Do this at Anfield and there could be trouble
ALAN SHEARER was as animated as many have ever seen. ‘Come on man,’ he said to a nodding Gary lineker. ‘Do me a favour, will you? shearer, like most who have played the game, had nothing but sympathy for Raheem sterling over his red card. And the professional fraternity are right: we don’t know what it is like to score the winning goal, in the 97th minute, in front of thousands. Those who do describe an uncontrollable, euphoric rush. Yet, just as significantly, cantly, footballers don't know what it is like to keep law and order at a football match, either; to
be a policeman or steward when the crowd spills on to the pitch. They don’t know what instructions have been given; they don’t know about past experiences, fears and projections; they don’t bear the responsibility to ensure everyone gets home safely.
So a little understanding is necessary on both sides, perhaps. If referee Mike Dean is required to walk in Sterling’s shoes, to appreciate that a red card — albeit for a second bookable offence — is a disproportionate punishment for a moment of pure jubilation, then maybe the ex-players might spend five minutes considering it from the officials’ point of view.
Not just Dean, but stewards and police officers, too. As it turned out, on Saturday, order was quickly restored. Some of the fans had already made it to the fringes of the playing surface by the time Sterling joined them, and the celebrations were sheer exuberance, no more.
But place that goal, that situation, elsewhere. At Anfield, maybe, or Old Trafford. Would the locals have been so docile faced with Sterling, his Manchester City team-mates and their supporters glorying pitch-side in a late win?
It was just days ago that Burnley manager Sean Dyche talked of fearing for his players during a match with Blackburn. Not all hosts are as accommodating as Bournemouth.
Maybe Dean had that in mind, too. The need to set a precedent; to ensure Sterling’s abandon does not become this season’s norm.
City’s match-winner isn’t a villain, but neither is Dean. Policing a football match is not easy, and there are greater considerations than the unchecked gratification of professional footballers.