The soft side of soccer

THE sneaking and cheating that infects football, in the form of millionaire athletes feigning injury, is accepted by far too many of the game’s commentators. Of course, it’s also readily accepted by managers in the game who never ‘call out and criticise’ their own, but who are quick out of the blocks to point a finger at opposing players. Jose Mourinho was knee-deep in that two-faced role on Thursday evening when letting it be known that there was not a mark on Sergio Aguero’s face after he was ‘head-butted’ by United midfielder Marouane Fellaini in the Manchester derby. But who could feel sorry for Fellaini or Mourinho?

And who could feel any sympathy for City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo?

The Chilean netminder was stretchered off near the end of the same game in dramatic circumstances all because of a calf injury that had the spade-is-a-spade Gary Neville declaring: ‘A stretcher for a calf injury... please! Oh... come on!’