Sportsman but where’s the sportsmanship
The ball hit the defender’s head but the referee awarded a goal kick. Despite protests from the opposing team, the referee stood his ground and play continued.
Every weekend, I stay glued to the cable channels watching English Premier League games and almost without fail, such incidents prevail. This begets me to wonder — where’s the sportmanship? When will a player own up that he was the last person to touch the ball and that the decision should be awarded to his opponent? When will the striker who tripped himself tell the referee that a penalty should not be given?
It looks like honesty is not a word to be associated with professional soccer. More often than not, highly-paid stars seem to play as though they belong on Broadway or in Hollywood rather than on the football pitch. They are such great actors that they may just give the likes of Tom Hanks and Al Pacino a run for the Best Actor award.
It’s a pity that professional sportsmen have become so professional that honesty is no longer in their vocabulary.