Togo no go
- 13 Jun 06, 05:00 PM
FRANKFURT - I'm sure you'll all feel very sorry for me when I tell you I didn't get into the South Korea v Togo match this afternoon.
I'd given up the chance of making it in when I was delayed collecting our new 3G cards for the laptops but a call from Fletch in the press box informing me of quite a few empty seats sent me scurrying back into the public transport system and heading to the Waldstadion.
The train was packed but it seems they were all heading elsewhere as when I got off at the Stadion stop it was very quiet indeed, just me and a few other hopeful stragglers.
Sadly we had missed our window as the game was already 40 minutes old and the approaches to the stadium were deserted, not a ticket in site.
Of the few people around, I spoke to a Japanese fan fresh from their defeat in Kaiserslautern yesterday and an Austrian who lives locally and came down on the recommendation of his friends who had enjoyed the atmosphere outside the ground during England's game there on Saturday.
"I could have bought a ticket before kick-off," said the Austrain staring wistfully at the gates in front of us, "but they wanted 200 Euros for it.
"Maybe I should have stayed here instead of going to the in Holland at the weekend."
Well at least he got to see Def Leppard, Fletch would be jealous.
So, with the sound of celebrating Koreans filling the air as their equaliser went in, I trotted back to the station and have now secured a spot outside a bar, in the Schillerstrasse, to watch the France v Switzerland game - I only hope Fletch can get in when he makes it here.
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Why on earth have you picked the Zum Kuckuck (=the cockoo's bar)? Well, there is a free WLAN thanks to that American coffee place right next door and the Frankfurt stock exchange just around the corner so you won't need your 3G-card...
But with Fletch and you being there I should seize the opportunity and join in for the 2nd half of the match...
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France and Switzerland: No Comment
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Why are the comentators so bias towards Brazil. I know Brazil are a brilliant team but Croatia might as well not be on the field I thought they were supposed to be neutral.
I thought the World Cup started last Friday and not tonight just because Brazil have their first game.
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Why are the comentators so bias towards Brazil. I know Brazil are a brilliant team but Croatia might as well not be on the field I thought they were supposed to be neutral.
I thought the World Cup started last Friday and not tonight just because Brazil have their first game.
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please visit my website at www.worlcuptime.blogspot.com cherres and put iin a coment
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Hostile towards Brazil?
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I have to agree about the incredibly sychophantic attitude displayed towards Brazil tonight. Over the course of the game, I though Croatia were probably the better team, let down by their finishing.
The ±«Óãtv (television and radio) seemed to be of the opinion that we were about to watch a Brazil exhibition against a high school 11, not a competitive World Cup against an excellent European team who have been to a World Cup semi final much more recently than England.
On behalf of my nation, I apologise to any Croatians who had to put up with that.
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I was quite suprised to see some of the fouls committed by Brazil especially the shirt tugging that brought Kovac down and did sufficient damage to cause him to retire hurt and be substituted. That kind of deliberate foul is cheating in my view. When you are as good as Brazil are supposed to be, then do you really need to have to cheat? Shirt tugging is now out of control and I think all players should wear paper shirts. Now that would really show up the cheats when all a defender is left with is a handful of paper.
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In France the commentating of the Brazil v Croatia game was fair ; they actually realised that Croatia were the better team and that Brazil were getting a lot of minor decisions going their way because of their glorious past (in fact the great Pele and his generation are Brazil's twelth man these days). Croatia had excellent chances to kill them off but didn't take them ; some other team will though. The myth of Brazilian magic was put to bed during the 1994 WC final against Italy. And was anybody really impressed by them in 2002? But people are still taken in by the hype!
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