It’s a question that begs asking, isn’t it?
Every time a referee reaches into his pocket to extract a card, he is swamped by players wearing looks of thunderous incredulity on their faces and waving their arms in dramatic disbelief. Never mind the fact that more often than not everybody on the field saw the guilty player commit the foul that prompted the referee to book him.
A first-time observer would be forgiven for thinking that the referee might change his mind if the players protested loudly enough. That maybe if the players gave the referee the right look, he’ll feel like a proper chump and put that red card away.
Yet it never ever happens. So why do the players do it?
Two reasons. A: Incidents like the Hand of God and the Roberto Rojas Scandal. B: Referees are hog-tied by draconian rules that prevent them from making intelligent decisions, thus opening up all sorts of loopholes for the players to exploit.
I’ve complained long and hard about the rules that referees operate under. They’re (the rules) stupid and make for stupid refereeing. Consider the fact that referees can’t consult replays in order to make goal decisions. Remember Frank Lampard’s goal that was disallowed? Remember Carlos Tevez, who was clearly in an offside position, but was awarded the goal? It was quite amusing to watch the referee award the goal, and then jog over to his assistant on the side to ask what exactly had happened. While they were holding a mini-conference on the side, someone broke Fifa’s rule about showing replays of controversial decisions, and the entire stadium were treated to a slow-motion replay of the goal. Everybody, including the referee, saw that Tevez had been offside. Oops. Now what? Fifa says you can’t consult replays to make your decision. Oh, well. A goal it is. What sort of impression does this leave on the mind of the footballer? If I cheat, I might get away with it. The rules are malleable. The system is fallible.
Dirty, sneaky, under-handed play is in. Honour, good sportsmanship and fair play are out.
It wasn’t always like this.
In 1996 Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was awarded the Uefa Fair Play award after he unsuccessfully tried to reverse a referee’s bad decision. The difference here is that the referee thought that Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman had fouled Fowler, and gave a penalty. Fowler then attempted to change the referee’s mind about giving the penalty his way, because the referee had made an error and there were no grounds for the decision. After failing to change the referee’s mind, he took the penalty tamely and Seaman saved the initial shot, only to see Jason McAteer score from the rebound.
Paolo di Canio won the Fifa Fair Play award in 2001 for refusing to take a clear goal-scoring opportunity in a game against Everton in December 2000. In a not-often-repeated display of sportsmanship, he caught a ball that had been crossed instead of shooting into an empty net after Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard twisted his knee in an attempted clearance at the edge of the box.
There are other examples of sportsmanlike behaviour in football, but they’ve been drowned out in a cacophony of diving, shamming, grimacing and cheating.
Long ago, when football was a sport and not a money-making machine, diving in the penalty area was unheard of. Players rolling about on the grass and clutching at their faces like someone had poured boiling oil into their eyes never happened. If someone got fouled, and the referee didn’t award a free kick, you simply got up and got on with the game. You didn’t shout and scream at the referee.
Then someone introduced the idea of winning at all costs. A certain Diego Maradona, who has provided much side-line entertainment as the coach of the Argentinian team. In the 1986 World Cup, he scored a goal with his hand in a quarter-final match against England, and later credited it to “the hand of God”. Argentina went on to win that World Cup. Maradona’s brazen admission that he had scored with his hand, made it OK for footballers to cheat in pursuit of glory. Maradona made it OK for Luis Suarez to stop a clear goal with his hands, and then boast about being the new Hand of God. Maradona made it OK for players to brazenly seek to exploit weaknesses in the rules of football (like poor referees) in order to win at all costs.
Roberto Rojas deserves an honourable mention in the annals of football’s most inglorious moments. He was the Chilean goalkeeper in the 1990 Fifa World Cup qualifying match. Chile were 1 – 0 down to Brazil and needed to win the match in order to qualify. Rojas fell to the ground in the course of the second half, clutching his head. A firework had apparently been thrown at him, and he was stretchered off. The Chilean players then refused to continue the match, claiming that the pitch was no longer safe. The match was abandoned, but when officials looked at the incident at a later stage, they discovered that Rojas had been shamming. Brazil were awarded the match 2 – 0 and Chile were banned from qualifying for the 1994 World Cup.
