World Cup Blog
World
World Cup Blog
Sepp Blatter Apologizes to Australia Fans & then Backtracks from Apology
Comments(54)
FIFA Czar-for-Life Sepp Blatter is backing away from remarks he made this weekend in which he apologized to Australia fans and said their team should have advanced to the quarterfinals instead of eventual champion Italy.
In response to questions about the late penalty kick call that helped Italy defeat Australia in the Round of 16, Blatter was quoted as saying: “I think there was too much cheating on the players’ side. I agree with them and I would like to apologise [to] our fans in Australia. The Socceroos should have gone into the quarterfinals in place of Italy… you go into extra time and you are 11 against 10. But that is presumptuous.”
Fairly remarkable words even if they are three months too late. Today, Blatter backed away from his statement and the implications that Italy used cheating tactics to win.
“With my statement I simply wanted to pay credit to the Socceroos as well because they played a great match and their lack of experience did not permit them to go to extra-time,” he said.
Lack of experience, eh? I’m not sure that experience would have prevented Fabio Grosso from diving in the box and that experience would have prevented the referee from awarding an erroneous penalty kick.
Blatter was right with his initial remarks. The Socceroos were screwed but they still might not have won if they went to extra time. He had the balls to say it three months too late and he should stick by what he had to say.
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 54 comments.
Read the rest of the comments
Good for you Grosso…Neill’s a moron and he got exploited for his amateur defending…See you in 2010, yeah right!
Posted from 
Canada
Socceroo –
What you forgot to mention is that Grosso & Diliasi actually look alike. Thery’re probably family! (lol) 
4 -
Indirect free kick at best … you and the ref. need to learn the rules. Besides nobody actually gives a toss anymore. True fans of the game realise that sometimes calls go against you which makes the game interesting. Imagine how sterile the game would be if every call was correct.
Marco-
Whatever! You’re taking crap… Italy employs defensive football always for internationals and base their offence on counter attack with the only exception when they’re behind and chasing the game. They have been doing that for decades. Even past Italian coaches concede that fact… it’s not pretty but it’s a tactic that has worked well for them. Italy international football has nothing in common with Seria A, just as the English players playing club level are more exciting to watch than when they play internationals.
Posted from 
Australia
Irish lad, I semi agree with you leave it at that… However English players are boring internationally, only because they need to adjust their tactics so they dont get scored against every 5 minutes. Imagine if they played that lousy defense and the lonnnggggg balls into the box hoping for a lucky bounce. Haha even the Uber defensive italians would score 20 – 30 goals a game. English football needs to conform to other styles, Its NEVER the opposite.
As for the counter attack, that counter attack got them the most goals in the world cup. What crap did I say that you speak of? Did you not watch this world cup? Did you not see the clever Pirlo balls into the box, Gilardino runs, the glancing Toni headers that hit post after post after post?? I hope people stop harping on Grosso’s heroics and start focusing on a) who seriously can replace Sepp Blatter, and b) what would the world cup have been like if Totti was on FORM!!! remember he is Pele’s choice for the best player in the world!
“True fans of the game realise that sometimes calls go against you which makes the game interesting.” Amen brother, finally someone with some common sence on the issue.
Posted from Canada
@Irishdownunder you stated “Indirect free kick at best … you and the ref. need to learn the rules.” That remark is self decrediting and shouldn’t require me to correct.
However, there might be some people who think you might actually know what what your talking about. So for them let me clarify the rules. The Ref. has only 3 choices, he can either let play continue, give a card for diving or call a pk.
Now moving right along a picture or in this case a video is worth a thousand words. Enjoy.
replace “decrediting” with discrediting in my last post. Thanks
Well, i fI can add my two cents it would be what I already said before:
What was Neil doing there on the ground? What the hell was he thinking? The view from the video 4 posted was the ref’s view (the one that show’s Neil hit Grosso’s foot with this hand).
Furthermore, what does eveyone expect Grosso to do? Jump over Neil? Fly????
