Tackling the problem? by George Nichols
Footballers of today have it so much simpler than they used to; a strong gust of wind and some fall as if they've been hit by a nuclear missile! When will they understand they are ruining the beautiful game and playing right into the hands of the governing body!
Let's get this right from the start; fans want to keep football as it is and that is a contact sport! UEFA and FIFA seem to be determined to go against that.
Nani was a great example; there isn't a question whether he fouled Arbeloa, he did. Seeing the way the player was looking he was focused solely on the ball but his foot was high. Was there intent? It’s obvious there wasn't but he made contact and that was enough for the Turkish official. The Madrid player and his colleagues never made a big deal of it, one of those things that happen in football! Then a red card was given which rendered the game as practically over and spoilt it as a spectacle.
The thing is it isn't always the fault of the referee; some players try to influence the official which I think is just as bad.
As I mentioned earlier then there are players that fall over a blade of grass; that is embarrassing both for the team they play for and the fans that have come to support them. Last year I spent around three thousand pounds on away travel to see my team play and for the most part it was money well spent. On two occasions I was appalled at what both one of the players of the team I support did and another time when an opposition player went down. Sadly the player on my team was yellow carded, his dive was worthy of Tom Daly and everyone in the ground could clearly see there was no contact. Our own fans barracked him and rightly so! Three or four games later something similar happened only this time the referee awarded a penalty!
My point is keep the game as full contact, it has been from its early roots. The great Bobby Moore was born to tackle and yet in this day and age he'd be looked upon as a thug!
I won't even mention Julian Dicks: great left foot but too eager in a challenge.
Go into a tackle wholeheartedly and most of the time you won't get hurt but if you do you know it’s part of the game
As you can see the table does not lie! Tackling is an art that simply cannot die.
If the top dogs make it non contact watch as football will lose its appeal and more importantly its fans. Be careful what you wish for because you never know, you could kill the game off altogether!