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Topped off with a yellow card
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
20th August, 2009
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Freud of Football
Roar Guru
20th August, 2009
17
1351 Reads

The first round of the EPL saw Didier Drogba get in Alan Wiley’s bad book after he sublimely chipped in with Chelsea’s winner against Hull City.

While I’m not a fan of the “wave the shirt over the head routine”, (Youtube is full of great examples of originality and acrobatic ability) punishing a player for a lack of imagination is a bigger scourge on the game than the crime itself, in my book.

The English FA should be commended for the few amendments made to the rulebook in the off-season, one of which was moving forward the cut-off date for accumulated yellow cards.

Ultimately, this will result in fewer players missing games come mid-season due to silly suspensions that we’ve seen in the past.

Yet no action was undertaken on the more important problem of Law 12 regarding Unsporting Behaviour.

Here it is stipulated that removing the shirt or even covering one’s head with the shirt is to be regarded as unsportsmanlike behaviour and is to be punished with a yellow card and further that “players should avoid such excessive displays of joy”.

This could be interpreted as FIFA’s way of saying: “There is nothing worse for football than a player scoring a cracker from 30 yards, ripping his shirt off and waving it around in front of his teams Supporters” which is surely not what they mean, just the impression they ultimately give.

Drogba, who is looking to be back to his breathtaking best this year, has now been unfairly handicapped with a yellow card for disrobing on his way to the corner flag.

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He is a player infamously known for his tantrums and irrational outbursts.

One surely hopes he’ll be able to tame his demeanour for the next 19 games before the FA’s amnesty kicks in and wipes the slate clean for 2010 and avoid a suspension.

I’m the first to admit there are more pressing matters in football; the quality of the refereeing at the highest level, clubs spending outside of their own means and the poaching of Italy’s young stars to name just a few but does the game really need this obscene rule?

Of course, everyone wants the game to be played in good spirits, but in what way is it unsporting to remove one’s shirt?

Surely Thierry Henry’s famous dribbles into the corner to waste time are more unsporting than celebrating a goal?

Or Bristol City’s backline shamelessly allowing the referee to make an obvious mistake in their season opener against Crystal Palace is a bigger black spot on the game’s reputation than this? Who exactly does this rule serve to protect?

It’s just five months and three competitive games since Darren Fletcher missed the Champions League Final due to an obvious officiating error which, due to UEFA’s lack of an appeals process meant the decision was unable to be overturned.

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While Fletcher isn’t a Messi or Ronaldo, surely it should have served as a warning to the Administrator’s, a warning to be more proactive to ensure that no stars will be missing from this year’s show piece events due to ridiculous rules and decisions.

FIFA simply must have a long hard look at the rules and “tweak” where necessary.

There is no need to rewrite the rule book. We just need a new edition.

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