When Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling was released by Aleksandar Kolarov in the 76th minute, he had a chance to put the game to bed. With the scoreline reading 2-1, the English winger sprinted away from Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker and found himself one-on-one with Hugo Lloris.
But just as he looked up before pulling the trigger, his compatriot Walker had caught up and killed the move with a push on the shoulder. To his credit, Sterling stayed on his feet and managed to get a shot off. However, he had lost his focus and, instead of slotting it past Lloris, his shot was hit straight at the French goalkeeper who made a comfortable save.
Sterling, who managed to keep his balance and avoid a head-on collision with the goalpost, was understandably frustrated. But rather than reacting to the push, he looked cross with himself for missing the chance to take a two-goal lead. Pep Guardiola, however, was furious on the touchline and screamed at the assistant referee while referee Andre Marriner allowed play to go on.
“I wasn't really getting it otherwise. I was just trying to put him off as much as possible.” – Kyle Walker
To make matters worse for City, Spurs equalised a minute later at the other end. It was a crucial blow to City’s hopes of getting back in the Premier League title race, while Spurs were more than happy to save a point after going 2-0 down in the second half at the Etihad.
Almost every pundit who was quizzed about the incident said the same thing: Sterling should have gone down in the box following the push. However, the real question is: why do referees refuse to award a penalty for genuine fouls in the box?
“A player who plays in a reckless manner shall be cautioned. A player who uses excessive force shall be sent off.” – FIFA Law 12 on fouls and misconduct
Referees award fouls only if players go down
Following the game, former England striker-turned-pundit Michael Owen narrated an incident on his official Twitter account regarding ‘diving’ in the box to win penalties. He was of the belief that no player wins a penalty unless he goes down.
“I played Argentina in the 2002 World Cup. Got fouled, stayed on my feet. Shouted to [Pierluigi] Collina (best ref in the world) that it was a penalty. His response: "Come on Michael, I can't give it unless you go down". Five minutes later, Pochettino trips me [and] I go down. He gives a penalty.
“People can cry about going down easily all they like but unless players go down they rarely get the decision.” – Michael Owen
Owen makes a very valid point on a debate that has raged on for years. Had Sterling put in a dive before his shot and shown the referee that he was indeed ‘pushed to ground’, he may have won a penalty for City. Herein lies the problem for referees.
When players go down ‘too easily’, they are ridiculed for their penchant for trying to deceive the referee into winning a penalty or a free-kick. But it has become clear that the ‘dive’ is now designed to convince the referee that there was indeed enough contact to warrant a foul.
Also read: FIFA's plans to overhaul the offside and penalty shootout laws prove their priorities are all wrong
Why aren’t blatant fouls punished?
Expecting players to fall over every time there is any sort of contact has bred a generation of so-called ‘divers’. The game has changed, and pundits can make a racket about ‘foreign influence’ all they want; however, the reality is that honesty is no longer rewarded in the modern game.
While players must be applauded for staying on their feet for as long as possible, the referees see it as nothing but a physical battle in the box unless there is a clear foul – a badly-timed tackle, a studs-up challenge, a raised boot in an aerial duel...
In this case, Walker should have been booked, sent off and maybe even banned for the shove on Sterling. At that speed, Sterling could have easily cracked his skull had he lost his balance and collided with the post.
“You can either be an angel and get a pat on the back off [your] Nan... Or you can win your team a penalty. The referee won't give it if you don't go down.
“People can say 'It's disappointing to hear you say that Gary'. Well then, be disappointed because ultimately that's the game.” – Gary Neville on players not diving to win penalties
It is shameful that both the referee and the linesman had not spotted the shove. The linesman was not in line with Walker to view the foul straight on (you can’t expect middle-aged men to keep up with Sterling’s pace) but he still had a clear line of sight to view the foul, as there was nobody else in the box.
A number of incidents in the box over the years – be it flailing elbows, conspicuous pulling of shirts or arms wrapped around an opponent – have been overlooked by referees who seem hesitant to award a penalty for what are clear infringements.
Also read: Why Pep Guardiola is struggling for results at Manchester City
It’s time for referees to step up
“Anywhere else on the pitch, that’s a foul,” they say. That is the sad mentality that needs to change. The sooner, the better.
The foul on Sterling should be the spark, but will the Football Association and the FIFA Referees Committee take note? Unlikely. In fact, Pierluigi Collina was recently appointed the new chairman of that committee and one of his responsibilities is dictating how the laws are interpreted.
Unless referees grow a pair and show both conviction and consistency in their decision making – no matter where the foul takes place – this game will constantly head in a direction where theatrics make or break a game, or even a season. Technology has been introduced in the form of video replays, but it is not something that will be used to adjudicate each and every decision.
There is a very thin line between genuinely falling over and diving to win a foul. But both terms now lie in a grey area that quickly needs to be made black and white again.
