By Walter Broeckx
Sir Alexenophobia Ferguson has opened his mouth to tell us that the way the Bayern Munich players behaved in the game at Old Trafford was typical of Germans.
I’m not going to give too much time on reviewing the ref of that game but let me start by saying that Rafael would have walked if I was the ref when he got his first yellow card. You could argue that he was fouled and the ref should have given a free kick to United.
BUT when a player on my field thinks he can play judge like that, by kicking a player when the ball is not playable for him, than he gets a red card. There is no other option but to send him off. He just kicked a player when he was lying on the ground and the ball was yards out of reach for him.
So Sir Alexenophobia should have been a happy men with that decision. Then the second yellow card was for a pull on a player when the ball was not in his reach. Again this is a yellow card offence as is given in our instructions.
Fouling a player like that is a deliberate foul and an attempt to prevent a quick attack and a promising move. I know it is not a dangerous foul and I rather have a player pulling someone shirt than kicking him from behind but it is a cynical foul and cynical fouls are punished with a yellow card.
Now I’m going to get a little technical and this ruling should be the same, according to Mr. Blatter, for all countries. The question is: how do you give a card.
It depends on the situation. When as a ref you feel that there is a situation that could go out of hand you always pull the card first before anything else is done. Let us say a challenge that is so horrible (eg: Eduardo) you just have to run to the criminal and smash a red card under his nose (or against it if possible). Did Dean do it like that? Mmmm I doubt it.
But off course the Arsenal players did not attack Taylor after that incident as they were shell shocked by the injury. But if as a ref you fear trouble you just produce the card as fast as possible to calm things down.
When there is no trouble around you can first call the offender over and produce the yellow first or give him a lecture and then show the card. That’s up to the ref to decide on the field at the time. So the Italian ref took his time to get his card out. And in the circumstances he was entitled to think about.
Sir Alexenophobia claimed after the game that the behaviour of the players of Bayern Munich was “typical German”. Yes the players protested because they know it is a yellow card offence. And I must say that I don’t like to see that kind of behaviour of players. On my field or on any field. We all can remember the last world cup when there was a rule that when a player asks for a yellow card, he himself should get also a booking. Please bring that rule back, I still put in practice.
But now on the “typical German“ issue. Let us go back some 2 or 3 seasons in time. During that season the FA felt the need that something had to be done about players harassing refs and trying to influence the refs and waving their arms around in the well known gesture of producing a card.
And this was getting so out of hand at the time that the FA started its own campaign by telling the clubs to show respect for the ref and to leave him alone when he made his decisions.
Now it could well be that in that season, without me noticing it, the EPL was invaded by the Germans and all the players suddenly came from Germany. But of course there was no invasion of Germans, so it should have been English players that had behaved badly to cause the FA to start this campaign.
In fact when the FA made videos to let everybody know what was no longer acceptable it showed a lot of images of players from United and Chelsea that were surrounding the ref to influence him. Maybe Chelsea had Ballack in the team but I don’t think I can remember a German player playing for United the last couple of years. Please let me know if I’m wrong on this.
So it should be that the players in those days from United and Chelsea had a lot of English blood running through their veins. So Sir Alexenophobia, don’t make yourself ridiculous with comments like “typical German” when you have done it as much, or even more, as those Germans. If you don’t like the Germans, which could be the case, just say it loud. And if you don’t like Italians, just say it loud and clear. But don’t moan about something your own team has done for years AND STILL DOES.
You only are making a fool of yourself because there are people out there who have a memory you know. You have been a good manager in terms of success, I think everybody should admit this, but as a human being you are a very sour loser. Yet nobody’s seemed to notice as all of them were too busy calling Wenger a sour loser. But now it looks like you have opened some people’s eyes a bit, even some pundits eyes.
So if my little article can help some other people to open their eyes even more a bit, it was worth the trouble. Sir Alexenophobia Ferguson, one of the biggest hypocrites in the game. And now please condemn your own players whenever they go to a ref from now on. Will you? Not even I expect you would. Who else would?
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Elsewhere….
Arsenal 100 years ago – the day by day blog
Arsenal 100 years ago – the novel
Why I don’t believe the financial reports of Portsmouth and Tottenham
Injuries: A daily kick where it hurts
Kiddies & Reserves: Who will come up from the reserves for next season?
Ladies: Arsenal Ladies reach Cup Final again
as much as i agree with this article, i think you could’ve put a better one to good use
i don’t think we need similar articles like this aimed at wenger, and you know they could be made (and are made)
like i said, a true article, but i don’t know what the use was
Maybe just the fact that in the past 10 years or so every word of Wenger has been used against him on every occasion and will always be.
So I just think we should pay them back as much as we can.
