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Canales Daily: Selective Blindness, Selective Blame
There's a conspiracy afoot, and it's one in which losing fans and players search desperately to hold others responsible for their fate.
May 7, 2009 7:50:53 PM
By Andrea Canales
It would make sense that all those bitter at the referee for missed penalty calls which would have favored Chelsea in the last Champions League game were just as indignant and upset that Barcelona didn't get a penalty in the first leg.
With a man advantage and a great striker like Didier Drogba getting clear looks at goal, it really doesn't make sense to hold the referee responsible for the final outcome.
Part of the magic and mystique of soccer is that it doesn't always make sense, however. The best team on the day usually wins, but at times, the squad which endures, even while struggling, is able to conjure up a moment of daring and skill that overcomes the odds and turns a match upside down.
Andres Iniesta's goal shook things up so completely that I almost don't blame the madness that ensued.
Let's not pretend that the behavior which followed that stunning strike was anything but crazy, though.
There's no rationale to explain as reasonable Drogba's actions toward the referee, (and to his credit, Drogba has recently apologized) or that of Michael Ballack.
One can guess that all of Chelsea's players were partly driven by remorse - why hadn't they scored and put the match out of reach - why hadn't they capitalized on having superior numbers, why hadn't they cleared the ball better in those waning moments of the game?
Perhaps they simply couldn't cope with the emotional burden of directing blame at themselves, though, and thus, picked only scenarios in which the referee was to blame for calls that didn't go Chelsea's way, conveniently ignoring any and all which did. Such hypocrisy is understandable in the heat of the moment, as childish as it may be.
It's telling that Michael Essien, for example, who had done the most to put Chelsea in a position to be victorious, was one of the calmest when things went south. He didn't have the same burden of self-blame as Drogba, perhaps, because Essien did put away the chance that he did have.
Similarly, I noticed that Anelka, who had provoked the send-off of Eric Abidal, wasn't rushing to threaten the ref after the final whistle. Was he, more than any other Blues player, cognizant of how the ref's viewpoint had favored Chelsea in that moment?
As horrified I was to see Ballack chase and scream at a game official, I couldn't help but also think of the German's accumulated frustration in his professional career. Ballack has reached one World Cup final (in 2002, though he didn't play due to suspension), one World Cup semifinal (2006), one European Cup final, one Confederations Cup final, and twice reached the Champions League Final, but has never been victorious in any of the tournaments.
That has to mess with his head as much as Drogba's missed opportunities probably convoluted his own thinking.
My sympathies for the players and their failings only extends as far as their own empathy for the referee. It's possible for people to make mistakes, but it's incredibly selfish to expect forgiveness for one's own failings and still hold animosity for other people falling short.
Human error is part of the game, whether it's in shots that go wide, crosses that are missed, markers that are lost, catchable balls that somehow slip through, or wrong calls by officials.
It's strange that as the ratio is turned around (players miss more shots than they make, while officials generally get more calls right than not) the level of fan tolerance goes down.
The reasons for that could be part of the hero worship sporting stars engender. Supporters admire them so much, that they are inclined to pardon their foibles. Not so those of match officials.
No true-Blue fan is going to shout at Drogba, "You should've scored!" Loyalty doesn't follow that logic, no matter how obvious it may be.
It's easier, then, to turn a blind eye to those things and to stand instead in angry solidarity against the referee. But in all the screaming about "fairness" how ultimately unfair is that?
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America.
Express your opinions and see what others think in the Goal.com forums!
It would make sense that all those bitter at the referee for missed penalty calls which would have favored Chelsea in the last Champions League game were just as indignant and upset that Barcelona didn't get a penalty in the first leg.
With a man advantage and a great striker like Didier Drogba getting clear looks at goal, it really doesn't make sense to hold the referee responsible for the final outcome.
Part of the magic and mystique of soccer is that it doesn't always make sense, however. The best team on the day usually wins, but at times, the squad which endures, even while struggling, is able to conjure up a moment of daring and skill that overcomes the odds and turns a match upside down.
Andres Iniesta's goal shook things up so completely that I almost don't blame the madness that ensued.
Let's not pretend that the behavior which followed that stunning strike was anything but crazy, though.
There's no rationale to explain as reasonable Drogba's actions toward the referee, (and to his credit, Drogba has recently apologized) or that of Michael Ballack.
One can guess that all of Chelsea's players were partly driven by remorse - why hadn't they scored and put the match out of reach - why hadn't they capitalized on having superior numbers, why hadn't they cleared the ball better in those waning moments of the game?
Perhaps they simply couldn't cope with the emotional burden of directing blame at themselves, though, and thus, picked only scenarios in which the referee was to blame for calls that didn't go Chelsea's way, conveniently ignoring any and all which did. Such hypocrisy is understandable in the heat of the moment, as childish as it may be.
It's telling that Michael Essien, for example, who had done the most to put Chelsea in a position to be victorious, was one of the calmest when things went south. He didn't have the same burden of self-blame as Drogba, perhaps, because Essien did put away the chance that he did have.
Similarly, I noticed that Anelka, who had provoked the send-off of Eric Abidal, wasn't rushing to threaten the ref after the final whistle. Was he, more than any other Blues player, cognizant of how the ref's viewpoint had favored Chelsea in that moment?
As horrified I was to see Ballack chase and scream at a game official, I couldn't help but also think of the German's accumulated frustration in his professional career. Ballack has reached one World Cup final (in 2002, though he didn't play due to suspension), one World Cup semifinal (2006), one European Cup final, one Confederations Cup final, and twice reached the Champions League Final, but has never been victorious in any of the tournaments.
That has to mess with his head as much as Drogba's missed opportunities probably convoluted his own thinking.
My sympathies for the players and their failings only extends as far as their own empathy for the referee. It's possible for people to make mistakes, but it's incredibly selfish to expect forgiveness for one's own failings and still hold animosity for other people falling short.
Human error is part of the game, whether it's in shots that go wide, crosses that are missed, markers that are lost, catchable balls that somehow slip through, or wrong calls by officials.
It's strange that as the ratio is turned around (players miss more shots than they make, while officials generally get more calls right than not) the level of fan tolerance goes down.
The reasons for that could be part of the hero worship sporting stars engender. Supporters admire them so much, that they are inclined to pardon their foibles. Not so those of match officials.
No true-Blue fan is going to shout at Drogba, "You should've scored!" Loyalty doesn't follow that logic, no matter how obvious it may be.
It's easier, then, to turn a blind eye to those things and to stand instead in angry solidarity against the referee. But in all the screaming about "fairness" how ultimately unfair is that?
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America.
Express your opinions and see what others think in the Goal.com forums!
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