World Cup(ped)

Oh, I'm sorry -- have you been coming here expecting me to post something?

(...Have we met?)

Jesting aside, interwebs, I have a confession to make: I am a total and utter World Cup- and football-phile. Like, I'm on such a World Cup high that I shudder to think the withdrawal I'll suffer once it ends in two weeks (noooooooo).

Well, I'm not so much on a high NOW, or haven't been since both Australia AND Serbia crashed out of the first round early Thur morning Oz-time.

I've been in annoying funk over Serbia and/or Oz not progressing. I mean, it's just football, right? I should get a grip, snap myself out of it, 'build a bridge and get over it' and pipe the hell down already, no?

Yeah (and I will)...but this is all just too bittersweet, dammit. Sure, indulging in some innocuous schadenfreude over Italy crashing out has helped ease my somewhat verklempt state, but...waaaahhhh.

Methinks accumulated fatigue from many a sleepless World Cup night is prolonging this damn 'funkdom'. Reading about Lucas Neill's (Socceroos captain) post-match tears in The Australian probably isn't helping matters, either. (Neill, you're even hotter when you cry, if that's possible. I love a man who isn't embarrassed/scared to get emotional.)

Once again, I'm proud of both Serbia and Australia...good on you, fellas. They were both so close and yet...

And it pisses me off that Ghana got through on only TWO PENALTIES, and nothing more. It also pisses me off that Australia's coach(-no-more), Pim Verbeek, didn't make crucial changes in Oz's first match, in which they were thrashed by Germany 4-0 (a loss that isn't reflective of Australia's ability, as evidenced by their beating Serbia 2-1 in their last group match).

Finally, it soooooooooo pisses me off that referees make shitty calls which jeopardise players and/or matches (in Australia's case, Tim Cahill being red carded in the Germany match and Harry Kewell getting the same after only TWENTY-FOUR minutes of game play). For f--k's sake!

Soccer needs to come out of the dark ages and introduce video replay. It'll put a stop to histrionic theatrics and insipid diving (hello, Italy), and ensure fairness overall. The fact that FIFA are so resistant to introducing it leads me to believe there might be something shady going on behind the scenes. I mean, why the hell would they not want to introduce something that would end frustration and unfairness?

PAH!

Oh, also?

Every 4 years, the World Cup drills home the indisputable fact that footballers are a sight to behold and, quite simply, damn sexy. Hubba hubba! Thanks for the delish eye candy, FIFA.

And now, let me present the Aussie contingent of utter sexiness (might as well end this on a happy note, no?), thanks to the awesome, uber-witty blog that is Kickette:

"Thunder (In Our) Down Under: The 5 Hottest Australian World Cup Players"

Ahhhhh...Harry! Timmy! Lucas!

Loving the following text about Lucas Neill by the Kickette girls:

"...there’s just something about the hot-headed shelf-bottomed team captain that gets us going in the morning. As one helpful reader pointed out, we should base these lists on whether we would 'strip them immediately in the street or just stop for a chat.' And on that note, Lucas, please remove your pantaloons."

Bwahahahahahah.

Amen to that.

And here's another (shirtless) picture of the delectable Tim Cahill.

World Cup wounds sloooowly healing...