So, instead of asking whether a player has ever reversed a referee’s decision, how about asking where good sportsmanship disappeared to in football? Do we no longer have players who are honourable to get on with the game, instead of yelling at the referee?
Seen a couple, one on TV a few years back springs to mind Liverpool v Someone – European tie. Liverpool managed to convince the ref that he hadn’t just given a penalty, he’d given a corner. In front of the Kop.
But the fact that this is just one incident in my 30+ years of football watching experience does tend to suggest that the players are wasting their time and effort.
What a great blog! Great insights, and lots of interesting facts. I always enjoy your blogs, and seriously think you would be up there as a sports journalist – a great read.
The past number of days have seen many such incidents – players, including the guilty party, running to and screaming at the referee like they could cut off the hand trying to reach for the yellow or red.
But I think it is a natural reaction, especially from people labouring under a dictatorship. South Africans, just like other nations which lived under totalitarian rulers would always scream their disdain at the system, even when the system has taken a decision like to forcefully remove a community from the land they have occupied for generations.
I for one think football refereeing is the most totalitarian form of authority still on two legs and that something needs to be done about it. The referee becomes the lord who can do as he pleases.
One referee in the 2010 World Cup is reputed to have urinated on the pitch whilst on duty in the past- who can do that if he is not a Mugabe?
No.
I don’t normally watch football, so the world cup has been quite interesting. If I were in charge, I would give a yellow card to everyone that dived trying to get a foul / penalty. Then you would only see those that were really fouled (or were sure they could get away with it) fall down.
What about citing players for one hour after the match. If you take Suarez’s dive in the Bafana penalty box (where he got a penalty and the Bafana goalkeeper was sent off), he could have been cited and prevented from playing in the next match.
I am going to miss the amateur dramatics after Sunday…
I do agree with Sepp Blatter that the simplicity of the game is what makes soccer so popular.
Personally, I like lots of rules. The more complicated the better. I love the complexity of the LBW rule in cricket. But not everyone is like that.
Making soccer more fair will probably lead to more rules (some easy to apply, some others more difficult). It’s a fine balance between fairness and simplicity. Maybe it will affect the popularity of soccer on the street level. Maybe not. Maybe it will increase the credibility of World Cup matches. Nothing is certain.
Point is… it’s time for change. Start experimenting with new rules at club level and see how it goes. Is that so difficult?
Different countries have different culture when it comes to football. Some are taught to cheat as if allowable if one gets away with it. Uruguay and France springs to mind. It shows in their football style, and it sullies the game to see brazen fouls attempted, or un-fouled players diving as if fouled. The game becomes overwhelmed by stoppages for free kicks.
Take last nights game between the skilled gentlemen of Germany and Spain. Clean soccer was enjoyed by all, and I counted only three free kicks awarded in the first half, with very few in the second half.
The Netherlands is also guilty of intentional fouling, and I suspect that the final will prove to be a messy game.
Football is a beautifull game played by a large percentage of hooligans on the field. In order to restore football to it´s past glory, the referee must apply the rules designed to help him control the game as that is what he is there for, to contol the game. There are laws that allow him to control dissent, cheating ie diving, triping players from behind, tackling from behind (red card )late tackling, demanding a card be given to an oponent ( ungentlemany conduct )and manny other situations yet referees chose to ignore such laws because I think,for fear of criticism by the press, managers and suporters. All thr referee has to do, in my opinion is to apply the rules as they stand stricktly and the game will clean itself out.
