FIFA World Cup 2010

[Olorin]

Well,

to me the Spain team is sympathic, the Dutch team as well

Italy and France often win games not due to the fact that they were better but because of they were luckier... I hate that circumstance

...about the good ol' Germans: I have to share the wise words of our Abuser of the Force, Gil-Estel:
1.) NEVER underestimate the Germans
2.) they might not have the single-super-heroes, but in a team.... they are able to achieve A LOT!

I think, there will be a few teams without a big name in football who will show their quality... like the US.

[lem0nhead]

Brasil to beat Spain in the final. England to go out in the semis. Thats my story and im sticking to it.

[Witchkingx5]

Well,

to me the Spain team is sympathic, the Dutch team as well

Italy and France often win games not due to the fact that they were better but because of they were luckier... I hate that circumstance

...about the good ol' Germans: I have to share the wise words of our Abuser of the Force, Gil-Estel:
1.) NEVER underestimate the Germans
2.) they might not have the single-super-heroes, but in a team.... they are able to achieve A LOT!

I think, there will be a few teams without a big name in football who will show their quality... like the US.

I know. That's why I preferably watch games of Germany than of Switzerland. Btw, I hate the Swiss Soccer Team! They are sooooooo bad! I hate every one of them!

[Gate Troll]

I will never fathom the delight you Europeans get from watching 'football'. It's probably the most boring team sport to watch on television, period.
Back and forth, back and forth... oh look they scored, hurrah. Back and forth, back and forth, oh they missed...   No strategy, no tactics, just back and forth.
Now take American football for instance. It's a freaking chess game of strategy, with plenty of real action. Real men, beating the #$&*@! out of each other. Not a bunch of pansy Europeans.
That's a real sport.

[MR. Lurtzy]

I will never fathom the delight you Europeans get from watching 'football'. It's probably the most boring team sport to watch on television, period.
Back and forth, back and forth... oh look they scored, hurrah. Back and forth, back and forth, oh they missed...  No strategy, no tactics, just back and forth.
Now take American football for instance. It's a freaking chess game of strategy, with plenty of real action. Real men, beating the #$&*@! out of each other. Not a bunch of pansy Europeans.
That's a real sport.

Either that was incredible ignorance, or sarcasm. Could be both.

[Yanko Markovic]

I will never fathom the delight you Europeans get from watching 'football'. It's probably the most boring team sport to watch on television, period.
Back and forth, back and forth... oh look they scored, hurrah. Back and forth, back and forth, oh they missed...  Brick Wall No strategy, no tactics, just back and forth.
Now take American football for instance. It's a freaking chess game of strategy, with plenty of real action. Real men, beating the #$&*@! out of each other. Not a bunch of pansy Europeans.
That's a real sport.

I actually quite enjoy watching "soccer" (if you don't wanna call it Football, which is actually it's real name), although I know my team will never win, nor it will get too far. But, well, that's how we Chileans are for everything  And as my History teacher would say when talking about our "virtues": Viva Chile! 

[Witchkingx5]

Just to say: Football (soccer) is becoming the most strategical ever. I mean, look at Inter. They don't have so good players (besides Milito), but they have such a good strategy and tactics. No brutalism, just strategy and tactics ... in opposite to American Football! 

Anf just to say: TThis doesn't lead to anywhere. But if you take a look at the whole thing global, the FIFA IS the biggest sport association of the world. FIDE (fédération international d'échècs) is 2nd. Where the American football one reains... I don't know, maybe place 5 or 6?

P.S.: I didn't want to offend anybody, but it's proved that soccer is better that American Football. I mean, you can play Soccer everywhere, with everything. It's so simple, but still complex. I could write books about it.

[legolas3333]

That doesn't prove that soccer is better than american football it's all objective anyway

I think that France wins the world cup sparking huge protests in Ireland

a random note I was in Rome when a match began between rome and Milan I think I was in a shopping center and as soon as Rome scored there was this huge cheer from everyone in the building so to say that everyone finds it boring is pretty ignorant

[Kenddrick]

Football, is the most popular game in the world. From the streets of Mexico to the 5-star stadiums throughout the world, the game is being played. That alone is enough to prove that football appeals through its strategies, excitement, gameplay, and loads of other factors. It unites the world.

