The Pundit's View

In his press conference earlier this week, José Mourinho stated that ‘the world’ would be watching the football match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. I, along with other millions of spectators and viewers, witnessed an enthralling encounter, a tactical ‘edge-of-the-seat’ masterpiece with no predictable conclusion until a Turkish referee made a decision that ruined José’s ‘global spectacle’—fortunately, in his team’s favour.

One of the guests on ITV’s panel of pundits was Roy Keane, the often ‘infamous destroyer’ of the beautiful game, whose career as a player and captain of Manchester United earned him many cards and sending-off decisions. It was remarkable, therefore, to hear him supporting the referee’s decision to send off Nani for raising his foot above shoulder height, endangering (in Keane’s words) any one of the remaining twenty-one players on the pitch. The fact that no player was in a tackle with him at that moment when he attempted to control the ball (Arbeloa arrived like an express train seconds later), was irrelevant according to him.

If this is the current interpretation of dangerous play (according to Mr. Keane), the spectacular overhead kick has just been banished from football (Rooney v Manchester City springs to mind) and we will have lost another skill from the beautiful game. If we accept Keane’s argument, the raising of the foot to perform that specific feat would automatically result in a red card and a sending-off—irrespective of whether another player was in close proximity.

I have watched football since long before Roy Keane was born. Players like McKay of Spurs, Scoular of Newcastle, Smith of Liverpool, Stiles of Manchester United, Hunter of Leeds, Harris of Chelsea—the list in endless if one adds the foreign tough tacklers who have graced the game—would not survive in today’s sanitised version of football as it heads almost inevitably towards a non-contact sport. If a player is to be now red-carded for a dangerous manoeuvre when no opponent is challenging, we may as well give up and invent a new ‘global game’.

I suggest that ITV and other sports channels put Mr. Keane on permanent ‘gardening leave’ where he can contemplate the more innocuous vagaries of nature.