An article in The New York Times argues that the Spanish selection has two sides to it; a good side, typified by Xavi and David Villa, while Joan Capdevila and Fernando Torres represent the dark side in getting members of the opposite team sent off unfairly.

Comparing today’s Spanish squad with the 2002 Brazilian team the article says:

“Like Spain, that team had players who were happy to seek free kicks at the slightest sign of interference, as Rivaldo infamously did in a group game against Turkey. Maybe Spain has surmised that to win a World Cup, you need a full array of the footballing arts, including some of its dark ones; the truth is hidden somewhere behind Vicente del Bosque’s Great Barrier Reef of a moustache, and it isn’t emerging anytime soon. What we can reliably say is that the Spanish, with their careful manipulation of both ball and referee, are in the World Cup quarterfinals.”

Read “Noble Spanish Are Also Masters of Game’s Dark Arts” at The New York Times

Tags: David Villa, Fernando Torres, Joan Capdevila, Spain, World Cup, Xavi