This was sparked by the recent no goal decison in the Man U - Totenham game. I have read more than one comment about how Roy Carroll should have owned up or confess at the time that it was a goal, which although noble is a bit much to expect.
In terms of sportsmanship it reminded me vaguely of a story from several years back that I hope someone can fill in the details.
Typically when a player is injured the ball is kicked out of play and the when playis resumed it is gamely returned by the one team to the other which had put it out. I recall an incident where this did not happen, possibly somewhat mistakenly and it resulted in a goal as the one team was expecting the usual return favor. The ref of course had no recourse but to allow the goal and it turned out to be the difference. However, the team that benefitted from the goal was so embarrassed that they immediately petitioned the FA to nullify the result and asked for a replay, which they got. If I recall they won the replay, but I am curious if this sounds at all familiar to anyone.
Before I try looking it up on Google, I’ll guess that Arsenal were involved, and that certainly the FA would have no legal ability to change the result (no laws had been broken).
"Some years back, in a game I was playing, one of the opposing forwards punched the ball into our goal. I was the goalkeeper for our team at the time, and was extremely annoyed and complained bitterly because the referee awarded the goal. To add insult to injury, the ref then sent me off. Knowing that the player had cheated and got away with it, I refused to pay the fine on principle. I was subsequently banned sine die .
Well, last weekend I was asked to play in a representative match, and I couldn’t believe my eyes, as it was the same ref who sent me off all those years ago. We got to chatting, and he asked me if I ever paid that fine. When I said no, he sent me off before the kickoff! He can’t do that can he?"
"The controversy came two minutes into stoppage time when Albania kicked the ball into touch so that striker Igli Tare could receive treatment. When play restarted, Ireland kept possession and scored the winner as substitute Gary Doherty’s cross was sliced into his own net by Ardian Aliaj.
Briegel said: “Ireland are famed for their fair play, and Albania kicked the ball out because our player was injured.
Ireland had the ball to throw back but they didn’t give it to Albania. Make up your own mind, but Albania were expecting the ball back from the Irish.
There is an unwritten law in football so we cannot make a complaint to Uefa, it is the law of fair play.”
It was Arsenal - Sheff Weds, in the 1999 FA Cup. Nwankwo Kanu claimed to be ‘unaware’ of the sportsmanship of returning the ball. Arsenal won the replay by the same scoreline, 2-1.
"WITHIN minutes of the stormy conclusion to this match, the FA agreed to its being re-run. The decision, whose speedy common sense will be welcomed beyond South Yorkshire, was made by David Davies, the acting chief executive, and Terry Annable, chairman of the Challenge Cup committee, upon hearing that Arsenal had offered Sheffield United a second chance to stay in the competition.
This followed an interruption of eight minutes as Sheffield United’s manager, Steve Bruce, angrily protested about Arsenal’s notional winner, at several stages appearing to call his players off. The point at issue was whether Arsenal should have returned the ball to United after the First Division team’s goalkeeper, Alan Kelly, had kicked it out of play so the limping 18-year-old winger Lee Morris could depart. Ray Parlour duly threw it into United territory but the substitute Nwankwo Kanu intervened and his short cross was tapped home by Marc Overmars with Kelly out of position."
“Arsenal started brightly, and generally played well throughout the first half. Marcello missed an absolute sitter for the blades, but Overmars did his best to wind the travelling Sheffield United fans into a frenzy, by opening the scoring around the fifteen minute mark. I was so pleased for him - every time he got near the ball he was jeered and booed, but he rose above it all to net the first goal.”
There were actually a number of people (myself included) who thought it was setting a bad precedent, for a competitive game to be replayed over the violation of a custom. Not a rule, a custom.
Also, I’m sure Arsenal’s magmanimous agreement to the replay had nothing to do with the fact it was Sheffield United (a lower-division side) they were up against rather than, say, Man U or Liverpool.
I also wonder what the financial implications of the replay were - a whole lot of new ticket sales (even if they were discounted), perhaps there was more TV money paid, and so on.
Also futile. Even had Carroll told the ref the ball went over the line, he couldn’t have changed his decision, which was based on the linesman’s judgement.
Criticism of Carroll is ridiculous. His instinctive reaction was to try to prevent the ball crossing the line - keepers don’t deliberate over whether the ball is likely to cross the line or not. While he of course knew that the ball had crossed the line, what was he meant to do after the goal was not given? Throw it back into the net? He’d never play professional football again.
As already mentioned, even if he had raced upfield to tell the ref it was a goal, the ref was not empowered to change his decision on his say-so.
There are many problems with football in England (and worldwide) - attitudes to referees and linesmen being one of them, attempting to deceive the officials another. FIFA should sort these out. Look at rugby and cricket, where dissent over officials’ decisions is not countenanced.
While there’s so much dosh in the game, the authorities will do nothing to remove attitudes and practices that could enfeeble the game in the long term. Full houses at Premiership games are not a birthright. Nor is the Asian love affair with the English game.