[OT] 2002 World Cup, part 2

[Lichtenhart]

heheh.... in Brazil the country literaly stops during World Cup... even in the 3 AM games about 80% of the country is watching the games. Thats 120-130 million brazilians... our DNA is soccer !

Never said we were the only one soccer nation. I'm sad Brazil will go to semifinals without Ronaldinho. He's an amazing player and I feel robbed of the show he can offer. (Is it true he's making deals with an italian team?) It looks like Ronaldo too won't play because of physical problems, and that's another shame. Good luck for wednesday and make us dream!

 

[Ruvion]

I wish luck on all 4 teams as they've played good football over the past month.

I feel sad that people in this board (and maybe elsewhere as well) feel that the Corean run in this World Cup was "tainted" with bad referee calls. Referees are human and I've seen bad calls called for Coreans as well as against Corea (people conveniently forget these). Some people can look past that; others simply choose not to as they can't stomach a "weaker" team beating a more established one (or for any other multitudious reasons).

The only way to remedy this for the Coreans IMHO, will not be by winnning the Cup this year (it would be nice but would not prove much), but to put up a good show (and a long run) in the Cup in Germany 2006. It was unfortunate for France that they did not come through for this World Cup and I hope that Coreans do not follow this path, for I and the rest of the world would be then forced to conclude that Team Corea was a one-trick pony that was lucky enough to host (and that the corruption in FIFA is worse than expected).

 

[Black Omega]

This particular World Cup has featured more questionable calls. Or perhaps my rose colored glasses are already in place for 1998. From Croatia's defeat of Italy to Brazil-Turkey. It's hardly a Korea thing.

Even so, for Korea to move to the next level I think they need to work on their finishing. They are good to excellent almost everywhere else but despite their workrate getting them quite a few shots on goal, all too often they just can't finish. If they find another player or two with real skill putting the ball in the back of the net, Korea should do well in 2006.

 

[Ruvion]

I agree with you Black Omega, regarding your assessment of Team Corea. I think the Coreans can attribute their weakness in "finishing" due to their relative inexperience in playing soccer at this level. They are getting there however.

On a more positive note, it may be true that only in Canada will you see Corean sympathetics and German nationalists urge each other on, as I bore witness to this in Corea Town, Toronto. Turkey and Brazil were also getting in their fair share of hand-shakes and smiles. This World Cup has truly been amazing so far!

 

[Corinth]

Corean is a Scarred Lands god. Korean is a human ethic group from the Far Asian pennisula of the same name.

 

[Ruvion]

You are right regarding Corean being the God of the Smith and Paladins in Scarred Lands. Regarding Corea not equalling Korea however, I'm sorry, but that's where you are misinformed Corinth (if you watch the football games Corea is involved in carefully, the Corean support crowd is waving "Corea" bands all over). A brief historical lesson up ahead...

Long ago, about 5000 years, there was a nation formed by former hose lords, called the People of Han, in a peninsula. They were a nomadic group that broke away from the Mongols and Turks (the Coreans share a common ancestors with the aforementioned cultures, the Altaii is what I believe they were called). Much later, advance the time to the Middle Ages, the western explorers found a unified nation called Corea (there were many kingdoms that rose and fell all with different names) in the same peninsula and thus dubbed the people there Coreans. Advance the time to the Japanese occupation of early 1900's, after the fall of Corea and Chosun dynasty, and you have Nipon (namely Japan) changing the nation's name of Corea into Korea, just simply because C came before J while K did not. Reasons were political and emotional back then; the Coreans would prefer to be named with the C instead of the K. End history lesson.

 

[Corinth]

Irrelevant: In English, the proper spelling is "Korea" and that's the end of it.

 

[Ruvion]

Rubish, I believe a nation has the manifestic right to name themself whatever they want (names such as the Wacky Land of Sherlock Bones and Nation of Tuscan Riders comes to mind for some weird reason) thank you very much, regardless what some poor befuddled chap puts down on a dictionary. The fact that printed word is important in changing popular perceptions (therefore human reality) is true. Do all the people in Corea wants their proud nation to be named Corea, probably mostly true. Would it cost big $. Of course, doesn't everything?!?

I think what would likely happen is, if and when both Coreas merge, they may end up naming themselves "Repulic of Corea". This is a strong possibility among many possible names that can be tacked onto this little peninsula. And that my friend, is the end of it.

 

[Mark]

Long ago, about 5000 years, there was a nation formed by former hose lords...

Hmmm...

Something not quite right about that...

 

[Black Omega]

I'm not sure it's worth a fight over. I've also seen signs in the crowd that were spelled Korea. The official webpage of the government of Korea spells it Korea. As does the webpage for the president of Korea and allother government pages I looked over. My only Korean friend spells it Korea as well.

I'm curious where you found that Ruvion. It really doesn't make much sense to me. I mean, Japanese doesn't have a 'C', just a Ch sound. And Japan is Nippon or Nihon. and N comes after both C and K. And in every case, that's true in the alphabet neither Japan nor Korea used much back then.