Cheating Italians - an american viewpoint

I'll save the outrage at the officiating for everyone else - there'll be plenty of it. I reserve my outrage for the Italian players. The Azzurri have something of a reputation for gamesmanship and for being overly dramatic. I'll take it a step further - they are divers and cheats. How many times did an Italian player go to ground, writhing in pain in this match? Double-digits. Yes this was a rough-and-tumble match, but the play-acting bordered on absurd. The mea culpa that Daniele de Rossi copped after clearly bashing Brian McBride in the face (right in front of the referee!) was downright offensive. And it should be noted that McBride got right up, and jogged off the field to receive medical attention. If it was Cannavaro, he'd still be screaming.

Posted By: phrankin on June 26th 2006 at 19:04:59

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