Thursday, August 9, 2012

OT: Olympic Women's Soccer Final - "German ref is the best in the world but she missed a handball by the US" says Welt Online


Oh well. If the referee, Ms. Bibiana Steinhaus had called a handball by a US player in the first half and awarded a penalty kick to Japan, the score may have been 2-2. She didn't, and Japan lost to the US 1 to 2 in the Olympic Final. C'est la vie.

From Welt Online (in German; 8/9/2012):

Bibiana Steinhaus patzt im Olympia-Finale

Die deutsche Schiedsrichterin Bibiana Steinhaus zeigte im Fußball-Finale zwischen Olympiasieger USA und Japan eine gute Leistung. Wäre da nicht dieses eine Handspiel im Strafraum gewesen.

Carli Lloyd hat die amerikanischen Fußballerinnen zu Gold geschossen. Die 30-Jährige erzielte beim 2:1 (1:0)-Sieg der USA im Endspiel des olympischen Turniers gegen Weltmeister Japan beide Tore (8./54.). Für die USA war es der vierte Olympiasieg und der dritte in Folge.

Vor der neuen olympischen Rekordkulisse von 80.203 Zuschauern im Londoner Wembley-Stadion, darunter FIFA-Präsident Sepp Blatter, kam Japan durch Yuki Ogimi (63.) vom deutschen Meister Turbine Potsdam noch einmal heran. Doch auch, weil Schiedsrichterin Bibiana Steinhaus (Hannover) Japan einen Handelfmeter verwehrte, reichte es nicht zu mehr als Silber.

"Sie ist die Beste der Welt”

Für die Hannoveranerin, die als einzige Frau in der Zweiten Liga der Männer pfeift, war das Finale ihr bislang größter Karriere-Auftritt. Und der einzige einer Deutschen bei diesem Fußballturnier, die Nationalmannschaft hatte sich nicht qualifiziert.

"Bibiana ist eine außergewöhnliche Schiedsrichterin, sie ist die beste der Welt", hatte DFB-Schiedsrichter-Boss Herbert Fandel vor dem Finale gesagt: "Ich freue mich riesig für sie, weil sie einen unglaublich hohen Aufwand dafür betreibt."

Der sich an diesem Abend nicht auszahlte. Steinhaus übersah nach einem Freistoß ein Handspiel der Amerikanerin Tobin Heath im Strafraum (26.).


Oh well. Diego Maradona called his handball the "hand of God" in 1986 World Cup.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why do you continue posting about soccer? I thought this blog was precisely about the Fuku accident.. You admonished before someone who posted something not related to the issue. Why don't you be more productive and share some links regarding food poisoning or how people in japan, especially mothers are dealing with this issue. You play their mind games.. got it? Do not give away your Reiryoku れいりょく(霊力), to these idiots, got it? BTW, thanks for all your effort, though... you are a smart man, use your reiryoku wisely. Cheers.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

Because I happen to be Japanese and I happen to like football and this is my blog. Sorry. Just skip the soccer post.

Anonymous said...

This blog existed before the Fukushima sh-t happened, anon at the top.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who's watched soccer for any period of time knows that referees miss handballs quite regularly.

I didn't see it, however to say that a game's outcome of a missed handball in the first half caused a game to be lost is probably not accurate.

If it was in the final minutes, and the referee blatantly ignored a handball, then you have a point, but I'd venture to guess the referee missed a dozen handballs or other potentially game turning calls during the course of the game - not just one.

Soccer is one of those sports where the lesser team can actually win sometimes. I've seen several games where the dominant team did everything right, but get the ball into the goal. I've also seen freak occurrences - like handballs in the box, or own goals that turned a game when it really shouldn't have.

At the elite level, and certainly for an olympic gold this probably doesn't apply, but I've seen referees that will sway slightly in favor of a team that is obviously working much harder than the other - is it right? probably not, but I've seen it happen.

Anonymous said...

I guess they wont be flying first class now.... probably have to go back to Japan by road after this judging by the way Japanese men treat women over there..

Anonymous said...

It is healthy to practice some sport, and healthy not to think about radiations all of your time.

The referee also whistled an american handball that the player could not avoid, with her arm along her body - that's how I saw it anyway...

Anonymous said...

