#6: cafeteria chatter

Overheard in the lunch line:
"When does a dive earn a penalty kick? Anytime Italy plays".

FIFA and its high priests deserve the red card for spoiling this World Cup. Their intension to clamp down on foul-play and deception was noble. But the changes were drastic and hastily implemented. The players and referees were inadequately prepared. It's ended up in inconsistent rulings and a record number of cautions in the games. Even overzealous job-seekers would be more restrained in doling out cards.

But can we really blame the refs for running around with cards plastered on their forehead? They are just following instructions of the governing body – possibly a bunch of bureaucrats in pin-stripe suits who have never set foot on a football pitch in their life.