Shoot the messenger
Compiled by Richard Ives The fallout from World Cup referee Craig Joubert’s quarterfinal penalty blunder continues.
While some have criticised Joubert (mainly the Scots) and others have blamed Scotland for not closing out the game (mainly Australians), a rugby great has turned on World Rugby.
The game’s governing body took the extraordinary step of releasing a statement saying Joubert should have awarded Australia a scrum, rather than penalising Scotland in the dying embers of Australia’s last-gasp win.
But Australian great David Campese has lambasted World Rugby, claiming Joubert’s public execution by his bosses should be met with something similar for those responsible for the statement.
‘‘I have been in games where referees have made real blunders, but whoever put that statement out saying the referee got it wrong should be shot,’’ he told talkSPORT radio in Britain as the issue continued to smoulder there.
‘‘One of the biggest problems in world rugby is trying to get referees, and if they’re going to cop abuse every game – meaning there will be no referees – then we haven’t got a game.
‘‘I know they make mistakes but [you have to] live with them. If this decision had been the other way around people would be saying, ‘oh, shut up you Aussies, you whinge all the time’.’’ Mourinho is a man under pressure, but it won’t just be results on the football pitch he will have to answer for, after footage emerged of him appearing to push a 14-year-old boy who was trying to take a video of him.
Footage shows teenager Otto Nahmmacher walking just in front of Mourinho, who is seen chatting on the phone on the streets of London. Mourinho then looks towards the camera, and noticing he is being filmed, walks towards the boy. The picture then shakes wildly, suggesting there was a disgruntled shove.
The expression on the boy’s face would also suggest Mourinho’s alleged actions were out of line. He told the Daily Mail he did not have much respect for Mourinho as a result of the incident, but would continue to support the Blues despite what had happened.
‘‘I was trying to take a selfie with him from a distance,’’ Nahmmacher said. ‘‘He approached me and grabbed my arm and pushed me. It hurt at the time but it’s all right now, I’ve not got any bruises. I was really shocked; I didn’t know what to do. I cycled back as he walked off normally like nothing happened.’’
After winning the English Premier League title last season, Chelsea have slipped to 12th this year, having won just three of nine games including defeats to Crystal Palace, Southampton and Everton.
Even Nahmmacher’s father Hans, another lifetime Chelsea supporter, stuck the boot into the Mourinho for his alleged shove.
‘‘It’s really shaken him,’’ Hans said.
‘‘Jose was a real hero for my son. We are both die-hard fans. I think it’s been 10 years since I took him to his first Chelsea match. It’s a real shocker when one of your heroes does that.’’ against the San Diego Chargers on October 12. Ironhead was his father’s nickname, but writing any words not condoned under the NFL’s strict uniform policy is a against the rules, so he was fined US$5787 (NZ$8623) for the breach.
However, Heyward ignored the fine and wore the same paint and words for his team’s game against the Arizona Cardinals over the weekend, risking a further US$11,576 fine.
The incident led to a public outcry from Steelers fans and the NFL eventually came to its senses, meeting with Heyward to say it would significantly reduce the fines if Heyward represented his father in other ways.
HYSLOP’S HUNCH