Petulance aplenty on pitch after European vacation
New season, old habits. Referees are encountering insolent behaviour. Hot-headed stars are getting kicked out. Players are embroiled in transfer standoffs.
The petulant streak within soccer players is burning brightly after the summer break in Europe, and the world player of the year is leading by (bad) example.
When Cristiano Ronaldo pushed a referee during the Spanish Super Cup victory against Barcelona, soccer’s red line was crossed. The booking for diving might have been severe and the Real Madrid forward was incensed. But the physical contact was unforgivable.
Ronaldo also only had himself to blame for accumulating two bookings, since the first followed the trademark brash goal celebration he knows breaches the rules: Flash his torso to the cameras after removing the jersey.
Ronaldo will feel harshly treated again by Spanish authorities — he’s already fighting tax charges in court — but he got off lightly with a five-match domestic ban.
“The authority and the safety of the referee deserves the utmost respect and cannot be challenged,” the Spanish federation said in Monday’s judgment, “even in the hypothetical situation of having made a wrong decision.”
It was the culmination of a weekend of flare-ups in leading European competitions.
A referee also faced impertinent behaviour in London. Cesc Fabregas was booked for sarcastically applauding after a free kick was awarded against the Chelsea midfielder in the first half of the team’s Saturday Premier League opener against Burnley.
What made Fabregas’ reaction even more reckless was the champions had already seen captain Gary Cahill dismissed two minutes earlier for a wild challenge. Unable to curb his own impulses, Fabregas received the second booking late in the second half for a lunge of his own as Chelsea imploded to open its title defence with a shocking loss.
The inability to maintain discipline also proved costly for Newcastle. The Premier League newcomers were drawing 0-0 with last season’s runners-up, Tottenham, when Jonjo Shelvey was sent off for treading on Dele Alli’s foot. It was particularly foolish: The referee was right next to the pair. Newcastle paid the price, losing its season opener 2-0.
Across the channel in France, Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan also lost his cool Sunday when he threw the ball at Strasbourg’s Benjamin Corgnet and saw red. The impact of the dismissal was compounded by the inability of Lille manager Marcelo Bielsa to replace an outfield player with the backup goalkeeper from the bench because he had used up his three substitutions. In the final halfhour, three goals were conceded as a stalemate at 11 vs. 11 became a 3-0 loss to a promoted team.
“More than criticizing,” Bielsa said, “I want to find answers to situations that are avoidable.”
Other players are missing early season matches without even encountering a referee. They wish to be donning the shirts of other clubs, and are locked in power battles to be sold to a higher bidder.
Virgil van Dijk wants out of Southampton after pursuing a move to Liverpool, which is fighting off interest in Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, which was forced into selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain after his US $264million release clause was met.
All this money swilling around irritated Tottenham defender Danny Rose, who moaned in an interview not only about the size of his pay packet, but also the club’s failure to go on a transfer binge like Manchester City’s US $260million spree.
Rose urged Tottenham to sign established stars and “not players you have to Google and say, ‘Who’s that?’ ” Tottenham forced an apology out of Rose for the newspaper interview.