15-09-2022, 09:50
(This post was last modified: 15-09-2022, 09:51 by SaltergateBorn.)
In an ideal world, Dev, you`re absolutely right. I for one would love to see the game go back to those Corinthian values of players respecting each other and the officials, calling fouls on themselves when they knew they`d committed one - there are still vestiges of them in some sports - but the truth is that as things stand it`s not gonna happen, sadly. Nowadays, we live in the age of instant and numerous replays, multi camera angles, punditry and tv/press-inspired controversy (and where it doesn’t exist, they`ll do their damnedest to create it).
To my thinking, the solution lies with the game`s administrators. Players, coaches and managers aren`t going to do it off their own bat. They`re under pressure to get results at all costs - their jobs depend on it – so they`re going to push the envelope as far as they can. For example, some years ago the authorities brought in a rule whereby any backchat to the officials after a free-kick was awarded resulted in said free-kick being moved forward 10 yards; after a while, it was quietly withdrawn because it wasn`t ‘being effective’. The rule wasn`t being effective because it wasn`t being enforced! Why not?
I`ve always been struck by the difference between football and rugby of both codes. There, this rule has existed and been applied very successfully for years. It used to be the case – I think it still is – that the only player allowed to approach the referee was the team captain. Anybody else was told in no uncertain terms to go away and any player who refused or any repeat offender would end up in the sin-bin for 10 minutes. Why can`t this apply in football? Am I the only one to get completely turned off by the sight of a player or players running up to the referee waving their arms about trying to get another player booked or sent off? Just like a succession of players going down with ‘cramp’ (yeah, right) in the last 10 minutes when their team`s ahead, it could be stopped very quickly if the authorities had the will to do it. Unfortunately, they haven`t.
To my thinking, the solution lies with the game`s administrators. Players, coaches and managers aren`t going to do it off their own bat. They`re under pressure to get results at all costs - their jobs depend on it – so they`re going to push the envelope as far as they can. For example, some years ago the authorities brought in a rule whereby any backchat to the officials after a free-kick was awarded resulted in said free-kick being moved forward 10 yards; after a while, it was quietly withdrawn because it wasn`t ‘being effective’. The rule wasn`t being effective because it wasn`t being enforced! Why not?
I`ve always been struck by the difference between football and rugby of both codes. There, this rule has existed and been applied very successfully for years. It used to be the case – I think it still is – that the only player allowed to approach the referee was the team captain. Anybody else was told in no uncertain terms to go away and any player who refused or any repeat offender would end up in the sin-bin for 10 minutes. Why can`t this apply in football? Am I the only one to get completely turned off by the sight of a player or players running up to the referee waving their arms about trying to get another player booked or sent off? Just like a succession of players going down with ‘cramp’ (yeah, right) in the last 10 minutes when their team`s ahead, it could be stopped very quickly if the authorities had the will to do it. Unfortunately, they haven`t.