Ban physicality in football!

I was recenty watching Barcelona‘s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, and immediately after that, the Wolverhampton-Blackburn game. The second game had as many illegal tackles and shoves as the number of passes in the first game.

Agreed, Mascherano and Pique are not the fairest defenders in football. Even they wouldn’t shirk away from a challenge. They would be shoving the opponents when shielding the ball, forcing them back. There would be a bit of groping that would follow when a corner kick is being taken. But honestly, neither of them would EVER think of putting out a leg to trip a marauding Basque player, or would indulge in petty slide-tackles just to stop the progress of the opponent.

What I saw in the Premier League game was quite appalling. It was full of illegal challenges, where the hapless forward is muscled into submission by the terrorizing defender, who would stop at nothing to take the ball away from the man, even if it meant taking a big juicy part of the player’s shins, ankles or which ever part of the body he could hurt. The corner kicks were utterly disgusting. The defender was marking his man as if he is a terrorist in possession of RDX, literally suffocating the player. Arms were flying at anything that moves, tempers are rising, slide tackles were being made as if it was a icy ground. Even the poor keeper was outmuscled, the burly forwards(Ebanks-Blake and Yakubu) pushed him literally into the goal. Is this what we call football?

Many football pundits (no disrespect) explain this abomination by saying that this is all part of the game. The physicality only serves to increase the adrenaline of the players and spectators, and consequently makes it more fun. Why? is the game less fun if the players focus on passing the ball and create attacking chances for the team, rather than kick at the opponent’s shin-pads so that he is forced to give up the ball?

There are a few examples of these type of players, who like to foul a player and just walk away, believing that they have done it for their team. Joey Barton, the entire Stoke defence, Gennaro Gattuso, Wayne Rooney are examples of players who possess world-class talent, but allow their temper to impede their rationality. The legends of football are no strangers to this unhealthy habit, with Maradona and Zidane (headbutt) known to let their tempers get the better of them.

Although this may sound hateful to Manchester United fans for what I am about to say, I simply detest Roy Keane. He simply destroyed the essence of football. I am not denying that he was a fine player, capable of breaking up a team’s play and being an inspirational captain. But the way in which he carelessly kicked players without any compliance to the spirit of fairness made him simply intolerable in my eyes. THAT tackle on Alf Inge Haland, that intentionally cruel kick on his thighs which ended the poor man’s career was one of the worst football incidents I have ever seen. Although I can see the passion for football and his love for the team, I feel that this is not how Keane should have displayed his passion.

When I see the likes of Swansea AFC, West Bromwich Albion play their game, I let out a cry of joy. Agreed, they are not that fair when it comes to tackles, but they do it reasonably well, without any malice or intent, and adhere to the rules of football by playing attractive passing football. I simply do not watch Stoke City and Wolverhampton play because I am sure to see players who cannot string together a dozen decent passes, and then make up for it by hurling themselves at the opponent. And this outburst is directed at all teams who play rugby like football on the pitch, and it is not just directed at these two.