Interesting article in BBC Sport – Football today
The Premier League has asked players, managers and referees to end the custom of the ball being kicked out of play when a player goes down injured
Two points in the article stand out for me. The first is that the article points out that this is a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and not a part of the Laws of the Game.
The second is that the push has come from two quarters. The first from complaints about teams that took unfair advantage of the situation during the World Cup. It will be awhile before I can root for the Portugese again after seeing them use this ‘tactic’ far too often during the tournament.
In addition, the EPL has grappled with the issue for some time. Arsenal vs Tottenham during last years EPL season is just the most recent. A game between Sheffield United and Arsenal from 1999 FA Cup play was replayed according to the article.
Is it just a question of time before we see this behaviour in our regional high school and league play? Is it inevitable, like a river breaking down rock? The amount of shirt grabbing we see now, a style I never dealt with in 25 years of adult play except from the most cynical of foreign players, would appear to be a precursor. It is being called – Ryan Raybould of KC Wiz earned a red for not one, but two shirt pulling yellow cards in the loss to the Fire on Wednesday.
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