1. The ball is round.
After years of balls that are "more round", "lighter", "swerve in the air" etc etc there was little or no pre-tournament hype over the Brazuca ball. Which means the players kick or head it and it goes where they want it to, unless you are Wayne Rooney taking a corner.
2. Low tech is better than high tech
The long delayed introduction of goal line technology is a welcome addition but the real innovation, for this level at least, is the very low tech white foam spray. So simple, so cheap. I just hope that there have been kids borrowing their dad's shaving foam to re-enact its use in their back gardens.
3. Roy Keane has not been missed.
A man less suited to punditry or the faux attempts at debate tried by ITV we can not imagine so his absence is a small blessing.
4. Where is the mascot?
Every World Cup has a mascot, usually some anthropomorphic character, and 2014 has one too. World Cup Willie, a lion wearing not the cross of St George but a union flag, was the first in 1966 but where is Fuleco? Admit it, you're not even sure what he looks like. Conspiracy theory is that FIFA wouldn't pay a local conservation group enough so poor old Fuleco, based on an endangered armadillo, has been binned.
5. Jonathan Pearce and Mark Lawrenson. Why?
If only these two were an endangered species. Lawro's grumpy old git act was tedious 15 years ago but still he goes on. And on. And on. Palace Pearce was totally unable to understand the goal line technology pictures in the France v Honduras game and continued to claim it was wrong when the rest of the planet has long since realised that it was two different incidents that were shown.
Pearce also has serious problems differentiating a goal (when the ball goes between the white stick things) and a miss (when the ball hits the outside of the side netting). Two nights running he made this error. All close misses that touch the netting are now known as "Jonathan Pearce goals" at Irving Towers.
5. The stadiums are ready.
Surprise, surprise just like every world cup and olympics the panic stories turn out to be wrong. OK, some of the paint was still wet but they got there at the very, very end.
6. The football is quite good.
No bus parking, attacks better than defence and plenty of goals, what more do you want.
5
Comments
Do they sound like this:
:-)
Spontaneous in the Confederations Cup last year, contrived this year.
Sorry.
21. Patrick Vieira's English is quite poor.