Morning all, happy Friday.
I did watch the opening game of the World Cup last night which saw Mexico run out 2-0 winners over South Africa. Here are some incoherent thoughts.
Mexico took the lead after a mistake at the back from South Africa, Julian Quinones took it on and made it 1-0 after 9 minutes. At home, the hosts were by far the better side, and probably should have been further ahead by the break. Which break? I’m talking about the actual break, but of course there was a ‘hydration break’ midway through the first half.
Let’s call these for what they are: ad breaks. I think there’s every justification when the weather is intensely hot to take a minute or two to let the players have a drink and rehydrate. I don’t think anyone would argue against that. However, it was 21C in Mexico City yesterday, very pleasant conditions for a game of football, and the reality is these breaks are clearly not about how hot or humid it is.
They have been designed to break the game into four quarters so we can be sold things. Here in Ireland, RTE, the national broadcaster, cut to a quick ad break, before coverage resumed. Mexico continued to dominate the game, and when we got to half-time – the only point at which coverage of a half of football should be interrupted by advertisers – they’d hit the post and been unlucky not to score again.
When the half-time analysis began, pundit Richie Sadlier was asked for his thoughts and basically castigated the concept of ad-breaks midway through a half of football before giving his thoughts on the game. He’s working for a broadcaster who did that, who crossed a line that most of us think should not be crossed, so fair play to him for that. I don’t know if that’s why there was no ad-break during the second half ‘hydration break’, but good for him for speaking up.
This is just another way in which Gianni Infantino and FIFA are damaging the game. I saw people tell me on BlueSky that in the US, Fox Sports cut to an ad-break and by the time they returned play had restarted and some of the game had been missed. Make no mistake, this is kite-flying 101, don’t think if Sky or TNT or anyone else thought they could get away with it they wouldn’t inflict this on us for Premier League games and beyond. I mean, good luck selling us a ‘hydration break’ when it’s 3C and pissing rain, but we all know that’s just the way of getting us used to it. It’s bullshit, and we all need to call it out for the bullshit it is before it’s bullshit we can’t get rid of.
In the second half, we saw three red cards. The first, no issue at all, clear red. The second one, I’m in two minds. The defender grabs him, he tries to push him off, there is a bit of a throw of an arm but it still felt a bit harsh to me, especially for a team that were already down to 10 men. As for the third, trying to apply my rule of thumb about how I’d feel if an Arsenal player were sent off for that, I’d be probably quite unhappy, but I’d also have to admit it’s a very cynical foul. It wasn’t DOGSO, because I don’t think the South African player was going anywhere dangerous, so I think a yellow would have been sufficient. I’ll say this, I don’t think that’s given as a red card if the opposition hadn’t already had two themselves. Which, in reality, isn’t how a decision should be arrived at – each incident should be judged on its own merits.
By the way, I felt for the referee trying to explain his VAR decision over the second yellow card. He struggled to find the words in English, not his native tongue obviously, and in a stadium full of people, and with millions watching around the world, you could see him freeze a little. Anyone who has lived abroad or tried to speak a foreign language will know that feeling when your mind goes blank and the words won’t come. Few of us will ever have had to make an announcement to the world when that happens though. It’s not easy being a ref anyway, but stuff like this definitely adds to that. I think it’s unfair, and as I’ve often said, we don’t actually need to hear from the officials in moments like this. For years and years they have been able to communicate decisions on the pitch without having to do it like a mobile DJ wishing Billy a happy 21st birthday in a function room above a grotty pub.
I like Raul Jimenez’s second goal, his first for Mexico in a World Cup, and it clearly meant a lot to him. I don’t know if I have a soft spot for him exactly, but as Arsenal fans we witnessed the horrible injury he sustained in a game against us. It happened during Covid times, with no fans in the stadium, and I always chose to watch without the fake crowd noise that was an option back then. I can still recall the reverberating thud that came when he and David Luiz clashed heads, and for the then Wolves man, the injury was very, very serious. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it could have been career ending, so his goal last night connected and I was pleased for him.
The other game took place at 3am, and I can tell you there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I’ll be watching any of those games at that time of night. Turns out South Korea beat Czechia 2-1, and I’ll try catch up on some highlights this morning. Later, the two other host nations get their tournaments underway with Canada facing Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the USA playing Paraguay.
Right, I’ll leave it there for today. Have a great Friday folks, and if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, there’s an Arsecast below.
