Kind of a predictable day in South Africa today – Portugal slaughtered North Korea, Chile beat ten-man Switzerland, and Spain rolled over Honduras – so instead, a few essays.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee needs to get it together.

The committee only has the power “for rectifying obvious errors in the referee’s disciplinary decisions, for example in the case of mistaken identity,” according to FIFA.com. Yet every match contains refereeing mistake after refereeing mistake. Kaká will miss Brazil’s next match after his sending off, even though his second yellow was due to the biggest dive of the competition. Robbie Findley will miss the USA’s final group match after being carded for deliberate handball on a ball that hit him in the face. These are ridiculous decisions, but since they don’t fall under the purview of the disciplinary committee, they haven’t been overturned.

In the same vein, I wonder when instant replay will finally make an appearance at the World Cup, if for nothing else than to review goals. We’ve yet to see a “did the ball cross the line or not?” moment at this World Cup, but leaving this decision to referees and linesmen – none of whom could possibly be in position to call this as well as video could – is silly. (And you wonder if there’s a way to prevent Luis Fabiano’s double-handball goal as well.)

Speaking of Fabiano – where’s the outrage?

France defeated Ireland in qualifying thanks to a blatant handball from Thierry Henry. (Never mind that Ireland benefited from a handball of their own in qualifying, against Georgia.) Now, Fabiano scores in the actual tournament, handling the ball twice on the way to his goal – and all I heard were a few “perhaps a hint of a handball there” chuckles from commentators. No one has castigated Fabiano. No one has labeled Brazil a bunch of cheaters.

Why not?

John Terry is my least favorite player of the World Cup

I have always hated Didier Drogba. So, too, Cristiano Ronaldo, the A-Rod of soccer. I have great distaste for several Barcelona players in Spain’s side, who continue their public attempts to get Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to switch to the Catalan side.

And yet, John Terry is my least favorite by a wide margin. Perhaps I hardly need remind you that Terry not only carried on a four-month affair with the significant other of club and England teammate Wayne Bridge, he got her pregnant, then paid for the end of the pregnancy. (Terry is married with two kids, by the way.) He was stripped of the England captaincy for that, but still went to South Africa with the team.

Now, Terry – a big part of the team that’s scored once in two matches, with two draws to show for it – led an publicly-conducted, no-followers, dressing-room coup against manager Fabio Capello, attempting to shift the blame onto the manager. (Reminder: England, with Terry but without Capello, failed to qualify for Euro 2008.)

I cannot imagine a player being more hateable than John Terry. What a ludicrous human being.