I’ve seen WAY more debatable calls. How about all the Malouda and Henry dives? REAL dives that were always called in their favour. Why doesnt anyone talk about that? In the final, Malouda jumped and fell and he wasnt near any player at all. Yet – that was France’S only goal. The game need not even go into pk’s. Toni’s goal should have counted. How about that? Sepp should definitely apologise.
How about Henry’s dives that won France a pk and a free kick against Spain? Two of their goals should not have even counted. Spain should have moved ahead.
What about Brazil’s 2 offside goals against Ghana?
What about Figo’s headbutt?
And Materazzi should not even have been given a red card in the AU game. Can you deny that?
The list goes on…
Posted from Canada
english football is the best and biggest in every department.take a look at the champions league this year.4 teams all doing superb,my money is on a chelsea man u final.the two best sides in the world at this current time.
Posted from 
United Kingdom
Neill Grosso is dead. Do not disturb the dead, for ye shall pay for it with the curse of boredom.
Posted from Australia
Frank, I agree about the 2002 world cup, it was a disgrace. In order, the top teams to get screwed were :
1. Spain – Blatant, criminal even.
2. Italy – Blatant
3. France – Semi-blatant… sending off Henry for nothing against Uruguay? Permitting countless fouls by Uruguay?
HOWEVER… to say Totti did not dive against the Aussies is dishonest. Italy would still have won that game without it, I have no doubt.
Posted from 
United States
Phil? A Totti dive against Australia? You must be confused…
Posted from Canada
The envious anglos ,who love to thrash italy ,should realize one important fact .Italia has won the cup 4 times while the arrogant bastards won it only once ,and we all know that the goal that broke the 2 -2 tie never crossed the goal line. It is amazing that even after WWII ended 61 years ago the venemous british propaganga against italia is alive and well.
Posted from United States
All those who are bitter at Italy winning the world cup are just mad they can not come from a country that has the best women, food, culture, and soccer players. I guess i would be mad to if every time i get married or date an italian man or women steels him/her away. For all those Socceroos, stick to rugby becasue it shows you dont know how to play soccer. Remember this, Italy is the champs, they proved it, and thats why they are four time champs.
Posted from Canada
TO ALL ITALIANS ,NEVER FORGET OR FORGIVE ,FOR WHAT THEY DID IN 1985 AT THE HEYSEL STADIUM DURING THE FINAL OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME BETWEEN JUVENTUS AND LIVERPOOL.
Posted from United States
I did not agree with the red card, it ruined the game and forced Italy into a game they didn’t really want to play. Australia had the opportunity with the man advantage but you have to make more than one dangerous attempt on goal in order to win the game. I felt Italy had Australia’s number. They (Australia) held positon well but did nothing with it. I thought Australia was capable of much more but in the end they were just over-rated and the right team went through to the quarters. I’m a little back and forth on the penalty call and it’s horrible to win or lose a game this way however any player in Grosso’s situation would have done the same but I guess you have to really understand the game to see my point. I really don’t feel Italy cheated in anyway, yes they did dive to win free kicks and such but I felt France was more guilty of this tactic. All Italy’s goals were completely legit discounting the penalty shot. You cannot deny their drive to win at all costs and after 2002 they had alot to make up for. This was a personal victory for Italian fans who have been waiting 24 long years for another title. I did not have faith that Italy would pull it off, this is definitely not the most talented squad that Italy have ever produced but they really stuck together. All oposed to Italy’s victory and I know you are many all I can say is I don’t expect you to understand or accept Italy as world champions or think of Italy as anything but a crooked country but Italy were given the opportunity and they have seized the moment. Let us enjoy our moment of glory while it lasts fratelli.
Posted from Canada
Blatter is an idiot
Posted from United States
Phil,
“HOWEVER… to say Totti did not dive against the Aussies is dishonest:
I’m not sure if you had a typo or misunderstood but the Totti “dive” I mentioned was in 2002 agaisnt Korea. Not agaisnt the aussies…
I’m not sure if you meant Totti vs Korea or Grosso vs Austrailia…
Posted from United States
It is just a game, all of you get over it. A boring game at that!!
