> I saw part of a game last weekend. I still can't get over how insanely boring the sport is. 90 minutes of kicking the ball around this humongous field and not getting it anywhere near the damn goals. And the goals are 24 feet wide. TWENTY FOUR FEET. And most games STILL end 0-0 or 1-0.
>
It's true that a lot of games go to 0-0, but they can still be exciting. I saw a fantastic match (a couple of years ago) between France and the Netherlands, where there were hardly any goals but the footwork was so amazing it really kept the tempo up. Likewise, the last ten minutes of the England-Argentina game were absolutely nailbiting because the Argentinians got so incredibly near scoring. On the other hand, you're right, most 0-0 or 1-0 games are only slightly less interesting than watching a blade of grass go trainspotting.

> I actually saw a team kicking the ball backwards, from midfield all the way back to their own keeper. I think this should be illegal.

It's generally a bit dull when that happens, but now and again you get the most wonderful comedy moment when the keeper COMPLETELY mucks up his kick-out and has to run like crazy to prevent the opposing striker (who can't believe his luck) slamming a quick goal in.

Si-"8-0 Germany-Saudi Arabia...now that is not a boring scoreline"-gi