Word: brazil
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...Brazil and Germany always playing in the World Cup finals while most other teams simply take turns serving as their victims? After all, this may be the first time the two teams have ever faced each other at the World Cup, but except for 1978, one of the two has played in every final since World War II. How is it that Brazil or Germany are almost always in the final, while a perennial powerhouse of European club football such as Spain has never even reached the semis...
...from nobody but played with the conviction and the humility of a newcomer - something surprisingly refreshing coming from the world's only superpower. If not for a missed handball call by the referee in their quarterfinal against Germany, they might even have gone further. But Germany is Germany. Like Brazil, they can reach the final even in a year when their national team is struggling...
...Hiddink discarded the gerontocracy for a performance-based system that nurtured players like 21-year-old speed demon Park Ji Sung, who provided some of the juice in Korea's fluid offense. Cognizant that his inexperienced squad could not match the artistry of, say, a Brazil, the former coach of Real Madrid and the Dutch national team prescribed a punishing training regimen that would enable the Koreans to simply outlast greater soccer powers. Seasoned players like captain Hong who couldn't keep up with the rigorous practices were threatened with dismissal, much to the horror of team officials used...
...makes no difference whether Sanchez missed the call. The men in black are not always right. These finals have been loaded with dubious, match-changing decisions, including Ronaldinho being sent off in the Brazil-England game and disallowed goals that helped Korea defeat both Italy and Spain. But officials cannot officiate if they labor under the threat of intimidation and assault by players and coaches. FIFA last week issued a statement defending the World Cup referees and congratulating them on a noticeable improvement in officiating standards. The game's authorities should do more to protect the most vulnerable...
Person of the Week RED MEANS GO At 22, Ronaldinho overshadowed legendary teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo, scoring a brilliant free-kick goal in Brazil's World Cup triumph over England. But he also got sent off?a major blow to his nation's semifinal aspirations and to all aficionados of sheer footballing genius...