Quite funny. Pro football must be the only sport in the world where every player on the filed is trying to cheat as there is little sanction for ceating (not like Formual 1 for example – huge fines and life bans). Remeber also that in the last SWC the ref and linesmen didn’t see the Zidane head butt; it was pointed out to him after replays. Soccer is a beautiful game that has been hi-jacked by cheats and crooks at the highest level (a bit like SA).
the short answer, maybe an ill informed one, is no. however, if this enables or encourages players to get refs to make incorrect decisions that that they don’t reverse, we have a problem. the great game then is inundated with pathetic incidents of cheating which dilutes our desire for old fashioned sportsmanship. cynics will argue that we must move on with the times. i say, most of us admire good sportsmanship more than winning at all costs. as good a player as maradonna was, i don’t necessarily respect or like his values. if gary linekar could avoid yellow cards, while others chose not to, maybe we should look into the real reasons why the ref is being conned on the field. as spectators we could choose what we will tolerate as unnacceptable entertainment.
Yours is a straight forward question with obvious answers for people who follow soccer.
If soccer players didn’t protest when they receive discrepant decisions from referees, we’d see more debatable decisions. So soccer players, at large, revolt to keep the referee in check, not so much to change the decision. They know very well they can’t change a decision once executed by referees… at least NOT while the game is still on… or at least NOT directly. Sometimes referees have a way of making up for their mistakes within a game! Regular soccer fans can attest to that…
Have you never heard that “The referee’s decision is final” ???
Napo Mokoetle,
Referees have the power send a player off. Players don’t have the power to send a red card a referee. Not really a checks-and-balances relationship, wouldn’t you say?
The people who check up on a referee are the Referee Panel, who assess the official’s performance after the match is over. Referees who make non-controversial decisions most often have that panel meeting at the back of their minds, rather than the player screaming and shouting in front of him.
All I can say is that irrespective of the fact that referees have the final word, soccer players’ protests in the field of play do make a difference. This becomes blatantly obviously when other countries during world cups have to play against countries like Brazil, Argentina, etc.
As I said before, the players know the referee’s decision is final, but they know their protests, when stern enough, are most likely to influence many future decisions their way! As such, there is validity in the protests, meaning they’ll always be part of the GAME.
How about the introduction of goal line officials, like in the Eurocup or whatever it is called now. They would clearly be able to see the ball cross the line, and Tevez’s offside! No need for expensive technology or replays, and it would not detract from the game at all. the refs already stop games to consult with linesmen, so I can’t see how it will spoil the flow of the game either!
Soccer nowadays has some severe problems. Maradona’s Hand of God is a symptom of an illness that has been creeping into the game for some time. Professional fouls, shamming, and now packing the goal line with players, one of whom will palm away a certain goal. Gets him sent off, but there is a chance the penalty will get saved. As Ghana found out to their cost.
I have a Ghanaian colleague living in the US who watches a lot of Central and South American football and told me this practice is rife in these games. It is NOT a ‘reflex’ action as terrypainembe and his mates kept saying on SuperSport.
My suggestion:
15 mins sinbin for a yellow card (I know it’s 10 in rugby but soccer is a longer game, this is therefore proportionate punishment.
Immediate red card for shamming in the penalty area. You are trying to get an unfair goal and an opposition player red carded by doing this, so let’s even up the risk equation.
A ‘goal penalty’ like the penalty try in rugby. This will stop the farting in church of Uruguay and their ilk.
Video goal line technology.
Only the last suggestion is likely to add time to games – the others, if applied strictly, will make soccer a fairer game.
But I doubt it will be done. The current situation gives bribed referees plenty of scope to alter a result to suit their ends… are you reading this Sepp?
Soccer rules allow for something that we all have. Its called human error. If we allow electronic third referees and the like, it will spoil the simplicity and sponteniety of the game. That was the case when all this betting and mafia business crept into the game. The next thing we will be seeing lawyers and magistrates on the touchline to arbitrate disputed decisions. Call me old fashioned but believe me… that’s where the fun of the game is.