Hosting the Cup would’ve been like a bad divorce

Macca says:

08:13am | 08/12/10

Ticket Takings*

Lindommer says:

10:50am | 09/12/10

“You can’t drink VB at the Waratahs because they are sponsored by Toohey’s new (sic).”
Wrong, Macca.  The SFS has a supply agreement with CUB so it’s always possible to drink VB while watching the Waratahs.  In fact it’s quite difficult to find a Tooheys New at such a game.  Exclusive supply arrangements abound at sporting venues, soccer World Cup or not.

MudCrab says:

05:01pm | 09/12/10

“especially in a country that uses square stadiums the whole year round”

Much to my annoyance a fair few of the Australian states play AFL and wouldn’t know what to do with a square field if it carried them into touch.

Seriously says:

08:37am | 08/12/10

I think you have soccer confused with cricket

Alicia says:

11:12pm | 08/12/10

Easily digested? Not me. My body is not accustomed to that much fat % in one serve. Makes me vomit. Not easily digested at all.

Adam says:

10:24am | 08/12/10

This Charles Kelly fellow is fantastic. Every time there is mention of football or soccer, he pops up like superman. He must have a sixth sense for the word football. “What’s that someone said something about football, I’ll get my cape.”
Charles if you have nothing better to do in your life then sit on the internet all day bagging out a sport, then I really feel sorry for you. Fair enough you don’t have to like football, but mate hanging out for football articles to be written just so you can write some drivel is ridiculous.

The whole, AFL vs NRL vs football vs cricket debate finished for me after primary school, still you’ve got to keep yourself occupied. But seriously though check your blood pressure, you do seem to get overly worked up by it sometimes. Keep calm and lighten up a bit Charles, if football bothers you that much, just ignore it.

Tombowler says:

10:52am | 08/12/10

“Grab my cape” hahahaha classic stuff Adam..

Don’t expect a reply though; The under 12 soccer team near my place is having a fundraiser sausage sizzle… They had the nerve to call it a “Under 12 Football Fundraiser” so Charles is probably there kicking over the barbecues and tipping out the sauce.. (In full cape/mask/outer underwear)

Captain Mister Football says:

11:32am | 08/12/10

so im not allowed to change my name to Captain football, or Mr football?

Jim says:

12:59pm | 08/12/10

Tombowler…the FFA demands that any club use the term ‘football’ and are forbidden to use ‘soccer’ in any form of letterhead, correspondence, email or signage, nor are they allowed to say ‘soccer’ out loud in a public place. This applies even to under 6’s.

Charles Kelly says:

05:21pm | 08/12/10

That’s where you’re wrong Adam - so very, very WRONG. You see, contrary to your opinion, I DO “like football”. I played Rugby Union FOOTBALL from an early age, all the way through school, and I still enjoy watching the occasional game - I’m even going to New Zealand next year for the Rugby World Cup. I also played some Australian FOOTBALL (ie. “Aussie Rules”) as a kid, and even a season of Association FOOTBALL (but nobody called it that - because in Australia, we call it “soccer”), but it was sooooooo boring I didn’t pursue it. I still play touch FOOTBALL every now and then, and have also been to games of both American FOOTBALL and Gaelic FOOTBALL. Soooooo very, very WRONG, Adam.

That, of course, isn’t by any means the extent of your failings though, Adam. Perhaps I was hasty in saying that “to refer to an event held in twelve years time as ‘THE World Cup’ is truly the height of ignorance” - because clearly it’s exponentially more asinine to attempt to compare “AFL” and “NRL” (neither the GAME nor the CODES by the way - simply the COMPETITIONS) to “football”, when even a toddler should be capable of comprehending the fact that they’re ALL “football”, so such a comparison is impossible! Epic logic FAIL there, Adam.

It’s ironic that the Rugby codes are regarded as “meathead” sports, when even their supporters are at least intelligent enough to realise the importance of distinguishing their codes from all others. Soccer supporters are embarrassingly alone on that one. Perhaps it’s actually a lack of intelligence that precludes modern soccer players from capably using both their feet AND their hands?

No, football doesn’t “bother” me, Adam - clearly it’s just the opposite. What I don’t “like” is the kind of illiterate ignorance you and others have displayed here. I’m genuinely embarrassed for you.

iansand says:

06:11pm | 08/12/10

If I am in the Grandstand Bar at Sydney Uni and I say “football” everyone understands what I mean.  If I am at Souths Juniors and say “football” everyone understands what I mean.  If I am wherever those AFL people hang out in Sydney and say “football” everyone understands what I mean.  If I am in the Marconi Club and say “football” everyone understands what I mean.  If I am in a bar in Jackson, Wyoming and say “football” everyone understands what I mean.  If I am in most places in the world and I say “football” the vast majority of people think it is about a game played with a round ball.

But if I want to talk about a different version of football in any of those places I have to find a way to distinguish the game about which I am talking.  It’s not rocket tapdancing.

Adam says:

07:11pm | 08/12/10

Charles Kelly (superman), I think you left the rant button switched on. As I said “The whole, AFL vs NRL vs football vs cricket debate finished for me after primary school.” Good to see some people never grow up though.

I also said, “But seriously though check your blood pressure, you do seem to get overly worked up by it sometimes. Keep calm and lighten up a bit Charles.” This bit you still need to work on.

Have fun at the Rugby World Cup, try not to bore everyone with your anti-football rabble the whole time.

Tony says:

10:26pm | 08/12/10

Nice try ‘Jim’. The FFA do not ‘demand’ that clubs use the term football or cannot use the term soccer. My club has kept soccer club in its name & I know many,many more who have also.
Perhaps you should engage your brain a bit before using the keyboard pal.

