One of Europe's leading football players, French superstar Thierry Henry who has a good reputation for fair play- up to the "Hand of God II" incident - has confessed he cheated to rob Irish of a World Cup place. The France striker used his hand twice to control the ball before crossing for William Gallas to head home in extra-time during their World Cup play-off on Thursday.
This incident is reminiscent of Diego Maradona's infamous Hand of God goal when Maradona scored the winning goal to defeat England in a 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match.
Thierry Henry has tarnished his reputation for good. Argentina's Diego Maradona an icon of football in the 70s and 80s, despite his talent is considered one of the sports most controversial figures for various reasons including his use of drugs. Thierry Henry is one of the finest strikers of today's game twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, was named the Profeesional Football Association Players' Player of the Year twice, and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year three times.
Thierry Henry has missed an opportunity to set a higher standard by admitting to the referee that he had handled the ball. The goal would not have stood and he would have earned the admiration of the entire sporting world. But he didn’t do it. He knew that he had done wrong, but he put his team's interest ahead of doing what was right. Now he has shattered his squeaky-clean image as an ambassador for football.
From what we see on the football pitch- players diving for penalties, dangerous fouls to hand balls- and off the pitch from the violence that show the ugly side of the game, it is clear generally that the beautiful game no longer exists. World Cup Football has become the world's biggest sports spectacle driven by the money and power of big business, sponsorships and merchandising. The pressure to win at all costs has killed the beautiful game.
Even Brazil known to play the beautiful game have abandoned their open and flowing style of the game to adopt the more physical style of the game played in Europe.
Tele Santana, one of Brazil's greatest coaches who led Brazil at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and guided Sao Paulo to two successive wins in the Libertadores Cup in the early 1990s is reported to have said: "I'd rather lose the game than tell my team to foul, kick the opponents or win with an illegitimate goal. "
Santana was widely respected for his sense of fair play and his refusal to use rough-arm tactics.
The qualities that the late Santana espoused seems to have been confined to history.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
it may seem that the beautiful game is lost forever but it lives within my heart and the heart of everyone that loved it.
yes, tele said these very words and he was a master of the game, he fight hard to win (as you are supposed to do when you play a geme) but he would never do creep stuff like everyone seems to be doing these days.
brazil beautiful game? well, it is lost and forgotten by now because we have a bitter coach (and many above and below him) that knows nothing about it. dunga is a sad person that denies a whole nation desire for the beautiful game. kaka is a waste of my time.
ronaldinho, the best player in the world, is forgotten by dunga. but ronnie is flying on the field again and there my friend, is where you will find the genius of a pure lover of the game in action.
Anonymous- You are right. The beautiful game still lives in the hearts of many especially those who have seen or admire the game that Brazil's Socrates, Zico and co. under Tele Santana played in the 82 and 86 world cups despite Brazil not winning them.
Post a Comment