If you wondered why the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches schedule has shifted to running games simultaneously, like today’s U.S. vs. Algeria and England vs. Slovenia games, it’s because of one of the biggest conspiracies in the history of sport that took place at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

In 1982 after a few games were in the books, Austria and West Germany would meet in a game that could advance both teams to the next round IF West Germany could pull off a 1-0 win. That final score would allow both teams to make the cut due to the final goal differentials working in their favor.

From the opening kick West Germany got aggressive on offense and pressed Austria, taking a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes into the contest on a header by Horst Hrubesch. From this moment on, the world would be treated to one of the most gutless acts in the history of FIFA or any sport.

Both teams, who had obviously made a prior arrangement to fix the score at 1-0 so both could advance, slowly trotted around the field for the remainder of the game, passing the ball around for 79 minutes while the crowd erupted and burned flags in the stands, blow your vuvuzela to that!

Television commentators covering this disgraceful match condemned both teams including a German television commentator who said:

“What’s happening here is disgraceful and has nothing to do with futbol”

During post-game interviews, the West German coach Jupp Derwall admitted, “We wanted to progress, not play football,” and player Lothar Matthäus added, “We have gone [to the next round] that’s all that counts.”

Back home in Germany, the media slammed their team with headlines like in the country’s best-selling paper called the Bild that read, “Shame On You!”

FIFA scurried to decide if there was anything they could do but decided they could not change a score or annul any results for the 1982 tournament. From that point on however, the final round of group matches have been played simultaneously to eliminate or at least reduce the chance of a re-occurrence of another conspiracy like this West Germany and Austria game.

MORE FIFA World Cup:

It’s time for America to embrace FIFA horns 

French World Cup team continues their circus act

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

SOUTH AFRICA – The prime things France has to swank about is the Eiffel Tower, a 1998 FIFA World Cup and Napoleon and one of those was a 5-foot midget with a tiny penis complex.

In this year’s FIFA competition, France’s team has shown a personality many outsiders believe runs parallel their country’s.

After tying vast underdog Uruguay then getting their asses handed to them by Mexico 2-0 in their second game, team star, Nicolas Anelka, threw a temper-tantrum and was said to have given his coach, Raymond Domenech, a severe vulgar tongue lashing.

The coach’s response was sending Anelka back home to France to sulk in his tears after the player refused to apologize and smooth things over but the French team’s Cirque Du Soleil act didn’t end there.

The following day when the team’s bus arrived to practice for their final game in this round, the players had a get-together and refused to take the field and train leaving the team in so much turmoil, their team director resigned to get as far away from the fiasco as possible.

The French a ‘bunch of quitters’ . . . sounds familiar doesn’t it? Where’s that 5-foot tyrant with the penis complex when they need him.

Back to the French FIFA fiasco, after the incidents, the coach ripped his players:

“I tried to convince them that what they were doing was an aberration, an imbecility, a stupidity without name.”

Without a name! We have plenty of names for that here in America and one is called being a bunch of pussies. And if the word ‘pussies’ offends you then insert ‘Quitters’, ‘cry-babies’ or ‘Dickheads’.

The Frenchies did return to work out on Monday prepping for their match against South Africa on Tuesday in their Group A match. The leapers need a win to hold on to any mathematical chance of moving on to the next round.

Oh BTW, France’s captain, Patrice Evra, may be stripped of his role as captain, a position he has held for just five games for initiating the mutiny against his coach.

“I haven’t picked the team yet, we will see tomorrow.” Domenech said. “It’s sad.”

For some yes it is, but for others it’s happiness and justice. There’s a reason NHL top draft picks like Eric Lindros refused to go play in French-speaking Quebec for the Quebec Nordiques team when he was coming into the league. NHL players were treated like scum and basically ignored in the Nordiques’ locker room and around the town since they were English-speaking people. The French have long ago earned their reputation for reeking arrogance, blow your vuvuzela to that!

I have travelled several countries in Europe including Italy, Greece, Croatia, England and yes France; the ONLY country I have ever been to where I was treated with total disrespect from the time I stepped onto their soil.

Back to the FIFA thing because it’s getting even worse, when Coach Domenech was asked if some players had told him they do not want to play the game, he stumbled around the question.

“It is a possibility that we will finalize [the roster] tonight with the staff to see what team we put in place.”

Well whatever team the French put out on the field, expect some sort of boilover from their embarrassing Circus act, and if you are like a lot of people, you will enjoy every minute of it. Bring on the Freedom Fries!

MORE FIFA World Cup:

It’s time for America to embrace FIFA horns – Sports Climax

My World Cup is Half Empty – Schuepp’s Scoop

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC