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Louis Egbe Mbua
So, when Luis Suarez‘s deliberate handball on the goal line defied all laws of ethics in sports and profession, it was not only sad but extremely shameful. What Suarez did was a blatant and deliberate act of cheating unbecoming of a professional on the world stage, a monumental disgrace to football and a bad day for sports. It was made worse when Suarez was caught on Camera ecstatically celebrating the Gyan penalty miss. It appears there is a propensity to cheat in crucial matches in this World Cup which, so far, has been wonderfully hosted by South Africa. This writer is not sure how football is played in South America, whether cheating is glossed over in very important matches. However, in this world Cup, a Brazilian clearly controlled the ball with his hands twice and scored; the referee saw the dreadful unfair advantage but mysteriously allowed the goal to stand. Argentina scored a clearly off side goal last week; and Maradona cheated England in 1986 World Cup in Mexico when he shamelessly punched the ball passed a protesting Peter Shilton to score a handball. Furthermore, a Uruguay referee disallowed a clear England goal against Germany.
It should be made clear that such tenuous matches can be changed by one crucial mistake by a referee. The English players have had a mauling in the press in London since their unceremonious ejection from this World Cup. However, it has to be said that had that disallowed goal stood, one is sure that it would have regenerated England’s confidence, changed their tactical approach to the match, altered their psychological well being for the better in that instance; and that one is not in the slightest doubt that we could have witnessed a completely different match altogether in the second half. This same or a similar psychological syndrome must have affected the Black Stars of Ghana. Gyan’s missed the penalty seemed to have provided a psychologically crippling blow to the team thus causing two more players to miss their penalty kicks in the penalty shoot out that unfairly resulted after extra time in the thrilling encounter.
One is of the opinion that If cheating is the method invented so as to achieve greatness in football or other aspects of social, economic and technological development, then one would prefer Africans to remain "under-achievers" in these areas rather than to engage in a perfidious outrage; and questionable moral fortitude. The deliberate act of Suarez can be likened to a banker knowingly stealing money from his own bank when times are hard, and then given the chance to refund the money when he is fine.
To me, Ghana won the match squarely; and as a consequence, an automatic semi-finalist in this World Cup adventure. Whether Gyan lost the penalty or not is a matter of profound irrelevance because there should never have been a penalty in the first place. This was, clearly, daylight football robbery in every sense of the word, on the part of Suarez, a thorough indignity, a crime to football and a downgrading of himself as a respected footballer. It should be drawn to the reader’s attention that Henri has never got over his hand ball against Northern Ireland in the France-Ireland qualifier that effectively knocked out Northern Ireland from SA WC. FIFA’ failure to punish this ill-conceived act meant that players believed they can get away with using their hands when they see fit against all the rules of decency. Why can't we just name the sport hand-football? If all players were allowed to stop all goals within their reach with their hands, what will happen? Sending them off culprits every 10 minutes and then take a penalties? In this kind of blatant hand madness, as in the crucially nail-biting quarter-final Ghana-Uruguay clash, the goal should be awarded rather than waste time on a penalty which can go either ways -- miss or win.
Thanks Ghana (And South Africa as well as all other nations in the world cup) for your heroic efforts; and not reacting in a Machiavellian manner in this debacle; and to represent Africa with style and humility, keeping your dignity and talent. Tomorrow is another day. In today’s world of over-rated, overpaid and over here arrogant and petulant professional footballers, one is pleased that a quiet and striving nation continues to maintain the beautiful game. With more courage, support and encouragement, this writer believes Ghana will go on to win the World Cup at one point in the nearest future. Ghana began the match to independence of Africa. It seems the spirit of high achievement has not been destroyed. Other African countries should follow this example, doing what is right to their people and their various nations; giving to the world what is good, pleasant and just.
As for Cameroon, I have absolutely nothing to say in this instance since there is no word that has been invented to paint what one has come to consider as a display of the horrifyingly abysmal --not attaining a single point nor win or draw a single match! While it is difficult to rise in global and international prominence in any aspect, it takes only one to three hours to fall to the ground. The risks here are that falling may be perpetual; and that that one falls does not necessitate that one must automatically rise from their fall. Some fall and rise again while others fall and never rise again. While some fall by accident, others are the architect of their own downfall. In the former scenario, the victim has a higher chance of rising again since they fell unknowingly, while in the latter case, chances of their re-emergence is pitifully slim as a result of deceiving themselves into falling. However, we should give Cameroon credit for playing a clean and fair game without attempting to engage in an outrageously platitudinous hand-football or other forms of indecency of the game. That is sportsmanship.
3 comments:
Any team will do what it takes to win in a game of football.Maraona's hand of god,Thiery Henry did it,Nigeria's goal against CAMEROON when Bel Antoine caught the ball behind the net in 1988 was never awarded.I will ask this writer if he was SUAREZ what would he had done?Ghana is an enviable team,talented and organized,but lost their golden opportunity to go through semis,and pocess the potentials to have won this world cup.It is shameful that after 20years an African team can not beat a quarter final record.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Thank you for your contribution to the debate. You asked a very keen question on what I expected Suarez to have done. Well, I expected him to throw himself on to the ball but not to deliberately hit the ball with his hands since he is not the goal keeper.
In every sport, there is ethics. For instance, in boxing, you can't actually hit your opponent when he i already floored nor are you allowed to hit him below the belt. Doing so ensures a penalty of automatic point deduction and if possible combined with disqualification depending on the gravity of the violation. Mike Tyson was temporally banned from boxing for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in their championship clash; and his points deducted. He eventually lost the match.
Bell's antics could not be considered cheating because he is the goal keeper; and not the referee or a player in open field. I am not aware of the 1988 incident. However, it is not possible to catch the ball behind the net because if the ball is behind the net, it will stay there. Most probably Bell might have caught the ball when he was not on the line but the ball most certainly did not hit the net. Besides, Bell could not have gone to the net, retrieved the ball and claimed that it was not a goal. The England Goal was very clear and cannot be compared to Bell’s because the ball actually bounced a clearly large distance behind the line.
Now, suppose Adiyah who headed the ball into Uruguay’s net decided instead to punch the ball with his hands and scored rather than use his head. Would that have been right? Would that not be clear cheating? And would Ghana have been justified to go on to the semis? My answer is a resounding no. Argentina did not deserve to beat England in 1986 nor is Uruguay justified to tay in the competition this year. The end does not always justify the means.
Fair play is better than gaining unfair advantage because if FIFA continues to allow such blatant cheating without adjusting the rules, the game will die a slow and natural demise.
As to Africa's dismal performance, I have no excuse nor am I in support of their poor showing over the last twenty years. What I stressed was that it is better to lose fairly rather than to cheat to win.
Mbua
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Thank you for your contribution to the debate. You asked a very keen question on what I expected Suarez to have done. Well, I expected him to throw himself on to the ball but not to deliberately hit the ball with his hands since he is not the goal keeper.
In every sport, there is fundamental ethical rules that make it attractive, genuine and valid. For instance, in boxing, you can't actually hit your opponent when he is already floored nor are you allowed to hit him below the belt. Doing so ensures a penalty of automatic point deduction and if possible combined with disqualification depending on the gravity of the violation. Mike Tyson was temporally banned from boxing for the very serious and terribly shocking breach against Evander Holyfield’s ear in their championship clash; and his points deducted.
Bell's antics could not be considered cheating because he is the goal keeper. I am not aware of the 1988 incident. However, it is not possible to catch the ball behind the net because if the ball is behind the net, it will stay there. Most probably Bell might have caught the ball when he was not on the line but the ball most certainly did not hit the net. Besides, Bell could not have gone to the net, retrieved the ball and claimed that it was not a goal. The England Goal was very clear and cannot be compared to Bell’s because the ball actually bounced a clearly large distance behind the line.
In addition, I am not in any way justifying cheating from any quarters or region. Cheating is just that; and must be condemend and denounced irrespective of the big names in football. And I do not accept winning by every possible means including deceit.
Even in war, there are rules of engagement. For instance, you cannot shoot an enemy who has already surrendered nor is one allowed to mistreat war prisoners.
Now, suppose Adiyah who headed the ball into Uruguay’s net decided instead to punch the ball with his hand and scored rather than use his head. Would that have been right? Would that not be clear cheating? And would Ghana have been justified to go on to the semis? My answer is a resounding no. Argentina did not deserve to beat England in 1986 nor is Uruguay justified staying on for the semi-finals in the World Cup competition this year. The end does not always justify the means.
Fair play is better than gaining unfair advantage because if FIFA continues to allow such blatant cheating without adjusting the rules, the game will die a slow and natural demise.
As to Africa's dismal performance, I have no excuse nor am I in support of their poor showing over the last twenty years. What I stressed was that it is better to lose fairly rather than to cheat to win.
Mbua
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