The Merseyside Derby: Footballsup Gripes 1 and 2

Football is amazing – but it does have its flaws. Two of them were highlighted in last night’s Merseyside derby, where Everton snatched a 1-1 draw and denied Liverpool the chance to go top.

Fernado Torres had a fantastic chance at 0-0, but clean through on Tim Howard, shinned it trying to lift it over the onrushing keeper and clipped the outside of the post. It looked a bad miss – but replays showed Phil Jagielka tugging at Torres’ shirt, not enough to pull him back or pull him down, but certainly enough to unbalance him and cause him to mishit his shot. So it should have been a penalty.

We’ve discussed this before – read the background here and here.

Referees have to be brave enough to give penalties for these sly tugs – it’s enough to prevent a goalscoring opportunity, and therefore is a foul and potentially a sending off. Tugs don’t have to be strong to be a foul – anyone who’s played football to any level knows that a well timed yank of the shirt can completely ruin an attempt to strike the ball.

If referees aren’t good enough or brave enough to give these decisions, players will be forced to dive to get the foul they deserve. It fosters and encourages cheating. There is a foul there – the refs should give it. It shouldn’t take a player theatrically hitting the deck. Torres was punished by virtue of his honesty – if he had gone down, it’s highly likely a penalty would have been given, with a possible sending off as well.

One form of cheating, the shirt tug, necessitates another, diving. It’s a malaise that needs to be wiped out, and it will take many more brave decisions like the one in the article linked above before it will be.

The second gripe was illustrated early in the game – Pepe Reina jumped for a cross, completely missed it, flapped and fell, and was awarded a free kick. Joleon Lescott was nearby, but nothing more – he had his hands up, clearly showing no contact with the keeper. Referees are too scared not to award fouls against keepers – they are a protected species. The outrage on their face when they receive a challenge is embarrasing. Refs are loath not to award fouls, in case it leads to a goal and the defending team (to a man) vent their fury that an attacker had the nerve to contact their precious goalie.

Referees need to grow some balls. Penalise shirt tugs – they’re cheating – and stop wrapping keepers in cotton wool. They can be challenged just like anyone else.