Not even flu could keep Athletics South Africa president James Moloi from a press briefing with the national team ahead of World Relays in China. He showed up at the University of Johannesburg track on Tuesday as the teams, which flew out the following day, practised their baton changeovers. Let’s hope he didn’t pass his bug on to any of the athletes, although one of our Oddballs own was felled by flu later in the week.
Eye-opener in the sand
Oddballs escaped Gauteng for a warmer clime for a few days last week. The Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in the Seychelles provided an interesting diversion and it proved eye opening. Observed from up close, the skill, intensity and physicality of the top beach soccer practitioners were impressive, but that is not where the comparisons stopped with the 11-player version of the sport. The amount of whinging, feigning of injury and exaggeration of collisions is universal in the blight on the beautiful game.
Pablo loses the plot
The match between Belarus and Guatemala was, in particular, a test of the now rarely used word, “sportsmanship”. Guatemala, and particularly their captain Pablo Crocker, made for unedifying viewing. He complained from the start of the match until well after the final whistle, remonstrating with officials about perceived gross injustices against his team. In truth, though, Guatemala was being well beaten by a more skillful, focused and, perhaps most importantly, physically imposing team, who used their height to rise above their opponents.
A beach too far
That match was just a snapshot of what generally happens in high-level beach soccer clashes. Players would hit the sandy deck appearing to be writhing in pain in the hope of drawing a favourable decision from match officials. The only difference with the 11-player game, however, is that players don’t roll around on the beach sand with the same theatrics as that would make for granular peril for their manicured hairstyles. It made Oddballs think that Neymar, skillful as he is, would be less suited for that variant of the sport.
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