The words used in idioms still have meaning. Doesn't mean you that you meant it literally, but certainly says something about misogyny embedded in a culture/society.

8 game ban.

http://www.espn.com/soccer/atletico-madrid/story/3823074/atletico-madrids-costa-banned-for-eight-games-for-insulting-referees-mother

Good. Now if only they’d come down as heavily on racist fans who say similar or even worse things to players.

Bet you Costa thinks twice before using vulgarities to express his frustration at referees in the future.

They'll probably shave off a couple of games with their appeal, but hopefully it makes every player and manager think twice about how they treat referees during and after games.

I think it's less about how you treat referees and more about how you treat people. If it was directed at a player or manager, it should have the same consequences in my book. It is a professional environment and can be legislated as such.

For what it's worth, expressing frustration and using foul language is really not a big deal to me, it's the specific kind of language and the clear intention to verbally brutalize someone that seems inappropriate.

Coombs wrote:

I think it's less about how you treat referees and more about how you treat people. If it was directed at a player or manager, it should have the same consequences in my book. It is a professional environment and can be legislated as such.

I quite agree, but I think referees are put in the crosshairs even more than players and managers. There isn't a soul alive who likes them. The attitude towards them is neutral at best and most of the time much, much worse. I myself have very little love for poor referees or the biased pricks we tend to get in Premier League, but I also recognise that it's a thankless job and that the generally poor standards are absolutely an expression of the modern game moving too fast. They've needed help for decades to do their job properly and it has been denied. Everything else has been built on top of that. I know of no other sport where attitudes towards officiates are so appalling.

jones wrote:

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

What is the correct meaning? 

There's no literal equivalent in English (there are some in Arabic but that doesn't help does it). Its not really meant as an insult to anyones mother and means basically 'for fucks sake', if you translate it word by word it obviously sounds a lot worse. Costa shouting it into the refs face made it worse since unlike 'ffs' you can also address someone directly with it.

He actually tried to explain it as his mum ffs.

Singlehandedly pulled Celta out of relegation. Amazing man

Valencia all over Barcelona. Soler just outpaced Alba to make the cross for 2-0.

It's 2-0? Woah. Definitely watching the second half now.

Messi scores to make it 1-2 with 18 minutes left to play.

Annoying because Valencia have blown about 10 great counters in the second half to kill the game.

Coquelin with an amazing/crazy tackle on Messi. The sort only he can make.

That would have been one of the greatest goals ever scored, absurd even by Messi standards. Genuinely upset it hit the post

All over! Well done Valencia. (Of course Arsenal thrashing them still means nothing, right)

Guedes would have been beaten up by his team mates if Barca had found a goal right at the end there.

jones wrote:

That would have been one of the greatest goals ever scored, absurd even by Messi standards. Genuinely upset it hit the post

What happened? Didn't catch that.

jones wrote:

That would have been one of the greatest goals ever scored, absurd even by Messi standards. Genuinely upset it hit the post

The one from about half an hour back or did I miss something?

Ricky1985 wrote:

jones wrote:

That would have been one of the greatest goals ever scored, absurd even by Messi standards. Genuinely upset it hit the post

The one from about half an hour back or did I miss something?

Yeah that one. Just three touches and he picked his way through a packed box and beat the keeper too

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

jones wrote:

That would have been one of the greatest goals ever scored, absurd even by Messi standards. Genuinely upset it hit the post

What happened? Didn't catch that.

I've replayed it like ten times. The outside of the boot touch and absurd body feint to get past Gaya, then the touch to get it past Coquelin midair (like that goal vs Santos in the CWC) then the improvised flick shot. There are a handful of footballers in the world who could do just one of those things literally no one could pull all three off.

It was absurdly good. Like you say: Only Messi.

Bit of a joke that a title winning club plays like this.

Barcelona haven't played like this all season though. 100% on Valverde though, he keeps running players into the ground while freezing others completely out and then he's surprised how his team falls apart near the end of the season

Ricky1985 wrote:

Coquelin with an amazing/crazy tackle on Messi. The sort only he can make.

Found it

Guy is so good when he is up for it.

Shoutout to this mad man too

Rumours that Roberto Martinez will be the new Barcelona manager, with Thierry Henry as his assistant.

That just can't be true.

It sure sounds like a shitshow waiting to happen.

Martinez isn't that bad. He's twice the manager Valverde is for instance, and they hired him, so...