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Betfair 1 Birchy 0

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Yet again I have managed to prove that my prediction powers are poor. I thought that in my neutral state of 'supporting football' rather than any particular team that my predictions for the tournament would be super accurate, unclouded by partisan-ship. So confident was I that I had a clever accumulator on the basis that I would get 7 of 8 group winners correct. By the time the third group finished (my first of 6 opportunities to lose the bet) I had lost the bet.

I still have Argentina down to win; and either Giroud (often a sub for France) or Higuain (utterly overshadowed by the brilliant Messi) to be tournament top scorers.

Since I last posted, Greece surprised me completely. Not just by winning their crunch match with Ivory Coast - but by doing so in seemingly cavalier style. They were raining shots in from all distances and seem to have had a genuine shift in style and attitude - one that reflects the overall feel of the tournament; which is that "defences are pretty poor so let's go for it". 

Then onto yesterday's games where France and Ecuador played out a refreshingly dull 0-0 (which allowed me to do something other than focus 100% on footy for once); whilst Switzerland further highlighted my ability to be wrong by dispatching the hapless Honduras.

Which brings me on to today. With two great games in prospect, all eyes focused more on the Suarez verdict - so I was really glad to hear the thud of the book being flung his way. A total ban from all footy until late October, coupled with a 9 game international ban (which will be of indeterminate length, depending on competitive fixtures) means that Suarez will again be able to amass 7 figure sums in wages before kicking a ball in anger next season. Put like that it hardly feels like a punishment, but I presume he will be pretty pissed; and all his team mates will feel like the utter dicks they have been for the past 48-hours with their denials and claims that savagery and cannibalism are part and parcel of the modern game. It's one of the most hate-able parts of football; the 'fair weather morality' that completely dissolves when confronted with a potential competitive disadvantage to ones team.

The tournament, minus the Honduras team and Suarez will certainly lack that murderous edge - but with the football being so brilliant, I don't think it will suffer.

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