World Cup Down the Toilet

Anyone who been watching the World Cup knows of the dramatic loss of Australia in, literally, the last second of the match on a non-penalty that even the Italian players admit wasn't a penalty and needed to justify with some sort of hand waving about the call making up for earlier errors by the official. The bottom line is that it is part of playing at the World Cup that some officiating decisions will go your way (Aussie had its share), and some will go against you ('Insert Home Team Here' had more then its share). You've just got to learn how to win knowing that, and the Italians are clearly still the masters at that black art. Like trying to speed without getting a ticket - sometimes you win and sometimes you loose.

To that end, I found this little story truly funny, and serves as a reminder not to take 'sporting failures' too seriously - its only life after all. In general, I think Italians are altogether hilarious and lovable when they let down their patriotic guard, and the story of this row of toilets shows that, and made me laugh extensively.

Perhaps Coonamble - a town in rural NSW, Australia - should follow suit in 2006...

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Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday June 28, 2006

"
AUSTRALIA'S loss to Italy was sown in South Korea four years ago. [ed: WC2006 Aussie Coach Guss Hiddink coached South Korea in WC2002] The last-gasp penalty was a make-up call. Anyone with any suspicion that the outcome of games is manipulated at the highest level need only to look back to 2002.

That's when Italy were robbed blind in a 2-1 extra time loss to South Korea in a second-round World Cup game that was atrociously refereed by Ecuador's Byron Moreno. He was so bad that Sicilians named a row of public toilets after him.

...
"

From here: http://src.uow.edu.au/tert/2003/Globe.pdf
(Ironically the only place I could find a reference to this story was in the web version of a magazine that’s published here in Sydney.)
“
Sicilian resort dedicates new toilets to World Cup [ed: WC2002] ref

As an Italian, this story really hits home. Its about justice more than anything, or so every Italian would have you believe. An Italian council has dedicated its public toilets to the referee blamed for Italy’s departure from the World Cup finals. The resort of Santa Teresa Riva, Sicily, will inscribe Byron Moreno’s name on a plate to be fixed on four new public toilets.

The Ecuadoran ref was highly criticised in the aftermath of the World Cup semi-final match which Italy lost 2-1 to South Korea. “We look at this as an outstanding opportunity for the locals and the tourists to remember Moreno’s performance at the World Cup”, local administrator Pasquale Scarcella said to Il Nuovo website. Mayor Nino Bartolotta confirmed that the plates will be installed on the toilet door. But I tell you ladies and gentlemen, if it were up to me I’d have that refs name on the toilet bowl itself, and maybe even on the toilet paper. Well I’m sure Moreno will be happy to know that it will be his name everyone will be cursing at when a bad batch of tomato sauce comes back to bite them.
“