How Good Was The 2002 World Cup In Hindsight?

How are Brazil defending champions in 2002???
They were in 98 and Ronaldo got the blame for the loss against France in the final. That's why he was under so much pressure. Portugal have never won a tournament, Argentina haven't won a WC in 30 years and far more is and was expected of Brazil. So when you're the best player in the world and you're playing for the best footballing country in the world, you're under a bit more pressure to perform.
 
I remember it rather fondly. I was able to take the month off of work and watch all the matches. I think they started at 1 or 2 in the morning here. Also fond memories as it was the best showing the US has ever had. Beating Portugal 3-2 in the group stages, beating Mexico in the next round and then losing to Germany in the last 8 1-0 after having a dubious hand ball no call that would have leveled it late on. If I remember correctly we even might have outplayed Germany 2nd half.
 
It was an entertaining competition, starting with the first game where Senegal beat defending champions France. The USA win against Portugal was an outstanding game. But there was blatant corruption as well. Obviously South Korea were given as much refereeing help as possible but there were allegations about the Turkish team (who also got to the semi's) taking performance enhancing drugs, based on the observation that their second half performances were distinctly more energetic than their first half ones. And then there was Graham Poll, who refereed the Croatia v Italy game where he blatantly favoured Croatia & disallowed two seemingly good Italian goals. Oddly enough, he got another Croatia game in the 2006 World Cup and we all know what happened in that one.
 
Probably my favourite world cup in just about every sense. That Brazil team, some of the best atmospheres I've ever seen, some fantastic and farsical matches, plenty of upsets and also it was just really fun and weird to have football on at that time of day. Obviously some of the refereeing was almost comical, but I bloody loved it. It was probably the last likeable England team as well, despite (or maybe because?) our rag tag bunch of misfits that we were playing. Danny Mills, Trevor Sinclair, Nicky Butt and Emile Heskey all in one team, with Darius Vassell and Keiron Dyer coming off the bench, what's not to like?
 
I attended the 2002 World cup, witnessing England’s first four games, Mexico v Croatia, and also Ireland v Germany, when Robbie Keane equalized in the last minute.

Memories?

Probably my first ever experience of being the ethnic minority. Everybody bowing, and seemingly frightened of the English.

Fantastic stadiums

All the Japanese supporting England,

Scottish supporters wearing Sweden shirts and kilts

Bumping into Spike on the return train to Tokyo after the 3-0 win over Denmark in Nigata

Walking through a deserted Hiroshima when Japan were playing Tunisia, and my mate suggesting that it was like a bomb had gone off.
 
Probably my favourite world cup in just about every sense. That Brazil team, some of the best atmospheres I've ever seen, some fantastic and farsical matches, plenty of upsets and also it was just really fun and weird to have football on at that time of day. Obviously some of the refereeing was almost comical, but I bloody loved it. It was probably the last likeable England team as well, despite (or maybe because?) our rag tag bunch of misfits that we were playing. Danny Mills, Trevor Sinclair, Nicky Butt and Emile Heskey all in one team, with Darius Vassell and Keiron Dyer coming off the bench, what's not to like?
Rio ferdinand?
 
It was Korea. And it wasn't just against Italy either. Portugal and Spain both had cause for complaint too.

Bit dramatic, but you get the point:



FIFA appointed inexperienced referees from smaller countries rather than the best man for the job, and then blatantly told them who they wanted to win. One of the referees was banned 2 years later for match fixing and later caught trying to smuggle heroin into the USA. A real FIFA man.


Complete joke mate, probably why I tuned that world cup out of my brain. Saying that there has been some right shite decisions in qualifying and world cups down the years. The last world cup I enjoyed a lot but that South African one was painful for the ears and the eyes, especially watching England and listening to them vuvuzelas
 

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