It was said to be the World Cup game that nobody wanted to watch and yet it featured teams who could have – and arguably should have – been fighting each other for a place in the second round.
What chance do the likes of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran have of attracting support when it appears even the gods are against them?
Click here to visit The National’s World Cup 2014 landing page
Bosnia defeated Iran 3-1 in what ultimately proved rather watchable fare, yet there could have been a lot more riding on the result had it not been for poor officiating in earlier group-stage matches.
Safet Susic’s Bosnia side lost 1-0 to Nigeria last week, but it would have been different had Edin Dzeko’s strike not been incorrectly ruled out for offside.
Replays showed the Manchester City striker was clearly onside when Miralem Pjanic threaded a ball through for Dzeko to finish. The officials ruled otherwise and Bosnia went on to lose 1-0, ending their qualification hopes.
Iran also controversially lost 1-0 last week. Against Argentina, with the game 0-0 and the World Cup’s sole Middle East representative playing well, Ashkan Dejagah had a strong penalty appeal waved away.
In the 91st minute, Lionel Messi scored the winner to break Iranian hearts and leave them needing to beat Bosnia to have hope of going through.
Carlos Queiroz, the Iranian coach, said he never expected his side to progress through a tough group, but added that the fact they had come so close should be a source of pride. It should also be a source of disappointment. Against Argentina, they deserved at least a point.
“I agreed with the experts and the world, who said it was not realistic to expect Iran to qualify for the second round,” Queiroz said last night. But this is not a game you win or lose with opinions. It’s a game you win with team spirit, focus, belief and other strong characteristics. And we came close.
“The game is not played with ifs, of course, but imagine the penalty against Argentina – that would have put us on four points and even without the Bosnia game, we could have possibly gone through.”
With Fifa introducing goal-line technology (GLT) at this month’s World Cup, it is inevitable that demands will grow for further use of high-tech replays in football. And why not?
It took a blatant goal by Frank Lampard to be wrongly disallowed in 2010 to finally push through GLT. What will it take to see further technology implemented – such as that which can determine whether a player is onside or not?
Every wrong decision changes a tournament, but it is inevitable that eventually one of these wrong decisions will be so blatant that the impact will be unavoidably obvious. Imagine a Neymar goal for Brazil in next month’s World Cup final being ruled out even though replays broadcast in people’s homes show he is clearly onside.
Technology obviously already exists that can rapidly determine such things. Why not implement it? Otherwise, offside calls will remain the sole decision of two men working in real time and with myriad other issues to keep their eyes on (including, yes, biting). In-game video replays, watched by the fourth official on the sidelines, would make a difficult and demanding job a little easier.
Referees are being charged with the responsibility to make game-changing, life-changing, nation-changing decisions. It is naive to think football is still a game that must stay true to its original roots and not be influenced by technology. There is too much at stake nowadays and, courtesy of technology, the errors too obvious. If fans can immediately watch the replays then so must referees.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
