Report on Pinto's punch
submitted to FIFA
SEOUL, South Korea – A referee's report regarding the ejection of
Portugal's Joao Pinto against South Korea was submitted, but FIFA
officials would not say if it included charges he punched the referee.
Argentine referee Angel Sanchez told an Argentine radio station Saturday
that Pinto punched him after the player was shown a red card for a
tackle from behind. South Korea won the game, 1-0, eliminating Portugal.
"Joao Pinto was sent off for a foul, and he punched me," Sanchez told
Argentine radio station Del Plata. "It was the first time that a player
has attacked me."
Pinto was ejected in the 27th minute despite protests from most of the
Portuguese players after the rough tackle on Park Ji-sung.
Rain, cloudy days
expected for two weeks
Japan's Meteorological Agency said to expect cloudy or rainy weather for
the rest of the World Cup.
Most of Japan has a rainy season from mid-June to mid-July.
The inclement weather is a contrast to much of the first 10 days of the
tournament, which were mostly sunny and pleasant.
FIFA explains empty seats
FIFA is blaming the low attendance at the second-round match between
Paraguay and Germany on the location of the stadium and poor ticket
sales.
The match at Seogwipo, South Korea, on Saturday saw the smallest crowd
at the World Cup so far, 25,176 spectators in a stadium that seats
52,256.
It was the lowest attendance in the knockout stages since Czechoslovakia
played Costa Rica in the second round in 1990.
Brazilian enjoys seeing
upsets
Brazilian midfielder Roberto Carlos says the surprise results of this
year's World Cup are breathing some fresh air into the world's greatest
soccer event.
"I'm sorry for the favorites that have lost," he said. "But those that
have advanced are giving some freshness to the tournament that is very
interesting. There are surprises in every World Cup, but there seems to
be a particularly large number this year.
The Real Madrid star agreed with many World Cup watchers, saying few
would have predicted the first-round ousters of Argentina, France, and
Portugal.
"But the credit goes to those who win," he said.
