Spain and The World Cup: Why the Ref Will Be At Fault

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Spain and The World Cup: Why the Ref Will Be At Fault

By Houses For Sale In Spain ⋅ June 7, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Filed Under #WC2010, Andrés Iniesta, Howard Webb, La Furia, Soccer, South Africa World Cup 2010, Spain, Spanish Football, World Cup, Xabi Alonso

There is an expectancy in Spain which is unusual. People are forgetting the economic crisis in the hope of spending a month waiting for the glory that is a World Cup win for “La Furia”. Normally when Spain go into a World Cup there is more of a foreboding, a knowingness that everything will go wrong in the quarter finals however well or badly they play. This time everyone expects it to be different.

Fernando Torres Liverpool's Number 9 (At the moment)

Now history will judge this team, and probably this post, well or badly solely depending on results. However I still remember a losing team the World Cup of 1982 which would have been won by the marvellous Brazil team if it were not for the fact that they lacked one thing, a striker who wasn’t called Serginho and was just a total carthorse. Falcao, Zico, Socrates, Alemao and Eder formed a brilliant midfield and I would go as far to say that the Spanish midfield now is just as good if not better; Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Fabregas, Silva, Navas, Iniesta and even Busquets can do a job and they have two great advantages over that Brazil team; 1) They can defend through Pique and Puyol for example 2) Torres and Villa upfront with Pedro as backup.

So when the inevitable failure on penalties happens, unless they substitute Casillas for Reina just before the end, what will be the excuse?

The ref!

It is always the ref’s fault in Spain. Since the Egyptian Gandour knocked Spain out of the Korea/Japan World Cup by disallowing three good goals during the match against the Korean hosts, since Salinas’ goal against England at Euro 96 was wrongly disallowed for offside and since any number of factors can be totally ignored if the blame can be placed squarely on the man in black, it is the ref who will get it in the face whether he does a good job or not. I have read this morning that Howard Webb is to referee the first match against the Swiss and already there are rumours that he will allow Spain to be kicked off the pitch because that is what English refs do “Let the game flow at the expense of the skilful players”.

So what can you expect if you are coming here to look for a house for sale in Spain in the next month? Empty streets while the matches are on, difficulty in seeing properties during the matches, lots of evasive owners and even estate agents and a palpable sense of expectation or disappointment.

At least in one area Spain is not different!