This malaise continues to fester dangerously as English authorities remain at quandary with regards to the best way to stamp out these ugly fouls.
In fairness, a couple of refs, like Michael Oliver, have tried to take the lead by punishing whatever they saw as foul play in the box. Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel was punished last season when he conceded a penalty for grappling with Swansea’s Wilfred Bony.
But hell was let lose in the English media when English-born Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross was rightly punished for committing similar indiscretion on Bony (again) early this season! Oliver was the ref and he was subjected to the biggest press scrutiny of his impressive refereeing career.
Antagonists argue that football is a physical game (contact spot, they lecture) and that it would be killing the competitive edge of the game if mere ‘coming together in the box’ is punished. Their biggest argument against refs making the right call is that a ref might have to award six, seven penalties in a match if grappling should be punished.
I laugh at these two impotent arguments. First is that grappling (or the lesser evil shirt tugging) is a foul in FIFA’s Laws of the Game and should be punished as such wherever and whenever it happens in a match or the ref would not be doing his job.
Now let’s take a good look at the “more serious” second argument that refs would be giving many penalties in a match at the detriment of the game’s competitiveness. First I want to observe that there is no where in FIFA’s Laws of the Game that limits the number of penalties a ref could award in a match.
Secondly, refs will not need to award many penalties in a match because the moment players see one of them punished for the foul everybody becomes careful. Players are not animals. On the contrary, they are mostly very intelligent beings who can read and guage the mood and the competence of refs.
In fact, the reason why grappling remains prevalent in the BPL is because players know refs are reluctant to punish the foul. Or have you asked yourself why players from English clubs don’t grapple with opponents in European competitions. But the moment they come back to the BPL they drop their saintly garb and revert to grappling in the box with impunity. It’s very much like my country men who are often in their best behaviour when abroad but quickly revert to indiscipline once back on our soil.
Some argue plausibly that it may be difficult for refs to punish this offence since it is often perpetrated by defenders as much as the attackers. Yes, I agree players from both the defending and attacking teams commit the foul with impunity. But this is why refs need to be very vigilant.
If it’s the attacker who fouls, a free-kick is awarded against his team and the goal scoring opportunity from the set-piece is lost. And of course, if it’s the defender found at fault, then he gives away a pen, as simple as that.
Believe me, do that consistently and players will start behaving themselves, thus ridding the beautiful game of wrestle-mania. What says ya, guys?
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