Posted by Neutral Yankee on June 25, 2002 at 07:25:49:
About the disputed officiating: Take a look at the corruption levels of the countries that the refs are from and then consider Korea's track record with bribery and corruption: the entire society is immersed in in. Bribery is a way of life. Currently the South Korean president's son has been arrested from bribery. Read a history book about the country, and then also consider the countries of the referees. And then consider what is at stake: Korea has been preparing for these games for the last eight years, spending millions of dollars on stadium construction and publicity; the newspaper propaganda spouts everyday about Korea becoming the next Hong Kong/Singapore/Silicon Valley/"hub of Asia." There is no better way to show the world that the backwards country of Korea has hosted a successful world cup and then have the home team kickass. FIFA needs instant replay to insure the integrity of the game. It has come to that. But no doubt about it: Korea has come a long way and they are a tough team, but their luck is simply too good.
No whining, no complaining. I'm American and am ambivalent about the whole thing.