Thanks for reading the 1st part of this article. If you haven't read it already, it's still up for your reading pleasure. If you have read that part, you already know the most important 3 things. Here's some more "good to know" facts:
1. WAG
WAGs (or Wags) is an acronym used particularly by the British tabloid press to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile football players, originally the England national football team.The term came into common use during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although it had been used occasionally before that.
Fab Cap is wag-ing a war against wags
We've been hearing this term long before the Fifa World Cup 2010 commenced, because the English coach Fabio Capello banned the presence of "WAG"s near the footballers during the tournament. Few other teams have followed suit. I was quite sick and tired of reading stories involving WAGs threatening coaches and the players moaning about their absence until I read this story:
Sara Carbonero, High On Tide WAG
Sara Carbonero, a beautiful sideline reporter and girlfriend of Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, is being blamed by some fans for Spain's shocking World Cup loss to Switzerland on Wednesday.
The Guardian reports that the gorgeous sportscaster is accused of distracting her boyfriend by being so close to the field before and during the crucial match. Casillas allowed the game's only goal, and Spanish fans are worried that Carbonero could be to blame.The Spanish beauty later shot back at critics, dismissing claims that she "destabilized the team" as "nonsense."
After the game, Carbonero interviewed her boyfriend and asked him about the team's unexpectedly lousy performance. On live TV, she asked her lover, "How did you muck this up?"
The Guardian reports that the gorgeous sportscaster is accused of distracting her boyfriend by being so close to the field before and during the crucial match. Casillas allowed the game's only goal, and Spanish fans are worried that Carbonero could be to blame.The Spanish beauty later shot back at critics, dismissing claims that she "destabilized the team" as "nonsense."
After the game, Carbonero interviewed her boyfriend and asked him about the team's unexpectedly lousy performance. On live TV, she asked her lover, "How did you muck this up?"
Poor Robert Green, he had to watch his girlfriend, the ball, and his place in team slip away altogether
Spain's former coach also criticized the team after the surprising loss, telling reporters that the team didn't have "enough conviction" against the Swiss. Casillas is not the only World Cup goalkeeper whose performance is said to have been affected by romantic complications. English goalie Robert Green may have been torn up by his split with a young lingerie model when he allowed an infamous goal to the United States.
Also, in a triangle love scenario, John Terry lost his English captaincy. Eventually Steve Gerrard got the arm band, but England is yet to win a game and I feel they will have to pack their bags, take their rags, collect their wags and go home early this year.
Lol, poor footballer lads. Not only do they have to perform well, they also have to put up with this kind of stupid media stories that can affect their actual performance as well as personal relationships.
2. Hublot
If you've been following the world cup games, you must have noticed that all teams are required to have a player named "Hublot" in their squad and after a certain period of game, some off-form star is taken off to bring on "Hublot" to the game. Hehe, no, that's not really the case, but me and my cousin used this story as a running gag against our WAG, ahem wives to confuse them and to get some laughter out of it.
The Fifa guy and the Hublot guy
Hublot is actually a Swiss enterprise creating luxury watches and founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco. Every time a player is changed, the fourth official hoists a electronic numeric board with the name Hublot written above it and the player jersey numbers displayed below--green guy is getting in and red guy is being substituted. The fourth official also uses it to show extra time remaining.
Mr. Hublot, the most prolific player of the Fifa WC
During the first game, me and cousin were shouting out "here comes Hublot--he will score 3 goals and win the game!". Wives took it naturally. However, when we repeated the same thing in the next match, they got suspicious and commented "how come there's a Hublot in every match?".
So when you watch a game next time, keep an eye out for the Hublots!
3. Red Cards
A red card is shown by a referee to signify that a player has been sent off. A player who has been sent off is required to leave the field of play immediately and must take no further part in the game. The player who has been sent off cannot be replaced during the game; his team must continue the game with one player fewer. Only players, substitutes and substituted players may receive a red card. Law 12 of the Laws of the Game lists the categories of misconduct for which a player may be sent off. These are:
- Serious foul play (a violent foul)
- Violent conduct (any other act of violence)
- Spitting at anyone
- A deliberate handling offense to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by any player other than a goalkeeper in his own penalty area
- Committing an offence that denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (informally known as a professional foul)
- Using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures
- Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in one game
In most tournaments, a single direct red card (i.e. not one received as a result of two successive yellow ones) results in disqualification of the offending player for one or more of subsequent matches, the exact number of matches varying by the offence committed and by jurisdiction. Since the red card is the main punitive instrument against unsportsmanlike behavior, recurrent offenders and team captains are often punished more harshly than others.
So basically if you get a red card, it's good bye to you, my trusted friend. The Brazillian midfield supremo Kaká received a red card after receiving two yellow cards. The second card was given for a controversial elbow in the direction of Abdul Kader Keïta. The Telegraph called the incident leading to the second yellow card "an innocuous off the-the-ball incident"
There goes Kaka
Since then, many girls are unhappy and wondering when the pretty boy of Brazil will return. Hopefully he will return on the 2nd round match of Brazil.
So that's all for now. Thanks for reading.
P.S. All linked images are property of their respective owners. I have simply borrowed them to make this article more informative. Italicized portions have been borrowed from wikipedia or other trusted online sources.
