Time for referees to stop getting shirty
CThis absurd edict is supposed to be a deterrent, yet it has almost become a badge of honour
an anyone remember why Fifa, in its divine wisdom, made it mandatory for referees to show a yellow card to a player who celebrates by taking his, and presumably her, shirt off?
Was it because one of its top blazers had a nipple fetish and could no longer handle the duress of having to remain dignified in the executive box as the net bulged and the areola was exposed? Or did Sepp Blatter simply have a thing about chest rugs?
In fact, Fifa issued the dictum in 2004 in an effort to stop fans rioting. “Instigative,” was the adjective the governing body used to describe the practice of whipping off the jersey and waving it around one’s head. Fifa actually decided this was a dangerous act.
And so what we are left with 17 years on is the same tired old routine occurring week in, week out. Footballer scores, footballer gets carried away, footballer calms down, footballer walks back to own half, referee sheepishly gets out a card. It is accepted nowadays as a necessary evil. The professional knows he should have resisted but there are no regrets. That yellow is like a hangover. Worth it, when everything is considered.
Certainly Josh King seemed to think so at Goodison Park on Saturday as he returned to the club who rejected him to score a hat-trick for Watford.
In that instance it would have been surely forgivable for King to stand in front of the directors and enact a moonie, but he limited it to a quick flash of his black sports bra underneath and was punished anyway.
Meanwhile at Portman Road, Bersant Celina marked his injury-time winner over Fleetwood Town by hurling his shirt into the crowd. The fans generously threw it back to him, but no matter, the ref ’s caution was inevitable. “It doesn’t bother me because I am so, so happy,” the Kosovan said.
And therein lies the evidence why the edict is so absurd. It is supposed to be a deterrent, yet it is now exactly the opposite. It has almost become a badge of honour, an expression of how much that moment means.
“Hey, I know I’m going to suffer for doing this, but I don’t care. This is bigger than petty bureaucracy.” Thus the farce goes on and on.
However, Fifa maintains that it is a form of taunting and must be stamped out. But then when proper taunting occurs, the referees sometimes do nothing. Because that particular circumstance has not been spelt out by Fifa.
Take Jamie Paterson two weeks ago. After converting a cracker for Swansea City in the South Wales derby, he mimicked the breaststroke motion. In 1988, a group of Cardiff City fans were chased on to Swansea beach by home supporters and jumped into the sea to escape. Hence, “Swim Away, Swim Away, Swim Away”.
Russell Martin, Paterson’s manager, joined in with the hilarity after the final whistle, doing the old Duncan Goodhew himself. Martin claimed to be ignorant of the history and presumably so, too, was James Linington, as the official did nothing about it. Cardiff have since contacted the police.
Really? The police? Over someone waving their hands about? Get a flaming grip and do so quickly, otherwise we will start studying everything to the nth degree, find offence in the most harmless of gestures and so reach a point when players exhibiting those normal human emotions of pleasure and elation will be sanitised to the point of becoming automatons.
It is already happening in American football. Last week, a touchdown was ruled out because as the wide receiver ran into the endzone he did a little high kick. It was barely discernible in real time, but it fell foul of the NFL’S strict new edict that competitors must not indulge in “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams”.
Except that is part of sport and of watching. You cheer teams you like and jeer teams you do not. Eradicate that and you do not have sports contests – you have exhibitions. So let the heroes strip. And if you do not approve, then you can do this thing called “looking away”.