Posted from United States
Italy gets screwed every fuckin world cup. Look at 2002 wc against korea. Totti gets red card for ‘diving” i box. i dont know about you guys, but i looked at the replays over and over, and i think the ref was on crack. Also 2002 wc, agaisnt croatia. Took 2 goals away because of the offsides…. (both linesmen were fired after that game) Fucking bulshit. Now this world cup. Italy had alot to prove in thsi world cup due to the scandal. I think that it drove them all the way to the finals.
what about the Penalty shot that fuckin retarded ref called against materazzi tripping Malouda in the box.. when he clearly didnt even touch him.
Theres many more but i dont think we should waste our time remebering the contraversal side of italy, and look at our success as the greatest football nation.
In my books. we had the chance to have 6 world cups…..
1994- Brasil beats italy penalties
1998- France beats italy penalties( France goes on to own brasil)
FORZA ITALIA
Posted from Canada
Okay LOL after reading all these posts I’d like to add my comment.
First of all the Grosso dive on Australia…Question for all you soccer buffs. Had that incident happened outside the penalty box would it have been a free kick? Yes it would have! So it happened in the box it was a penalty plain and simple. One said it before far worse blatant and bad calls have been made. Number 2 I’ve noticed so much disdain for the Italian squad in fact on a television talk show one woman stated that the Italians were the weakest team throughout the entire world cup. Thus my point on how much people hate the Italians so it really doesn’t matter to argue points because they have been made 4 of them. By the way Brazil should be no where near a 5th world cup sorry but it just wasn’t theres I think spain should have been awarded that one in 2002. How does it sound to the spanish their team scored 5 goals but they lost the game?
Some for of callusion taking place there. As far as the Italians, yes the one’s that everyone loves to hate pulled it off again fair and square. No one scored a legitimate goal against Italy. Own goal was scored in the U.S. vs Italy match and one questionable penalty kick scored by zidane but nothing was scored during regulation time in any game throughout the entire tournament. Well to all the Italians out there they want the food, the clothing, the cars, the art the culture. But they don’t want the Italians…I must say Italians truly are the persecuted people and they will always find a way to say that they cheated. So don’t worry about it the facts are the facts Italy will always be known for everything that it does great. Football, Food, Fashion, Ferrari + much more LOL Good for you Italia…Good Luck in the Euros God help you when you win that too!
Oh by the way, how Materazzi was made out to be a monster following the final. It was deplorable what he said????? It doesn’t matter what Materazzi said. Zidane reacted with violence what is more deplorable than that? Zidane I’m sure has been the target of far worse insults having grown up in the slums of Marseilles.
It just goes to show you the hatred for Italians exists but please remember when you go on a date to wear your Italian Fashion, drive your Italian Car and Go to and Italian Restaurant. Italians can do no right or be awarded congratulations by these jealous fanatics. I think people should learn to leave the Italians Alone by the way proof that the Italians were cheated in 2002. The game Italy played vs Korea let it be known to all was Refereed by Byron Moreno of Ecuador who was sent home and condemned to never Referee another FIFA game again for You guessed it Bribery… ohhhh so the bad call made against Totti was paid for. But you don’t hear to many people admitting that. People just love to hate the Italians plain and simple so please just grow up and put your prejudice aside its 2007 almost 2008
Posted from Canada
[...] Humiliating the world champions of football by publicly calling them cheaters while in Australia…and then backtracks to keep political peace (link). [...]
Posted from United States
Comments are closed
COUNTRY HEADLINES
CATEGORIES & ARCHIVES
Neill should really apologise to Grosso for that brutal attempt at a tackle. Obviously a penalty and good on the ref. for havig the guts to call it.
What can you say about blatter that hasn’t been said already. The guy should be forcibly removed from his position. He continues to be an embarassment, call security and throw him out.