An absolute disgrace.

That's chavish behaviour.

[BlueDay]

Disgraceful and cowardly behaviour.

If that bloke turned round and gave Pique a good right hook, I would laugh.

[Hutch]

Disgraceful and cowardly behaviour.

If that bloke turned round and gave Pique a good right hook, I would laugh.

and wouldn't you just know that journalists (and i use the word in the loosest possible sense) on Talksport were defending Pique and Fabregas... "after all they had just won the World Cup".

please could someone explain to me what it is about the Spanish that would appear to exempt them from rules that apply to players from any other country? seriously, i don't hate Spain as a country, i've got no axe to grind with Spanish people, but Spanish football is something else again. whether it's the way the financial rules are bent (or simply pushed aside) to favour Real Madrid and Barcelona, the slap on the wrist fines handed out to Spanish managers, players and so on accused of racism, the astoundingly over the top adoration of the way they play the game, the tendency to overlook or even dismiss the petulance, diving, the card-waving and the rest of the antics that are an integral part of Spanish football .. and now this.. "you have to remember they've just won the World Cup".

yes we know they have. well so what?

Edited July 16, 2010 by stride

[Barry Bridges]

and wouldn't you just know that journalists (and i use the word in the loosest possible sense) on Talksport were defending Pique and Fabregas... "after all they had just won the World Cup".

please could someone explain to me what it is about the Spanish that would appear to exempt them from rules that apply to players from any other country? seriously, i don't hate Spain as a country, i've got no axe to grind with Spanish people, but Spanish football is something else again. whether it's the way the financial rules are bent (or simply pushed aside) to favour Real Madrid and Barcelona, the slap on the wrist fines handed out to Spanish managers, players and so on accused of racism, the astoundingly over the top adoration of the way they play the game, the tendency to overlook or even dismiss the petulance, diving, the card-waving and the rest of the antics that are an integral part of Spanish football .. and now this.. "you have to remember they've just won the World Cup".

yes we know they have. well so what?

So why did Maradonna get such a hard time for using drugs?.....he had just won the world cup! hahaha

[deg0ey]

Hmmm. When I first saw that Iniesta incident shown above, I was also outraged at how blatant his dive was. However, having watched it back a couple of times, it seems that when Van Der Wiel doesn't make contact with the player by swinging his leg at him, he appears to lean forward and swing his arm at Iniesta's foot to make up for it.

Whether or not there was actually any contact I can't decide and to be honest, Iniesta was probably going to go down regardless. Although I do think it's a good snapshot of how neither team wanted to play fair: The Spanish by going all out to deceive the referee and the Dutch opting for the unnecessarily hard challenges.

[Hutch]

Hmmm. When I first saw that Iniesta incident shown above, I was also outraged at how blatant his dive was. However, having watched it back a couple of times, it seems that when Van Der Wiel doesn't make contact with the player by swinging his leg at him, he appears to lean forward and swing his arm at Iniesta's foot to make up for it.

Whether or not there was actually any contact I can't decide and to be honest, Iniesta was probably going to go down regardless. Although I do think it's a good snapshot of how neither team wanted to play fair: The Spanish by going all out to deceive the referee and the Dutch opting for the unnecessarily hard challenges.

have a look at the other video in this thread, the one with Pique and Fabregas.

[Arq]

please could someone explain to me what it is about the Spanish that would appear to exempt them from rules that apply to players from any other country? seriously, i don't hate Spain as a country, i've got no axe to grind with Spanish people, but Spanish football is something else again. whether it's the way the financial rules are bent (or simply pushed aside) to favour Real Madrid and Barcelona, the slap on the wrist fines handed out to Spanish managers, players and so on accused of racism, the astoundingly over the top adoration of the way they play the game, the tendency to overlook or even dismiss the petulance, diving, the card-waving and the rest of the antics that are an integral part of Spanish football .. and now this.. "you have to remember they've just won the World Cup".

yes we know they have. well so what?

Well said stride.

I would really like to know this as well. Maybe I'm odd and maybe I'll get flamed for this, but I could see the argument that the way the Spanish play is the real anti-football. The diving, the card-waving, the antics just scream against the basic premise of the game. It's not that they want to play, but they want to play the system. F that.

Watching the video of Iniesta's dive was one thing (the more I see it, the more I rage over it... I despise blatant diving and it doesn't matter if it's Chelsea, Germany, or some other team I don't follow. I just hate diving.). Seeing Pique's actions disgusts me. I know that a lot happens elsewhere but wtf was that all about? Show some class people.

They obviously have talent, and truthfully enough to be the best in the World. They always seem to escape judgment for some of their over-the-top actions and a lot of people buy into it. It's tiring.

[dkw]

It was the same with the way they reacted at the Bridge a few years ago, it was a total whitewash. They were picking fights with stewards, wrecked the dressing room, claiming racist abuse, chased the ref etc yet nothing at all was done. I still cant believe the easy ride they got after that night.