Watching yesterday's Liverpool-Spurs game and the reaction of fans and punditry to the moments of controversy, it became clear we've reached a pretty ridiculous stage in the game where penalties now have to be given for any contact, regardless of whether you actually impeded the attacking player.
Harry Kanes' missed pen incident wasn't offside to me, seeing as Lovren fluffed a clearance, but to say he was somehow brought down by the most miniscule of brushes from the keeper (which I had to replay a number of times to "find" the contact) is ridiculous. It reminded me of the Eduardo incident for Arsenal against Celtic about a decade ago where he was banned for diving for a similar incident and Arsenal appealed and showed the tiny contact made by the keeper's hand. It was ruled not technically a dive and the ban was revoked, but we all know Eduardo set out to con the ref. Harry Kane dived.
But I found the Lamela incident even more absurd and it's shocking we've reached a point where such a blatant con-job can now be given legitimacy. Lamela went for a 50:50 (or more of a 60:40) with VVD and anticipated being hacked and was already well on his way down. Van Dijk seeing he wouldn't get there ahead of Lamela clearly withdrew the lunging leg, but his momentum forward saw him make some contact on the bum of an already collapsing Lamela. Lamela went rolling holding his calves. He was not even close to being impeded in any way. Yet you had a good number of pundits and even ex-refs Poll and Dermot Gallagher claiming it was a penalty.
It's just shocking we've gotten to this state of affairs really and gives free reign for players to escalate the theatrics.
Contact = Penalty?
posted on 5/2/18
The reality is simple, if you do not go down when impeded in the box you will probably not get a penalty.
Referees are a major part of this problem, players have learned you have to ‘make a meal’ of any foul in order for the referee to have the stones to make a positive penalty decision.
Which means if a forward stumbles forwards trying to regain his balance when clearly fouled and misses the target as a result most referees will give a goal kick - and this is what has caused the epidemic of exaggerated ‘falls’ - whether it should be a penalty or not.
posted on 5/2/18
comment by Jenius99 (U4918)
posted 43 minutes ago
Agree with 8bit
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Said by no one....ever!
posted on 5/2/18
comment by Conte'nt = eism (U20893)
posted 50 minutes ago
comment by Mike (U1170)
posted 41 minutes ago
The same Liverpool fans arguing about whether the 'contact' on Kane was enough to make him go down or dive, and the 'contact' from VVD on Lamela, were likely defending Salah against West Brom in the cup when he felt a defenders hand graze his upper body, causing his knees to buckle and his arms to go into
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You could find such examples from ALL teams so surely, for once, we can just not look for any hypocrisy (because we all know it exists) and just debate the issue?!
posted on 5/2/18
If people stopped listening to the silly pundits who regularly say "there was not enough contact for it to be a penalty" the game would be a lot better.
There are no Laws of the Game saying somebody has to be kicked really hard for it to be a free kick. If a player gets kicked its a free kick regardless of how soft or hard that kick is.
Same as tripping or attempting to trip, the law does not state that a player has to keep his feet if he can. Even an attempted trip is a penalty/free kick and no contact whatsoever might have been made.
Read the Laws of the Game and stop listening to the so called "experts"
posted on 5/2/18
The hypocrisy element is relevant though.
You can of course excuse players and fans moaning at the time, because watching a player cheat is frustrating.
But for Lovren and Liverpool fans to be harping on about Kane and Lamela today, with Salah in their squad, is laughable. Impossible to discuss things properly with people who are that blinkered.
posted on 5/2/18
Very good article, agree
posted on 5/2/18
For all the stupidity of this article, had the OP bothered to watch the analysis on before tonight's game, by an ex-Liverpool player who clearly showed with video replays from every angle that there were genuine penalties, then this idiot OP who is just trolling because his side is utter cr@p should hang his head in shame for being a m0r0n!
posted on 5/2/18
comment by grandspurs (U3810)
posted 5 hours, 2 minutes ago
If people stopped listening to the silly pundits who regularly say "there was not enough contact for it to be a penalty" the game would be a lot better.
There are no Laws of the Game saying somebody has to be kicked really hard for it to be a free kick. If a player gets kicked its a free kick regardless of how soft or hard that kick is.
Same as tripping or attempting to trip, the law does not state that a player has to keep his feet if he can. Even an attempted trip is a penalty/free kick and no contact whatsoever might have been made.
Read the Laws of the Game and stop listening to the so called "experts"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes. There’s a clear difference between contact impeding you and contact meaning you must fall over. Someone pulling at a players shirt will impede him, however it doesn’t mean that blood stops flowing to his legs and he must collapse in a heap because of it - like Morata vs Norwich a few weeks ago.
If you look at players such as Ronaldinho in his pomp or Messi now, they are fouled constantly by opponents just grabbing hold of them or clipping their heels as they skipped past them. No need for the dying swan act and exaggerating the contact to get the foul, likewise you don’t need to be knocked clean off your feet to be awarded the foul.
posted on 6/2/18
comment by morespurs (U15748)
posted 9 hours, 2 minutes ago
For all the stupidity of this article, had the OP bothered to watch the analysis on before tonight's game, by an ex-Liverpool player who clearly showed with video replays from every angle that there were genuine penalties, then this idiot OP who is just trolling because his side is utter cr@p should hang his head in shame for being a m0r0n!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Man every single article I click on this make a wish child is talking bollocks
Can somebody put the spaztic out of his misery ffs
posted on 6/2/18
comment by Winston (U16525)
posted 15 hours, 15 minutes ago
The hypocrisy element is relevant though.
You can of course excuse players and fans moaning at the time, because watching a player cheat is frustrating.
But for Lovren and Liverpool fans to be harping on about Kane and Lamela today, with Salah in their squad, is laughable. Impossible to discuss things properly with people who are that blinkered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All Clubs have had, or do have players in their ranks who are prone to being theatrical or just dive outright
City aren't immune with Sane and Jesus being examples I can draw on from recent memory
I can see where Liverpool fans are coming from with the Kane one but the Lamela one was absolutely nailed on. VVD clearly booted him in the back of the leg.
I am sure that this has been alluded to already but you don't have to make contact with someone to impede them
Similarly, contact doesn't necessarily mean a foul either
Given that Lamela got a full on kick to his calf, I thought the officials that one correct to be honest.