Entertainment-Sports
Added time an added headache for World Cup
Peter Cowan
Former England forward and current crisps salesman Gary Lineker once famously said that football is a simple game, where 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans win.
The passage of time has made that phrase obsolete, and no, I’m not referring to Germany’s shock defeat to Japan.
At this World Cup it seems football is no longer played over 90 minutes, but closer to 110 minutes.
By now I’m sure we’ve all noticed the extraordinarily long periods of added time most matches in Qatar have had at the end of both the first and second halves.
England’s opener against Iran lasted a whopping 117 minutes (partly due to a lengthy injury stoppage), while Argentina’s defeat to Saudi Arabia weighed in at a hefty 111 minutes.
FIFA is behind the change to the norm, with head of officiating Pierluigi Collina telling ESPN prior to the tournament that those refereeing teams have been told to try to be more accurate with their added time decisions.
In the interview with ESPN, he mentioned goal celebrations, throw-ins and goal kicks as being key time wasters, though surely the time wasting that comes in through gamesmanship is a factor too.
The idea behind the initiative is one you can’t fault as after all, it’s much more entertaining to watch actual football being played than it is to suffer through a goalkeeper taking his sweet time restarting the action.
However, ironically, it’s the timing of this change that I have an issue with.
Collina claims FIFA brought this new point of emphasis in for the previous World Cup in Russia four years ago, however according to statistics compiled by Squawka, matches in that tournament averaged 98 minutes, whereas this year, games are going for roughly 103 minutes so far.
Five minutes of difference may not seem like a lot, but try telling that to a top-level footballer after they’ve covered more than 10km in a match, as many do.
You also have to factor in the fact that the longer a match goes, the more likely goals are to come.
Studies vary on how often injury time goals are scored, but one report on five Premier League seasons found that more than 20 per cent of matches featured a goal scored in added time at the end of either half.
More goals is of course a good thing, but not at the cost of tipping the competitive balance of the tournament, which is what this move risks doing.
To get back to our central subject of timing though, it’s the fact that this change has been sprung during the world’s biggest sporting event that really grates.
If the plan from Collina et al was always to introduce these new timing rules, why weren’t they in force during the qualifiers?
Mercifully, I don’t remember having to sit through 10 minutes of added time when Viet Nam took on Saudi Arabia or Japan in the Asian qualifiers.
Wouldn’t the two latter teams, who both qualified for the World Cup, have been better prepared for the tournament if they had the opportunity to play under these new rules?
Undoubtedly the answer is yes. One can only hope FIFA takes the time to introduce these rules for all its competitions going forward. VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/added-time-an-added-headache-for-world-cup_339590.html
Football
HÀ NỘI — In a disappointing start for Philippe Troussier as head coach of the Việt Nam U23 team, the squad suffered a 3-0 loss to Iraq in their first match at the Doha Cup in Qatar.
Despite the setback, Troussier saw the match as a valuable lesson for the players, who he believes will improve in the future.
Việt Nam faced adversity early on in the game, as defender Vũ Tiến Long received a red card in the 22nd minute for a challenge that resulted in Nihad Qwaid falling in the box.
The red card forced Troussier to adjust his line-up, but his side went behind just before halftime.
Hussein Lawend went down in the box, and Iraq were given a penalty. Ali Basem Almosawe converted from 12 yards out.
The break time did not help Việt Nam as they conceded two more goals, in the 60th minute by Ahmed Hassan and 85th by Dhulfiqar Al Imari.
In the 89th minute, Võ Hoàng Minh Khoa received a second yellow card and was also sent off.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Troussier said it was an unexpected result for Việt Nam.
However, he found some good points in the youngsters’ performance.
“Our performance in the first 20 minutes was not bad, said Troussier. “But the defenders made a mistake leading to a red card. My team was not confident with 10 men.”
“But we come here to make mistakes, fix them and progress. We can’t wait to play the second match to show our better performance.”
Asked about two red cards for Việt Nam, the French coach said the referee was right in all his decisions.
“I emphasise that through this tournament, especially this match, players have had good opportunities to learn and gain experience,” he said. “Of course, we will have to pay for the lessons we learn here. We will analyse the match and move forward to the next matches.”
He added that the Doha Cup is a test for the 32nd SEA Games. Participating teams here were all strong and it is impossible to avoid mistakes. He hopes it will make his team stronger.
Speaking with reporters after the game, goalkeeper Quan Văn Chuẩn said his teammates managed the ball well but delivered too many inaccurate passes.
“Playing with one player less than Iraq, we met difficulty in connecting each other and could not provide balls to the front line,” he said. “It was really difficult to open attacks.”
Việt Nam, currently at the bottom of the ranking, will play the UAE on March 26.
After two matches, organisers will arrange the next fixture based on the teams’ results. VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/viet-nam-to-rise-up-stronger-after-loss-troussier_342698.html
Billiards
HÀ NỘI — Five Vietnamese cueists have earned their berths to compete at the US Open Pool Championship 2023.
Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, Đặng Thành Kiên, Lường Đức Thiện, Nguyễn Hoàng Phong and Dương Quốc Hoàng received the organisers’ confirmation on March 22.
They are among 256 athletes to play at the 47-year-old tournament from September 25-30 at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
A total of US$125,000 will be delivered to high-ranking athletes with the champions bagging $50,000.
Last year, five Vietnamese also successful bagged their slots. Hoàng had the best performance as he entered the round of the final 16.
The US Open Pool Championship is an annual professional men’s nine-ball pool tournament that began in its current form in 1976. It is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally.
Many famous athletes have taken part in the event, such as Efren Reyes of the Philippines, Shane Van Boening and Earl Strickland of the US, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain, Joshua Filler of Germany and Jayson Shaw of Scotland.
Traditionally, the winners are given a green blazer and are awarded free entry to all future US Open tournaments. VNS
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/vietnamese-cueists-to-take-part-in-prestigious-us-open-pool-championship_342675.html
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