ITV And The BBC Disagree Over Fred’s Penalty
ITV’s commentators and experts thought that the penalty awarded to Brazil last night was correct. The BBC’s pundits were adamant Fred dived.
The Times this morning is saying that Fred was guilty. Type “Fred penalty” into Google News and most newspapers the world-over think it was a dive!
Brazil were lucky, as other decisions of the referee didn’t stand up to video scrutiny.
Let’s hope that the rest of the referees have been to Specsavers!
England Against Italy In Manaus
Years ago, as a child, I read stories of Manaus; one of the most fascinating places on earth and have always secretly wanted to go.
Now that England are going to face Italy in their first match at the 2014 World Cup, I must say that I’m more than tempted to go, especially if the trip can be paired with a wildlife tour on the Amazon.
The Man With No Fear
I read this article on the BBC web site with interest.
We are unlikely to win the World Cup in Brazil next year, as too many things are against us. But with statements like this from the article.
“My message to the players and the nation is we’re not coming here to fear anyone, we’re coming here to respect. We know whoever we play we’re capable of winning or losing the match,” he said.
We’ve played Brazil away, we’ve played Italy away, we know they are tough games but we know we can go out and do well in them just as we can lose them as well.
I think we can say, that Roy and his team might make a good fist of it.
They will need a bit of luck in the draw tomorrow. But Roy might just have the knack to turn an absolute stinker of a draw to everyone’s advantage.
A Man Bites Dog Story
Judging by how many times it has been read, the readers of the BBC web site, find this story, where a cow goes through the roof of a house and kills a man in his bed, funny.
But then anybody who has lived in the country, knows that farming is not a totally safe business.
Why Can’t I Buy Tickets For England v Brazil?
I’ve bought tickets for England home games in the past, but I can’t even get logged in as a registered England fan to even see if I can purchase tickets. I just get a message saying.
According to our records, you are not eligible to purchase tickets for this event.
I suspected that this could be because I have moved house, since I last bought a ticket.
So I registered as a new England fan at my new address and tried again. And what happened?
I got the same message again.
I wonder why I’m not allowed to buy tickets. I have e-mailed them and guess what? I’ve not received any reply at all.
So it could be that FA doesn’t stand for Football Association, but something else.
Or could it be that I’m too old? Or perhaps someone with the same name as me, is on a banned list?
All I want is a ticket for myself and a couple for friends.
By the time that I get logged in, they might all have gone!
I think, I’ll reach for my solicitor if that happens. I think my human rights have been abused.
Weird and Wonderful
The Sunday Times has a column of this name, which collects odd news from around the the world. This is the text of one this week with a title of Call the Pants Police.
Brides should be forced by law to wear knickers at the altar, says a Brazilian councillor. Ozias Zizi claims a growing number of women are being married without underwear because a superstition says this will guarantee a longer marriage.
The councillor from Vila Velha wants to introduce a local law that would not only force brides to wear knickers, but would bring in a minimum neckline for dresses.
“The moment they enter a place of worship they must show some respect,” he said. But Enoch de Castro, a local priest, said: “It would be absurd to try to police something like this, to find out whether a bride is wearing knickers or not.”
I think the priest has it right. Although, I don’t think that the police would lack volunteers for the job.
Has HMRC Moved To Brazil?
This spam e-mail wasn’t written by the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Tax Refund Notification
After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity, we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 973.90 GBP. Please submit the refund request and allow 5-7 days for processing.
Click Here To Claim Your Refund http://ocenomato.com.br/pantanal/galeria/xxxxx.xxx
Best Regards,
HM Revenue & Customs
But it might fool someone. Let’s hope it’s not you! After all, they’d stop sending them, if they didn’t find a mug in each batch they send.
But do note the Brazilian web site! The xxxx’s hide a dangerous web page, so don’t try and access it.
Paying For What You Eat
This is a great concept from Brazil, where your restaurant bill depends on how much you eat.
Strangely, it might be good for gluten-free, as you could only choose the food you know was safe.
What Are the Odds on England Staging the 2014 World Cup?
According to The Times today, the progress for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is virtually non-existent, with stadia and transport links, either not planned or years late.
FIFA would never take the World Cup away from Brazil, but where will they stage it in that country? I’m told the beaches are nice, even if the stadia are crap!
There are only a handful of countries that are ready to stage an event like the World Cup tomorrow, of which England and the United States are two. But as they aren’t on Sepp Blatter’s Christmas Card list, it would be unlikely they’d be given the chance.
But then the finals will have to be played somewhere!
The Anonymous Widower 