Some years ago, I was watching a
televised football match where an attacker was bearing down on
goal with the ball at his feet. Only the goalkeeper remained
between him and the goal and, despite being hotly pursued by a
defender, he skilfully slotted the ball past the helpless
keeper. Just the sort of thing that you and I as spectators want
to see, open football, skilful players, excellent goals.
The legendary Bobby Charlton was
the television co-commentator. He applauded the goal but he
expressed the view, that the defender would be in for a slating
by his manager, for not bringing the attacker down before he
could score.
I was shocked by this comment
from one of my footballing heroes, but he was only acknowledging
what coaches were instilling in their players. If an opponent
has a clear run at goal and you can't tackle him fairly, bring
him down anyway. So you give away a free kick, it's better than
a goal: even if it's a penalty, penalty kicks have been
missed.
Remember, they used to call it
the 'professional foul'. It got that name because it was mainly
used by professional players, having been indoctrinated by their
coaches. Coaches or managers, whatever name they go under, in
the professional game are under enormous pressure. Results are
all that matter. Goals by opponents must be stopped at all
cost.
It was this disregard for the
laws of the game and more importantly for the spirit of the
game, that led the game's law makers. the International FA
Board, to act. First in 1996 to give an interpretation that this
behaviour constituted serious foul play and then two years
later, to write it into the laws as a separate sending-off
offence. It reads, 'A player who denies an obvious goal-scoring
opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal, by
an offence punishable by a free kick or penalty kick, is sent
off.
This was a law forced on the game
by the philosophy of the coaches but now the coaches are
fighting back. UEFA has had representations made by the Europe
Elite Coaches Forum, which includes Aresène Wenger, Sir Alex
Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, and Gérard Houllier. Apparently they
accept that if the last man brings down an opponent outside the
penalty area and denies a goal scoring chance, then there is no
choice but a red card. However they say, if a player brings the
opponent down inside the penalty area, the opposing side are
awarded a penalty, so they are being given that goal- scoring
chance back. In that situation, they suggest, the referee should
have the option of a red or a yellow card.
To my mind the coaches are
missing the whole point of this punishment. This clause was
introduced, like so many other alterations to the laws of the
game in recent years, to give an advantage to the skilful
players over the cloggers. The aim is to provide a more exciting
game for everyone. Nothing spoils a game more than players
continually being brought down, moves being frustrated by
shirt-pulling preventing players getting to the ball.
Not only must the punishment be
certain and act as a deterrent, it must be more than a free-kick
or penalty. Imagine if players thought they might get away with
that sort of offence and only receive a caution. They would
consider it worth risking a yellow card, especially as coaches
would be quick to point, penalties can be missed.
If UEFA decide to put the
coaches' report forward, it would have to be considered by the
International FA Board at their annual laws review next
February. Let's hope that they don't fall for this softened
approach, no matter how distinguished its proposers.