Please let us stay within the topic of Fukushima. Perhaps you can make a separate side panel that deals with sports and such. Placing items not related to Fukushima and radioactivity lessen the seriousness and focus of the site. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Well, it does say OT. You can just skip over it like I sometimes choose to. However, I do agree that everything feels unimportant in comparison to world issues such as nuclear disasters. It's difficult to care about anything else when, at any moment, we could all be screwed by human arrogance... in so many possible ways.

Anyway, referees aren't omnipotent or infallible, they're still human, so I'd expect them to miss things. "To err is human", and all that. Can't do much about that unless they find a way to reliably automate everything.

Yes, it is possible the result of the match may have completely changed. Minor differences can drastically alter outcomes. Not sure how to describe it, but divergences "cascade" exponentially. Butterfly effect, and all that.

Personally, I'd only root for a team if I knew or had influenced people on the team. I don't want to be like those idiots who claim they invented the computers and the internet just because they were born in the U.S. a few dozen years after the discoveries were made by by several individuals with zero relation to them.

I simply don't understand pride or patriotism for one's own country or whatever. I think it's more important to recognize feats on an individual level, rather than labelling or generalizing by country, or gender, or whatever. It's really a shame that humans simplify everything so much.

Anonymous said...

Just skip OT, or go to sites like Fukushima Diary and get your fill. Geez. Give site admin a break.

Anonymous said...

>I simply don't understand pride or patriotism for one's own country or whatever.

Well that's your problem, but that doesn't give you any higher ground to look down on people who take pride in who they are and their own country.

Anonymous said...

Anon at 11:20PM, you are actually very rude, coming to someone else's blog and dictate what to write.

Anonymous said...

“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being VIOLENT. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”

― Jiddu Krishnamurti


I see you there when you get it...


Why don't you change?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEIfMqM5wnM


Human-beans deserve what they get for their action or inaction.


Why don't you change?

Anonymous said...

... for crying out loud... go away please, anon above...

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Atomfritz said...

What a pity.
I have wished victory to the Japanese women, and it's personally sad to me to see that it was a German referee's fault that prevented the well-deserved victory.

At least I hope the Japanese women now will be allowed to travel back in the same class like the men.

Anonymous said...

They wont travel back to JPN like the men, the guys will go business class and the women coach class....dont you get it? Japan is very very sexist and treats women like shit... come on ...

Anonymous said...

Ah, anon above and several others, you don't know what mean OLs can do for their male workers....

Anonymous said...

Atomfritz,
Did you watch the game?
The Japanese women had several good attempts at goal. None went in. Attributing the victory to the German referee seems off the mark. Personally, I would give the nod to Hope Solo who made some good stops in the net.
Back to the topic of the nuclear disaster, while staying OT, every single event I have watched where the Japanese are playing, each announcer has been very careful to reference the brave, strong, recovering from the Earthquake and Tsunami, players.

Not a single one has uttered the words- ongoing nuclear disaster.

Didn't stand in the way of NRC commissioner Magwood at the recent meeting from making a crack about his visit to J-village in January and the battle it would be for the Japanese women to win.
No doubt the sick irony of his words were lost on him.

Anonymous said...

As I said on Enenews last night... Congratulations to both teams. I also thought that the Japanese players looked slightly ill and exhausted.. More than just the frenetic soccer exhaustion.

Perhaps this match and the players for both sides are very much on topic. Where did the Japanese players train? What kind of food and drink did they have the past 17 months?

Things are not as they seem... And apparently healthy athletes may not be as healthy as opponents from healthier climates. Japan was a very healthy land before 311...among the longest-lived humans on earth. All that has been toppled by poison across the island.

SP

Anonymous said...

Hi Ultraman, you forgot to mention the Japanese team male defeat...

BTW, here is a hint... probably creating an awareness on these issues would be a little bit more helpful:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/mururoa-atoll-could-collapse-report-kept-secret-for-2-years-277717.html

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

The ref should be severely censured.
There were 2 deliberate handbills by the USA to prevent two scoring attempts. She missed one, and called one... But she failed to issue a red card.

Also, a Japanese offensive player was TACKLED in the 6 yard box to prevent her header attempt. Not called at all.

Anonymous said...

The us team is always talented...but they always cheat.

They will never be champions until they clean up their game. I'm extremely embarrassed by them.

Shame on the USA coaching staff and players.
No integrity.

What if all teams play like them? Constant handballs, extreme flagrant fouls? There would be no game. Thanks to Japan for representing championship level play. And thanks to Colombia for fighting back vs the bullies!

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