Charles Kelly says:

09:46am | 09/12/10

It’s perfectly clear I’m NOT “anti-football”, Adam - I’m anti-ignorance. So it’s little wonder you take it all personally.

As iansand says, the word “football” means many different things to many different people - so when you are in a place where there is NO one singular “football” (like AUSTRALIA), you have to be specific about which code you are referring to, or end up looking like an idiot.

The main factor in play here is that the fans and official managing bodies of EVERY code BUT soccer in Australia are well aware that as there is more than one prominent football code in this country, each code NEEDS to have its own point of identification - and while soccer fans remain ignorant of this very simple point, it’s impossible to take them seriously in any capacity. Name-wise, the defining factor of the Association Football code is the word “Association” - which was, from the very beginning of the modern game, abbreviated to the nickname “soccer”. If the term “soccer” isn’t used when referring to the code in countries where there is more than one prominent football code, the word “Association” MUST be included along with the word “Football” - or another appropriate term will have to be created. People incapable of displaying such basic common sense deserve to be treated like the ignorant illiterate fools that many Australians currently think they are.

It’s abundantly clear that the majority of Australians are NEVER going to agree with officially calling Association Football just “Football” in this country, so at some stage the ignorant illiterates in charge are going to have to wise up and rebrand the game in Australia yet again. Evidently they don’t want to go back to “soccer”, so a new name will have to be found. As the word “ASSociation” is essential in determining which code of “footBALL” is being referred to, and given the overwhelmingly camp Broadway musical theatrics which dominate the general public’s perception of the game, the choice is perfectly obvious - “ASS BALL”.

Soldier says:

12:35pm | 10/12/10

Haha, love it!
Here’s another vote for ASSBALL

DaveinPerth says:

04:55pm | 10/12/10

ASSBALL = WIN !

Tony says:

10:33pm | 08/12/10

We spent 45 mill with a chance to recoup billions. Did you know we also give PNG $4million per annum to develop some weird game called rugby league? Now thats scandalous. What do we get in return for that?? No exposure to tourism markets, no improved infrastructure here in Australia thats for sure. Hang on why don’t we give a few million to the Falklands Islands chess team for ‘development’?

Ash says:

01:09pm | 09/12/10

If women were able to ably compete against men, they would be invited too. If womens sport got a tenth of the interest, then too would there be a reason to care. But nobody gives a hoot, so there is no money in it, and therefore no point in staging such an event.

Charles Kelly says:

09:48am | 09/12/10

WRONG, Smurf.

Historically “football” is named NOT in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball (as many people falsely claim) - but because it’s played on foot, not on horseback. The word originally referred to a variety of games in early Europe which were played on foot by peasants, as opposed to the horse-bound sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats.

Originally holding the ball with the hands was allowed in the game of football, and it wasn’t until 1863 when Association Football officially split from Rugby Football and the NEW official rules as we basically know them today were formulated (even then, handling the ball was allowed to some degree, until eventually it was restricted to just the goalkeeper and any player throwing in from the sideline). The rules for Rugby Football were written 15 years EARLIER in 1848, although it was played in a similar manner for MANY years prior to that. The world’s oldest football club still in existence is a RUGBY club - the Dublin University Football Club. The world FIRST football club was also a Rugby Football club - Guy’s Hospital Football Club, accepted by the Rugby Football Union and the Guinness Book of Records as being the oldest football club in the world, with a foundation date of 1843. The point here is that the original game of football involved the use of hands, and the code banning the use of hands (Association Football) is actually the newcomer.They’re ALL “football” codes, but if any code has the least right to call itself JUST “football”, it’s the one NOT PLAYED ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL RULES OF FOOTBALL - Association Football.

James1 says:

11:05am | 09/12/10

My question is, why should we call games where the majority of the ballwork is done with hands “football”.  Sure the game where 20 out of 22 players on the field are not allowed to use their hands should be football, while those involving less foot-to-ball contact should be called foot and hand ball, or something.  According to logic, at least.

Also Charles, please keep in mind that it is just a game.  No reason to pop a neck vein.

James1 says:

02:28pm | 09/12/10

It was a joke, Charles.  I hate all forms of football, and couldn’t care less about any of them.  Lighten up.

In any case, most intelligent people have better things to do than argue over what “football” means…

Charles Kelly says:

02:48pm | 09/12/10

Off course James1. Now that your assertion was revealed for the inane drivel it so clearly was, NOW it was simply “a joke”. Sure James1, whatever you say.

I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you did just state that intelligent people have better things to do than argue over what “football” means, right after you’ve just been arguing over what “football” means. How sad.

James1 says:

04:51pm | 09/12/10

I’m not arguing with you - I am sure you are right about which one came first.

I just like winding you up - it is so easy.  I have this image of you hunched over a keyboard, foaming at the mouth while you come close to a mental breakdown over people not agreeing with you on the internet about cycling, speed limits, the various forms of football, and other hard hitting issues.  Keep up the important work.

Charles Kelly says:

05:32pm | 09/12/10

OK James1, now you’re just being pathetic. Every single time you’ve made some feeble attempt to best me, you’ve FAILED dismally - and NOW you expect us all to believe that you were just “winding me up”? Really? Get a grip.

I’ll let you in on a little secret matey - showing deluded imbeciles the error of their ways is nothing but sport to me. There’s no “foaming at the mouth”, no “hunching over the keyboard”, no “mental breakdown” - there’s simply my personal amusement at your expense. Yes, that’s right - I enjoy putting supercilious morons in their place. It’s fun - simple as that. Don’t like it, stop swimming with sharks. You really should have run away with your tail between your legs while you had the chance.