The Football Association has today demonstrated once again the unique blend of inconsistency, incompetence, visibly absent common sense and the whiff or corruption for which the organisation is rightly known.
On Sunday, the game between QPR and Manchester United at Old Trafford was ruined as a meaningful contest when referee Lee Mason made a very poor decision when the match was barely fifteen minutes old. The home side's Ashley Young, visibly offside, tumbled to the ground when barely touched by Rangers midfielder Shaun Derry. Had everything proceeded as it should, QPR 'keeper Paddy Kenny would have taken a quick free kick to restart the game. Instead, Mason awarded United a penalty and sent off Derry for denying the cheating winger a clear goalscoring opportunity. But it's not a goalscoring opportunity if you're offside, is it?
Well, these things happen (especially at Old Trafford, a cynic might say), don't they? It was probably an unwinnable game anyway. Manchester City having fallen to pieces, Alex Ferguson has scented blood in the water and has instilled the required ruthlessness in his men, determined to rack up yet another Premier League trophy. Never mind. Common sense prevails in the end, doesn't it? The FA will take a look at the evidence and uphold QPR's appeal for Derry's red card to be overturned and his suspension quashed, won't they? After all, we live in a basically fair and decent world, don't we?
Oh no. No, no. Derry's ban remains in place and he will miss tomorrow's vital home tie against Swansea. So says the FA. The same FA that battled to have Wayne Rooney's Euro 2012 ban shortened. That's Wayne Rooney who was justifiably sent off for kicking violently out at Macedonia's Miodrag Dzudovic. That's Wayne Rooney who plays for Manchester United. That's the same club that employs Ashley Young, a wanton and unashamed cheat. That's the cheating which was excused by Sir Alex Ferguson in his post-match comments.
Perhaps you're the parent of a child who is keen on football and who is learning the basics of the game. Perhaps you coach a team of young kids. Perhaps you teach P.E. at a primary school. If you are any of these people, do make sure to let the little ones know that diving is an acceptable part of the game. School them in the art of conning the referee and winning at all costs. "At the merest suggestion of contact," you'll need to say "trip over your own leg and hit the ground". Remember to let the nippers know that if their club is more successful and well-known than their opponents then they can expect special treatment and for the competition to be nobbled in their favour. If the youngsters protest, saying silly things like "that's not fair", reassure them by letting them know that such skulduggery is endorsed at the highest levels of the English game.
Spot on !
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