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A Breach Of Etiquette?

Lost in the midweek Champions League fixtures was an apparent breach of soccer etiquette by Barcelona. Instead of returning the ball to an opponent who put the ball out of play, Barcelona attacked and scored. The Spanish team went on to score again in the dying moments to claim a controversial 2-1 victory over Shakthar Donetsk.

With a player injured and holding a 1-0 lead, a Donetsk player cleared the ball out of play so his teammate could receive treatment, a practice that has become standard in modern soccer.

Upon the restart, though, Barcelona threw the ball back in to Bojan Krkic. Rather than playing the ball back to Shakthar as custom dictates, the 18-year old Spaniard carried the ball down the wing. Caught off-guard, the Shaktar players motioned for the ball to be played back as Bojan, indifferent to their protests, swung in a low cross.

Lionel Messi, lurking in the six-yard area, watched with glee as the ball bounced directly to him for an easy goal.

Shakthar’s players were infuriated. One received a yellow card for his protests. The entire course of the match, which Shakthar was dominating, changed with the equalizer.

Admittedly, the goalkeeper Pyatov mishandled the low cross, spilling it at the feet of Messi for the tap-in. However, confusion reigned as Barcelona took their opponents completely by surprise. Barcelona went on to add another goal just before the final whistle and walked away with all three points.

After the game, the Barcelona manager defended the actions of his team, saying, “My players continued playing because the Shakhtar defense had cleared the ball. I do not understand how that is considered unsporting behavior.”

He does have a point. The Shakthar player Igor Duljaj was in the middle of the field when he cleared the ball and on my first viewing, I didn’t believe he was intentionally playing the ball out to touch.

The debate may never be settled. However, this unfortunate incident underscores a growing problem in the modern game.

FIFA needs to take action by making a play stoppage mandatory in the case of an injury. Teams are starting to take advantage of this gentlemen’s rule. The solution is simple: if the referee sees an injured player and he believes he is legitimately injured, he can stop play for the player to receive treatment.

This does pose an interesting challenge. In the modern game, it’s nearly impossible to tell when a player is seriously injured. Oftentimes, players stay down to bleed the clock while his team is holding a lead. This leaves the decision at the discretion of the referee – a man who already has a few things to worry about during a match.

Unfortunately, FIFA does need to step in. Modern players use every trick in their disposal to pull out a result – even to the point of keeping possession after an opponent’s injury. Since the sportsmanship of the players can no longer be relied upon, there is no other choice than to put this decision in the hands of the referee.

It may not be the perfect solution, but it’s the best possible one.