No Surprises

Yesterday the FIFA Gala took place. Many coaches, teams, and players were honored for their accomplishments and moments in 2010. However, it would be an understatement to say the event was predictable. As usual, the same people walked away with awards. Marta won her 5th in a row yesterday. Silvia Neid won for coach of the Year. Also, the U-17 Women's Haiti team got the Fair Play Award.

Let me first start with my take on Marta winning it once again. The following is a combo of comments I made on Facebook, while discussing the event with other fans:

"Marta is great, but FIFA fails to realize the other talent that's out there. Wambach and Sinclair, 2 of the other original 10 nominees, are just as talented. Sure maybe they don't run around doing fancy maneuvers, but they score a lot, assist a lot, often carrying teams, making huge impacts for both club and country. You'd have to be insane to tell me that they didn't deserve to be up there. No one is that stupendous that they should win 5 TIMES. I don't care who you are. Marta is not godly, no one is. There is plenty of talent in the Womens game, so there is no excuse to focus on one person repeatedly."

"I don't think anyone should win in succession. Nobody, not in the Mens or Womens game, unless you did something so spectacular or unprecedented. Marta didn't do anything so amazing that she should be getting it so much. I think her winning it this much is putting out the wrong message. Its saying "Marta is the only one worth winning the award, everyone is way behind." but the point is there are plenty of talented players who can hang with her. I still stand by the fact that it should have been Wambach and Sinclair up there with Marta. Anyone who says their year with club and country was anything but prolific and outstanding, needs glasses. Out of this years nominees, Marta did deserve it, granted however that the wrong nominees were up there with her."


That's my opinion in regards to that. Now here's what I have to say about the other nominees and the coach award:

For some reason, FIFA seemed to be very German friendly with the Women's game this time around, more so than usual (and there's usually at least one German up for an award). Maybe they're doing it to support the Germans, especially before the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup, or maybe they just like Germans. Either way, FIFA put up 2 German Coaches and players. Seems a little overwhelming with the amount. You mean to tell me you couldn't put Carolina Morace up there, the Canada Coach? She's been turning the Canadians around, making them technically stronger and is actually turning them into a stronger, more skilled squad. Why? Because she taught them. She deserved to at least be a finalist. And another thing. I hate to be arrogant, but why did Silvia Neid win it over Sundhage, when the USA won every match against Germany in 2010? I know it shouldn't be contingent on this fact, but technically, we had her number. Still, I think made an evident impact with her team. With Sundhage and Neid, both are excellent coaches, who do however, coach already excellent teams. Morace really changed Canada around and made them stronger. That's partly why they won the CONCACAF Gold Cup. I don't know how they decided on Neid, but then again, how they decide anything within that organization, from World Players to technology in games, is a mystery to me and plenty others. Back to the German nominees. I'm not questioning the talent of Prinz or Bajramaj, but they simply did not deserve to be up there, not this year. As someone I know on Facebook said: " If Abby Wambach or Kelly Smith were German, they'd have won the trophy by now."

Well, another year, another time FIFA gets it wrong. However, the candidates did not get awarded for no reason. My main complaint is that even though the winners did deserve it, there were many others who were well worthy of winning as well. I just feel that FIFA awards it too many times to the wrong person. Even worse, sometimes the nominees that deserve it never make it to finalist. The whole system is a little crooked, and is designed to award only based on a certain criteria. The following is what I said in response to someone on Facebook yet again:

"FIFA should look at records like goals and assists, sure, that is an important part of the game, however they should look at other qualities of a great player. You have to look at leadership and like you said, how they inspire their teammates. What about the enthusiasm with which they play? I mean, Wambach was leading her team, and inspiring them to play hard too, what with her taking bad hits just because she cares so much about the team and the win. She'll take a beating for the team. When she got a hard hit to the head against Mexico in the Gold Cup Semis, and got staples, she was still raring to go and help her teammates. That's a real trooper right there, and she showed tons of heart. She has the stats of a great player, but it's the way that she plays with enthusiasm, passion, and leadership, inspiring those around her, that makes her one of the best. This is constantly being ignored by FIFA, and it's a shame that players who are even statistically close to Marta are cast into the shadows still. If Wambach doesn't get a FIFA WPOTY, or at least a finalist spot by the end of her career, then FIFA is officially crooked. They don't know how to value players that might not be as marketable for them, but who may still be as talented, or even more talented in a number of ways, than the current Marta monopoly.

That pretty much sums up my rant for the day! Hope you guys enjoyed. See you all again quite soon, especially with the Draft in a few days!


Denise