The Champion's League Final

Tonight was the European Champion's League Football Final in Paris (that soccer for all the American leaders) between Arsenal and Barcelona. Arsenal is the North London team and its grounds are like five minutes from where I live. I am a Man U fan, cause that was the only games we could get back home, but being here, I definately was routing for Arsenal. However I am such a fan of FC Barcelona because they are owned entirely by their fans. Unlike the other teams which are run for profit, by the extremely profitted, the people own the team and benefit from it. They have been successful to. Having the Best Player in the world Ronaldinho won 2 consequtive Spanish League Titles and now after tonight the European Cup. But the game was actually very disappointing. The game started off promising. You would worry that both teams would be nervous and defensive. But Arsenal came out strong and within 2 minutes their star, Thierry Henry almost scored on a great shot. Theirry is French grew up in the Paris suburbs to it looked like a match in heaven for him. But within 18 minutes a first part dominated by Arsenal, their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off and a Barcelona goal was disallowed. Everyone agreed what was best was to allow the play to continue and keep the game which was starting out to be one of the best (the English commentator of almost all 50 years words not mine). Lehmann made an amazing penalty kick save in the Semi-finals to put Arsenal into the Final. IN 50 YEARS OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL NO ONE HAD EVER BEEN SENT OFF. The reason why is obvious. It ruins the game. THE REFEREE ADMITTED IT WAS A MISTAKE. Maybe in a normal game you think of red carding that player, but not this game, not the finals it should not be decided by a Referee's Decision. THIS SUCKED because for the next 70 minutes it would be 10 vs. 11. The team with 10 will never win. At best Arsenal could hope for a tie. Barcelona basically controlled the ball because they could just play a game of takeaway. Amazingly Arsenal scored right after that off a free kick on Sol Campbell header. But then it was all Barcelona, and after amazing saves and just luck, the damns finally broke and Barcelona scored 2 goals in 5 minutes. What sucked is that even that first goal the Player Samuel Eto appeared to be offsides. Overall the game was just poorly officiated. It was awful and Arsenal was just left feeling cheated. I don't blame them. It certainly appeared that way. I loved Thierry Henry's interview after the game when asked if the best team won he simply said, "No." On the Refereeing, "We can be proud, we can be more than proud, but, I'm sorry, some of the refereeing today was horrendous." "It's just sad. You can lose, but to lose like that." And its really a shame because Barcelona also was cheated. Which is something else Henry rightly pointed out. They didn't need help, the Refereeing was just awful. What would have happened if they played the game 11 vs. 11. Barcelona will always be cheated from a real victory. It just makes no sense the refree making himself apart of the game. My favorite part is that the give out LOSER MEDALS: "Here's your medal for second place." and they have to stay out after loosing to get it. PLUS THEY HAVE TO WALK BY THE TROPHY as if it were mocking them. I would have pushed it over. It seems really wrong. Frankly for all the tlak of Soccer hooligans and how tough Football bfans are and all that I was very dissappointed. If the Philadelphia Eagles had lost because of a clearly bad call like that they would have rioted. Throwing everything inlcuding the things nailed down. When the Sixers lost to the Lakers in the NBA Championship in Philadelphia the championship ceremony had to be held in the locker room because the Philadelphia fans were throwing stuff and booing. It is that dogmatic dedication to our teams that is why I love Philadelphia fans. Not as we are portrayed stupid brutes, but rather real fans, who know the games and love our teams and refuse to stay quite, be "sportsman" as our teams our robbed or treated unfairly. We do not love our teams just in the good, but through and through and we cheer and boo as our love affair with our teams entail. After that game I was actually disappointed by Arsenal fans reaction. And London Mayor should ban Norwegian referee Terje Hauge from ever coming to the city. Or something like that. That is dedication.