Can we be good winners as well as good losers (II)
It is true that in the game of football, there are either wins, draws or losses when the referee blows his final whistle. This underscores the suspense and uncertainty in football matches. But it is unfortunate most followers of the game confidently pre-judge match results and this when disappointments, pain and anguish set in, followers are rob them of the joy and entertainment associated with the game.
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So far, almost all the 16 participating clubs playing in the national Premier League and their followers have been good winners and good losers before, during and after their matches. The glaring exception, however, was what happened at the Accra Sports Stadium during and after the Hearts of Oak and Wa All Stars match on match day six.
Even before the match, the Saturday before the Sunday encounter, some two prominent officials of Accra Hearts of Oak went to town with crude and unsubstantiated allegations about the match officials and even touched on the president of the GFA who is the owner of Wa All Stars.
These two individuals really misinformed and incited Hearts fans before the match. Hearts were dragged to the GFA’s appropriate disciplinary authority to justify their ratings. That was after the match. What happened? They profusely apologised and really begged for mercy and forgiveness.
That was within the walls of the GFA and ‘within chambers’. I think the GFA should take another look at its sanctions in matters of this type so that sanctions should include going back on the airwaves to retract their accusations and render publically their apologies.
That was before the match. It could be observed that during the match itself, the match officials were not spared. There were insults and missiles throwing galore. Wa All Stars scored the first of their three goals around the 23rd minute of the first half. The goal was scored in accordance with Law Ten of the Game, The Method of Scoring and Law 11 (Offside) was not breached. There was no off-side positioning. Yes, it looked like off-side positioning. But there is nothing in the Laws of the Game as ‘looked like off-side’ or ‘seemingly off-side’.
The Wa All Stars attacker was put on side by a Hearts defender who was lazying behind very close to assistant referee two but the Hearts fans could not appreciate the position and interpretation of off-side Law 11. They threw whatever was handy onto the field and at the hardworking assistant referee, who deserves to be commended.
This form of hooliganism was repeated around the 86th and 88th minutes of the game when the fans awarded penalty kicks to themselves. But that was not how football matches are handled.
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Around the 86th minute, from a very close range kick by a Hearts player, the ball came into contact with a Wa All Stars player’s hand which was tactically tucked behind him. Well, to the untutored mind, this was a case of hand ball. But once again, no well-trained referee would award a foul in this case.
Indeed, the Laws of the Game spell out clear considerations for the award of handball foul as follows:
a. Is the hand moving towards the ball or the ball moving towards the hand?
b. Are the player’s hands in a “Natural Position or an “Unnatural Position”
c. Does the player attempt to avoid the ball striking his hand?
d. Does the ball strike his and from a short or long distance?
e. Does the player use his hand or arm to deliberately touch or block the ball?
The above examples are some of the many considerations a referee has to observe before he awards a handball foul. And this has to be done in a split second. On this occasion, I think referee Ernest Baafi behaved professionally and desisted from awarding an undeserved foul that could have been a penalty. I agree that the Hearts supporters and indeed any other team supporters, desperate to score a goal by all means would shout for ‘penalty’. But the game of football has been established and governed by carefully thought-out rules and regulations.
The same can be said of the second appeal for a penalty award, just about two minutes after the first aborted hope. A Hearts striker with the ball in front of him and in the penalty area decided to abandon the ball and in a running action went onto a Wa All Stars defender.
The defender refused to be a prop supporting the almost falling attacker and the attacker went down. He did not only go down. He put his hand to his heard advertising a strike and indeed went ahead and started rolling on the ground as if in pain.
Again, shouts went out calling for penalty award. Indeed, the referee could have even penalised the Heart’s attacker with the offence of SIMULATION on these grounds. The considerations are:
1. Did the attacker use the slight contact to deceive the referee?
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2. Did the attacker initiate the contact between his opponent and himself?
3. Who was the initiator of the contact?
4. Did the attacker simulate a foul to win a free-kick?
But it was good that referee Baafi didn’t punish the erring attacker. That was good game management.
Hearts fans and supporters deserve some sympathies for their expectations on their calls for ‘offside’ and ‘penalty’. But it must also be said that referees do not depend on sympathies to award free-kicks. The 17 laws are clear and they govern the actions and duties of all match officials.
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Referee Ernest Baafi might have had some problems in the immediate past, but on Match Day Seven and at the Accra Sports Stadium, he and his assistants, Eric Owusu Mensah and especially, Freeman Anwulo performed creditably and professionally.
It is very painful to see one’s favourite team lose a match, especially when the opponents before the match are considered as under dogs. Even as a trained referee, I almost behaved like some of the Hearts fans when my team, Real Madrid lost two-nil in their Champions League match against German club side Wolfsburg.
I was so desperate and wish that Real Madrid should, at least, score an away goal. I shouted “penalty” on two occasions. They lost the match. But in the return leg they won by three goals. That is football.
Indeed, there are no sanctions for shouting for penalties or any other foul. I think it is part of man’s freedom of speech, in this case, in football. What is wrong, and should attract sanctions is the throwing of missiles and objects onto the field of play and at match officials and opponents.
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We should all try to be good winners and losers. That is football. Win, draw or lose. There is a new phase emerging in Ghana football. We should all welcome and support it whether our favourite team lose, draw or win.