"The goal stands!" exclaims Martin Tyler as the crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu rains exaltations of joy over the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo shakes his head in frustration; the keeper retrieves the ball, and sets up for a goal kick.

The above sequence has never happened in an actual soccer match, but it happens too often in EA Sports's latest approximation of actual soccer, FIFA 12.

Let me be frank. I loved Xavi's interview in The Guardian earlier this month, in spite of the fact that I don't remember a word of what he said except the following. Answering an early question of Sid Lowe's how do you respond when the opposition forces you to play on the back foot?

Television is not ruining the game of soccer. That said, it is important to understand the effect that watching a soccer match on a television has on a spectator's cognition, as a match on a screen is fundamentally different from a match taking place in front of the spectator's eyes. At worst, the effect can create an unbearable narrative that is pressed upon the viewers against their will (Favre, Beckham).