If American Football was that exciting, why does it lose out in terms of popularity to Football? Or media coverage worldwide?

Last thing, football is NOT soccer. It's play with a ball using your foot, hence foot-ball. Unlike American football, where it's played with a inflated bladder nowhere near the shape of a sphere, and neither with your foot as well.

[Gate Troll]

I will never fathom the delight you Europeans get from watching 'football'. It's probably the most boring team sport to watch on television, period.
Back and forth, back and forth... oh look they scored, hurrah. Back and forth, back and forth, oh they missed...  No strategy, no tactics, just back and forth.
Now take American football for instance. It's a freaking chess game of strategy, with plenty of real action. Real men, beating the #$&*@! out of each other. Not a bunch of pansy Europeans.
That's a real sport.

Either that was incredible ignorance, or sarcasm. Could be both.

Probably a mix of the two with a good-sized dose of stubborn Americanism.
European football is more popular because all you need is a ball. The goals can be easily made, heck I think there was some African village where a bunch of creative teens used a ball of tightly compacted paper and just marked out lines as scoring areas. So European football is much simpler to play. Perhaps that's why its so popular, it's the only sport many kids in other, poorer countries ever play. Witch-King is right in that it can be played anywhere, but that doesn't make it superior to American football.

[Gil-Estel]

This is a pointless debate. I know both, football better than american football though, and I can say this:

Witchking you are wrong about Inter in the first place. They have Sneijder, Eto, Milito, Maicon, Chivu, all top class players. So they have a very good team with very good players. Second American football is indeed an intelligent game and the more you will watch it, the more you'll appreciate it. Some things in American Football should be implemented in football immediately. One of those things is to call upon a referee judgement.
Door Orc, your name should be limited to Dorc, for being so ignorant. Football is not without strategy, without it you will lose. Not always the best players win, the best strategy is likely to. If we take Witchking's example of Inter, they played Barcalona in the semifinals of the Champions League, which is, essentially a league filled with champions. Barcalona is the #1 team in the world nowadays, with an exeptional number of players. Inter how ever did just the right thing in trying to disrupt the game of Barcalona, ending in the victory for Inter. Another sad but eventhough great example was the quarterfinal at the European Championship in 2008. The Dutch played vs the Russians, and we had a great start of the tournament. Both France and Italy, the reigning worldchampion were beaten. Russia though knew exactly where the weakness of the Dutch was and they took advantage of it. And so they won the game.

American Football is great, but football is bigger. Like Kenddrick says people all over the world are playing it and there should be a reason. And no, the reason is not that the rest of the world is ignorant, boring and inferior to the US

[Witchkingx5]

You said exactly what I wanted to say Heije, but besides that, when you look at other Teems like Real, they have more and better stars, when you compair Barça or Real with Inter, the Inter players aren't that famous, are they? Besides that, I play Chess on a pretty high level. I'm captain of a Chess Team of the famous ETH Zürich, so if I say something is very strategical, you better believe me. Otherwise, play a chess game against me and I'll show you some strategy and tactics.

And yes, American Football has tactics, but compaired to modern football...

And as for the Dutch.. after Czech Republic lost so badly against Turkey, they were my favorite Team in the Euro 2008, which was here in Switzerland, btw! I was nearly able to get some tickets for France-Italy, the Stadium is about 1 or 2 kilometres away from home.

Just my opinion.

[King89]

germany of course will do it!
to my mind other fav's are france, spain, holland, brazil - that's it.

before i forget: i am really really lucky that we talk about football, not soccer. cuz it's F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L. ban that "soccer" from your vocabulary.

[Kenddrick]

before i forget: i am really really lucky that we talk about football, not soccer. cuz it's F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L. ban that "soccer" from your vocabulary.

#$&*@! yeah!

[Gil-Estel]

And yes, American Football has tactics, but compaired to modern football...

Just my opinion.

Seriously, you seem to underestimate American Football due to its violent character, cause though I might not be the chess superstar, I know both sports and I would say that American Football is the more strategic game of both with many, many varieties in attack, positioning of players etc etc. I recall my first game of American Football and thinking, man this is dull due to the many breaks it had, but the more I saw, and was enlightened by some who knew the game, I grew impressed by the nature of the game.