Cheating Portuguese exit the World Cup

Allez les Blues!

Never - at least not since the Germans invaded - has the World rallied to the cause of France. Me? I was desperate for France to win, a first for me I must admit.

You may think this is just bitter spleen-venting of an England supporter. And in a sense you would be correct; I am an England supporter and I am bitterly venting my sleen. But it is more than that, this is the bitter spleen-venting of someone who loves the beautiful game and for whom the World Cup has been ruined by diving cheats.

Portugal have been an utter disgrace at this World Cup. Their unsporting behaviour has detracted from the great football that we know they can play. Their game against Holland was one of the most unsporting games ever, it was sickening to watch with cynical histrionics on boths sides. Against England Portugal were a little better but still the game was marred by their cheating and unsporting behaviour. I make no attempt to defend Wayne Rooney's actions other than to say that reacting violently to provocation is, in my mind, better than deliberately cheating to to get your opponents sent off and win a game of football. Stupid impetuousness and hot-headedness I can excuse but the persistent calculated tactics of cheating I cannot.

I hope Ronaldo does the honourable thing and does not return to England. It's a sad thing to say about such a talented player but the less of his sort in the Premiership the better for our game. FIFA must act now to stamp out play-acting. All players seen diving ought to be booked after-the-fact - retrospectively after the game - if they are not disiplined during the match.

For me the highlight of this World Cup were the heroics of Australia and Ghana. After England Ghana were my second team and I was thrilled to watch them out-Brazil Brazil, even if they did blot their copybook slightly with a dive in the dying minutes of that game. Australia, showing a tenacity that the English can only dream of, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Japan and then went on to be cruelly denied a place in the quarter finals by a disgraceful Grosso dive.

And it is because of that Grosso dive that I will be supporting France against Italy in the final - it's a shame that the Germans didn't knock the cheats out but I really hope that France do.