Quote:
|
Originally Posted by gazzae
Watch it again, he stands there signaling a free kick for a few seconds and then only reacts when Rooney shoves Ronaldo.
|
Up to the point where Ronaldo comes wading in it certainly looks as if the ref is just waiting for the 'crowd' to clear so the free kick can be played.
The ref was close enough to see if the 'stamp' was deliberate - it certainly doesn't look it - in fact I reckon Rooney is trying to put his leg between the other player's to regain the ball - as he has his back to him he can't actually see he's down.
Of course when Ronaldo comes running in to make a noise, then if Rooney had at one time considered him a 'friend' I would imagine Rooney must have felt pretty badly betrayed, at that point.
The gamesmanship that the Portugese display seems to be a substitute for proper playing skill. The harder they find it to get ahead, the more they dive and act up.
Maybe Ronaldo shouldn't be the 'scapegoat', and maybe it isn't 'cheating' - but it certainly isn't sportsmanlike. And I don't see why we can't expect more sportsmanlike behaviour - even in the World Cup.