EDITORIAL: More Brutal Sports Humiliation for Russia

EDITORIAL

More Brutal Sports Humiliation for Russia

Well, it’s another brutal new low for Vladimir Putin’s Russia where sports performance is concerned. We almost feel sorry for the poor bastard. Almost.

Ask any Russophile slob or Russian nationalist yahoo, and they’ll tell you:  Russia was ousted from the FIFA World Cup before it even started while America gained admission to that gilded, lofty club because Russia’s competition was tougher.

What an unbearably humiliating shock, then, to see America emerge victorious from its group in the first round at FIFA in South Africa this year, moving on to the lofty second round of the internationally essential contest.  After all,  America’s group contained not just mighty England but also the very country, Slovenia, whose bold and brilliant play dismissed Russia’s hopes of finally setting foot on hallowed FIFA territory.

Ouch!!

EDITORIAL: Russia Sinks Lower into the Mire of Failure

See only evil, speak only evil, hear only evil. Fans in Moscow watch the horror unfold.

EDITORIAL

Russia Sinks Lower into the Mire of Failure

An LR editorial just days ago pointed to some more spectacular failure by Russian athletes in chess, boxing, ice hockey and tennis.  But that was just a zakuska for the main dish served up last week by the Russian national soccer team as it went down to utterly humiliating defeat against tiny Slovenia in the final World Cup qualifying match.

Not only did Russia fail to score a single goal while playing on Slovenia’s home turf, not only did it degenerate into shameless cheating in the second half resulting in not one but two red cards to its players, but it ended up in a 1-1 match tie with Slovenia, both nations having scored the same number of goals, for the last entry from their group to the World Cup 2010 finals in South Africa.  Russia lost that showdown because while Slovenia had scored a goal in Russia, Russia had not done so in Slovenia.

Ouch.

Once again, little miss “eleven time zones” so-called mighty Russia, under the heroic leadership of Vladimir Putin, will sit on the sidelines and watch the likes of the United States compete for the World Cup championship, stewing in the humiliating juices of defeat.

When will they ever learn?