“BUT when a player on my field thinks he can play judge like that, by kicking a player when the ball is not playable for him, than he gets a red card.” than -> then?
Tony, you are a breath of fresh air in the stagnant, putrid air of English Football reporting. Thanks, and keep it up!
Greets from Japan
@All bloggers,
A bit of courtesy if you please. Read who authors the articles….. Often times I see bloggers credit the wrong author. Walter wrote this piece…..
@Super Sam,
This article is very fair! It is very factual and fair. It should be put in the context of SAF hyprocacy; and Walter did so in great eloquence… As far as reprocicity… Well AW is often misquoted and put out of context so no worries in regards to articles coming against him because their will be more. I can’t think of a time where Wenger did or acted unfair to the game. It just does not happen… If you can name it or if I have missed it then tell me or show me.. It has never happened… But, I can name you a ton where SAF has acted hypocritical!
“Typical of Germans” is even more stupid when you consider that neither of the two players fouled, Van Bommel or Ribery, is German.
Personally I’d say it was more typical of Man U.
The truth is sir alex wouldnt have half the trophies he has had it not been for double standards for united from the refs all those dubious decisions and extra injury time united get every season is becoming frustating.AS A CHILD I SUPPORTED UNITED ONLY WHEN REALISED THAT DIS TEAM CHEATS AND WINS GAMES CONTROVERSIALY DID I REALISE DAT UNITED IS A JOKE AND IM NOTHING MORE DEN A CARDBOARD SUPPORTER LIVING IN A FANTASY WORLD DAT UNITED IS IN FACT A GOOD TEAM.. Thank god for opening my eyes in 06 once a gunner always a GUNNER !
The truth is sir alex wouldnt have half the trophies he has had it not been for double standards for united from the refs all those dubious decisions and extra injury time united get every season is becoming frustating.AS A CHILD I SUPPORTED UNITED ONLY WHEN REALISED THAT DIS TEAM CHEATS AND WINS GAMES CONTROVERSIALY DID I REALISE DAT UNITED IS A JOKE AND IM NOTHING MORE DEN A CARDBOARD SUPPORTER LIVING IN A FANTASY WORLD DAT UNITED IS IN FACT A GOOD TEAM.. Thank god for opening my eyes in 06 once a gunner always a GUNNER !.
Sergio, my Dutch motherlanguage came up I think. In Dutch you you write it with an ‘a’ (slightly different spelled but with an a).
@ walter,
yeah, that is reason enough.
and i never said the article was unfair, maybe unnecessary, but not unfair
I just had nothing to do at that moment.. 😉
Walter
All us English fans remember well Roy Keane, arteries bulging, staring down the ref with 10 other Utd players on prime time telly.
Sir Alex’s lot do it too.
When it suits them.
To be fair to the man, I think he was trying to ensure that the hate-filled media didn’t try and destroy Rafael. He’s a young lad who made two silly mistakes. He’s not a murderer. He didn’t threaten anyone’s limbs. But he did get his side knocked out the ECL.
So SAF decided to create a smokescreen.
Arsene has done it in the past, although not by ascribing traits to entire races.
Whether that’s wrong or just a manager doing what he thinks is best is a moot call, IMHO.
who was german in bayern munich anyway??
Walter – Your articles are a great innovation. This site is the only place where I can read informed comment upon a referee’s decisions. I also welcome your perspective on English football and culture. Thanks – it’s a breath of fresh air.
Hargreaves is German isn’t he?
No he’s English…
Amazing how Ferguson criticizes the English press, English FA, English refs at every opportunity, and he gets away with it. Wenger just has to do his own thing to get targeted by those people, like preaching his style of football, using his unique youth and scouting policy, prudent shopping, complaining about ruthless tackles (where the press will always defend the assailant) etc.
Oh and on a side note, Hargreaves is Canadian by birth I think, with a Welsh mom and English dad and played for Bayern since his youth for about 10 years, which would qualify him for German citizenship I suppose.
Germans, South Africans, Candaians, all these bleedin’ foreigners sound the same to me.
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Cricket Alert Update:
Two Links.
One on the practice of match fixing within domestic competition within the UK.
Oooo, er, missus.
Two: The calamity & corruption of local & central government, the relative authority, ECB/FA, & it’s effect on sport and health within the UK.
Is Football heading the way of Cricket?
I hope not.
First Allen Stanford etc…
It seems the FA have been taking their lead from the Old Skool Empire Boyz up the road.
To be fair, at least Lord’s has a pitch.
Whoops, the links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/apr/08/ecb-england-south-africans
http://www.cricinfo.com/countycricket2010/content/current/story/455657.html
Candaians < Canadians.
Rinseout
Hargreaves is Canadian.
Sorry. I confused playing in Germany for years for being German.
Bit like someone else…