SOMETIMES I have to smile at the comments made by newspaper football journalists.
Take the disallowed goal by Wilfried Bony, which would have given Swansea a much-needed win in the game against Bournemouth.
Some may have thought the referee blew for a foul by Bony. Instead it was one of his teammates who quite clearly pushed an opponent out of the way, leaving it clear for the ball to reach Bony.
Pushing is one of those 11 fouls against an opponent that is penalised by a direct free kick or penalty, but can sometimes be misunderstood.
The very word seems to indicate that it is committed by use of the hands, as of course, it is on occasions.
Pushing, however, can be done in other ways.
Just think of the times players standing behind an opponent, hold their hands and arms above their head. They are indicating to the referee, ‘look I’m not using my hands,’ only for the opponent to lurch forwards, having been nudged in the back by the player’s chest. It’s still pushing.
Another form, which often gets protests of innocence, is when players and opponents are running alongside one another. The player then raises his arms out sideways, levering the opponent away, usually causing a fall. That is still pushing.
This can also happen when a player shoulder charges an opponent. To make a shoulder charge correctly, the arm must be kept tight to the torso, and it can only be made when the opponent is within playing distance of the ball.
Then we have the situation of backing into an opponent. It can be fair, when player retreats backwards to take a ball played to him, but often players deliberately back into opponents. It’s a backward push.
What made me smile however, was a match report by Harry Pratt in a Sunday newspaper, on the Swansea disallowed goal. Having admitted that the televisions replay confirmed the foul, he said the referee Stuart Attwell, probably just about got it right. Referees don’t do ‘just about’.
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