Refs Need Help (Football)

What is an obvious goalscoring opportunity?

It sounds straightforward enough, doesn’t it?

But that pesky adjective ‘obvious’ isn’t as definitive as it seems.

What’s obvious to one person isn’t so to another.

Saturday’s clash between Tottenham and Sunderland proved the point.

Striker Darren Bent was felled by Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and a penalty awarded.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce claimed Gomes should have been dismissed.

“It’s a goal-scoring opportunity,” Bruce said, “and by the letter of the law their keeper should be sent off.”

But that’s not strictly true.

The guidelines in FIFA’s Laws of the Game state that referees should consider several factors when deciding whether or not to dismiss the offending player.

The relevant ones here are the distance between the offence and the goal, and the likelihood of Bent keeping or gaining control of the ball.

Then there’s the direction of the play and the location and number of defenders.

Referee Kevin Friend must have reasoned that the striker was moving away from goal and that he might not have kept control.

The official would also have noted that two defenders were between Bent and the goal.

Adhering to FIFA’s criteria, he understandably interpreted the situation as not presenting an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

However, greater clarification is needed since FIFA’s advice doesn’t cover every aspect of this scenario.

The likelihood of a goal was increased dramatically by the fact that Gomes was prostrate on the edge of the box and wasn’t goal-side.

An obvious goalscoring opportunity surely exists when the only player allowed to use his hands is stranded in this way.

As it was, Gomes stayed on the field and saved Bent’s attempt to equalise from the spot, and Spurs went on to win 2-0 despite Sunderland’s domination.

Tottenham also benefited from Mr Friend’s failure to award a penalty when the same two players were involved in an identical incident in the first half.

Too many matches are being decided by officials, not players.

The same was true of Sunday’s clash between leaders Chelsea and champions Manchester United.

The outcome of an engaging encounter hinged on several instances where the officials showed a debatable view of what does and doesn’t constitute a foul.

Football’s numerous administrators must find a way–through rule clarification, training or technology–to help officials arrive at the correct decisions.

All anyone wants is consistency.

–Rob Wightman, Red U.K.  Senior Sports Writer