The Newest World Cup Villain: The Shadow
Chances are that if you have watched many of the World Cup games you have learned how to squint. In a good number of the matches thus far the fields have been blanketed by shadows that make television viewing at times a visual challenge. In almost every other way possible the Germans have put on an outstanding competition, but a World Cup wouldn’t be complete without some complaints so if we have to fault them for something it might as well be for having too much sun.
Short of creating new weather patterns, there is little that can be done about this but that isn’t stopping the hosts from trying. Today’s match between Togo and South Korea will be played under a closed roof in Frankfurt even though it is going to be a steamy 30 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) day.
“We made up our mind to find a solution. The solution is in Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen there is the optional roof so we thought about closing the roof for the next games. Of course, we have to pay attention. If the stadiums turn into a sauna this won’t work. All the experts say that a closed roof will make the Frankfurt stadium cooler,” said FIFA organisation committee spokesman Gerd Graus.
At least one expert in such matters disagrees.
“It’s possible that we get a greenhouse effect. A lot of sun will heat up the air so the temperature will rise inside the stadium,” said Gerhard Lux, a German weather service spokesman.
This seems like a fair trade off to me. Make Franz Beckenbauer and the 60,000 other people at the game sweat so the hundreds of millions of us watching on television don’t go cross-eyed trying to pick out the players from the shadows.
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Comments
By Nello | June 13th, 2006 at 11:23 am 
You’re right. Especially on TV, the pitche lookes disasterous … half green half black!
Next matches will be in a sauna if they close the roof, we’ll probably have vegetables growing in the field with that green-house effect.
Posted from 
Malta
By biilly bob jo | June 13th, 2006 at 12:39 pm ello dude
Posted from 
United Kingdom
By Ali Siddiqui | June 13th, 2006 at 1:00 pm Whooo! “The Shadow” arch-nemesis of Bob and the World Cup Blog team!! I really think by now FIFA should’ve realized that while all this shadow is nice for keeping the temperature on the field…errr stable, it doesn’t make it easier for those watching.
I wonder if FIFA got any complaints from the networks yet asking them to turn on the lights?
Posted from 
Canada
By Ali Siddiqui | June 13th, 2006 at 1:01 pm “This seems like a fair trade off to me. Make Franz Beckenbauer and the 60,000 other people at the game sweat so the hundreds of millions of us watching on television don’t go cross-eyed trying to pick out the players from the shadows.”
The sweat of the few for the eyes of the many!! Hear Hear! 
Posted from Canada
By VooDoo | June 13th, 2006 at 2:49 pm Magic is all over the World Cup 2006!
Because of some strangeness in game results – this site becomes more and more famous http://www.voodoo4football.com
Is it possible – that synchronous desire of a lot of fans concentrates and affects on the results of the football game?
Posted from 
Ukraine
By LiveBlog: Spain-Ukraine - FIFA World Cup 2006 - World Cup 2006 Blog | June 14th, 2006 at 2:53 pm [...] 5 minute countdown: Looks sold out. Open stadium which mean nasty shadows and a steamy pitch. Which team is more fit? Team coming on field with flags. [...]
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United States
By The World Cup Blame Game - FIFA World Cup 2006 - World Cup 2006 Blog | June 16th, 2006 at 1:37 pm [...] That pesky German sun is ruining everything. Bet on World Cup 2006 Buy World Cup Kits World Cup on your Mobile Phone Buy World Cup Tickets Swap World Cup Tickets World Cup Travel World Cup Photos World Cup Video Photo & Video Contest Category: World Cup 2006, General Banter Tags: excuses, blame game, ukraine, sweden, france, switzerland, Tag Index « The Bud isn’t for Saudis | Home | If you found “The World Cup Blame Game” useful or interesting, please share it with others by bookmarking it at the following sites: .wp-notable img {border: none;margin-left:5px;} Comments | Add your comment [...]
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