Lyon Don’t Do Fair Play
By: chris | September 17th, 2008I suppose if winning is everything, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, there’s an unwritten code in football that if an injured player is down on the pitch, you put the ball out of play for him to receive treatment and be escorted off. No can do for Lyon, who not only played around him, but scored a goal because he kept everyone onside. (Luciano Zauri, the downed defender, had to be substituted immediately.) Either of these instances are controversial/questionable, combine the two and you have a pretty bush league goal. May not be technically illegal, but it’s uncool to say the least. Lyon, of course, managed to draw 2-2 with the help of this goal. Isn’t that how it always works out?
 |
Soccer Forums | Team/International Results |  |
 |  |
Category: World Football
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments | Add your comment
-
Play the ball out. It’s not a tough decision. Fair play is fair play, you’ll occasionally lose a scoring chance to it. Such is life.
Posted from
United States
-
The so called “fair play” rule is scandalously abused and that is why it should be eliminated. How is it fair play to fake an injury just to get the team to play the ball out and lose a possible advantage? I know Zauri was not guilty of this but it happens all the time. The players should not have any responsibility on this matter. It should be a referee decision to either stop play or let the game continue.
Posted from
United States -
Yes, i agree with you.
Posted from
Pakistan -
I’ve noticed that some people come into the hospital who are not actually sick. They try to con drugs from the doctor. I think that to prevent such abuses they should close down all the hospitals.
I’ve also noticed that some people who go to soup kitchens might actually be able to feed themselves for the day. Someone is abusing that soup kitchen, so we should close it down.
Laughing gas when used responsibly can be used to spare dental patients pain when under the knife, but used irresponsibly it is used as a recreational drug. I say lets get rid of that too.
Coffee has long been abused by office speed freaks. I say, it’s high time to get rid of that drug, as it’s being abused.
Football matches are just a way for drunk, violent English people to go to the main land of Europe, destroy a stadium and ruin dozens of family’s lives every so often. I say we ban football in England, because they abuse it.
…hmm I can’t think of anything else that’s pretty useful that doesn’t get abused on occasion that you knee jerk reactionaries can’t ban before you take your ire out on something as little as fair play…
or are we just banning things we think that Italians abuse?
Posted from
United States -
The “fair play” rule works…
When a player goes down injured and the “attacking” team plays the ball out, not only do they get the ball back, but they also get a numerical advantage for a short period (generally between 30 seconds and 50 seconds) because the rules clearly state that the opposition player must leave the pitch, and can only re-enter upon being asked by the referee. The rule is there because nobody (not even Dr House) can tell why someone fourty yards away is lying down. If a referee thinks a team are abusing the rule, then he is indicated to wait for longer until allowing the player that left the pitch to re-enter, and if the player doesn’t leave the pitch as soon as possible, he should give the player a yellow card for unsporting behaviour. You can’t say that a rule doesn’t work because referees don’t feel like applying it.
Five years ago Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed in the middle of the Stade Gerland whilst playing for Cameroon against Colombia. Play wasn’t immediately stopped, and along with other complications that is believed to have been a cause leading to his premature death. Just last year, Antonio Puerta died, even receiving help as fast as possible. For Lyon fans to place the blame on the referee is not entirely justified. Ederson couldn’t see him whilst passing the ball barely five meters in front of him? Whoever knocked heads with him didn’t notice? Yes, the referee should have stopped play. But that doesn’t mean that OL shouln’t have stopped play. He wasn’t faking (AK, I don’t know about your broken rib, but what professional league where you playing in already? Was it the Heineken Cup pool games? Please inform us further, for I’m sure it’s a completely relevant snippet of information) and to say that the goal is valid because he “could have been faking” is downright horrendous. What would Lyon fans have said if Colombia had gone on playing whilst Foe lied dying on the pitch? “Fair play, the ref didn’t see it, and even Cameroon weren’t flailing their arms about!”
The fair play rule is an informal rule, but I for one believe it to be an important rule. If players are faking injuries, the referees have the tools to dissuade them - waiting longer before allowing them to re-enter the pitch and eventually sanctioning them for unsporting behaviour. Injury time should also be added on for every injury. But scrapping the rule is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If you’re asking the referee to assess (whilst play continues) if the player lying on the floor has a “serious injury” before blowing his whistle, you’re expecting too much of any human being. Referees spend their time looking at the ball and the players who are tussling to play it, not players that are on the other side of them from the ball in order to perform a diagnosis.
Posted from
United States -
That 30 second advantage is often worthless when the game is stopped during a really important play. Given a choice, unless you want to waste time, most players would prefer to keep playing. But while I do support the fair play rule, I don’t agree with Lyon given all the blame. Or the ref either. It was a slow reaction on everyone’s part, even Zauri’s teammates and Zauri himself. If he felt he was injured so seriously, why was he trying to get up? If he stayed still and down, the play might have actually stopped.
People here are assuming that Lyon would have kept playing even if that Fiorentina player was bleeding to death all over the pitch, something that even the biggest Lyon hater can admit is not true. Basically it was a judgement call, whoever had the ball (Benzema? Ederson? Piquine?) didn’t think much of it, and when no whistle went off, proceeded to shoot at the goal because that’s what you’re supposed to do when youre two goals down.
Last night wasn’t just the Lyon players who didn’t notice Zauri. Even when the Fiorentina players had the ball, they kept playing. And as some people pointed out, when the Lyon players came near the goal, Zauri looked like he was trying to stand up. You can’t compare his case with that of Foe or Puerta, whosse serious condition was immediately noticed by the players around him. In Zauri’s case, he went down right next to Frey, who didn’t attempt to do anything until after the goal was scored. Zauri was conscious and moving around in plain view of the linesman. It’s not just the Lyon players who can be accused of not obeying the fair play rule.
Posted from
United States -
Well, don’t go trying to discuss this on the Lyon board. I was just banned from posting there despite not saying one offensive thing. My crime? I thought that Lyon’s goal was despicable.
I have read people here call all Italians cheaters and they haven’t been banned despite being bigots.
Things the Lyon Blogger has lied about showing that they have as little class as their team:
1.”If your assertion is that players should stop the second another player falls down, that’s just hilarious.”
–This quote includes a lie that I made a statement that I didn’t.
–It would be hilarious if I said that. What I said was that the Lyon team was facing the Viola goal from about the midfield line. They could have kicked it out at any time.2.”From the match video, from the moment Zauri went down, even Fiorentina players were ignoring Zauri even when they themselves had the ball.”
–This quote includes the lie that the viola players ignored their own wounded.
–Actually Zauri was behind them. The ref and the entire Lyon team was looking right at him.3.”Also, MAD, it hasn’t escaped my notice that you’ve been spending your evening bashing Lyon and the French on both Ted’s and Chris’s posts. The bigoted remarks have actually been started tonight by you and others (calling the French monkeys and frogs, need I go on?). That’s a lot different than calling the Italian league corrupt. That being said, I don’t tolerate any bigoted remarks on this blog, and no bashing of French or Italians are allowed here. To criticize a game or a league is one thing, but when it crosses into racial boundaries, it’s not allowed.”
–This whole section is a complete lie.
–Apparently the Lyon Blogger doesn’t like the fact that I post on this page, the Fiorentina page and the Lyon page on a tolical subject. It’s a crime apparently.
–Here’s where the lies start: I haven’t been posting against the French. I have been posting against the team. That’s a posting crime apparently.
–I haven’t made any bigoted remarks on any page. I have read at least two that call all Italians cheaters, though and nothing was done. Apparently NOT making racial remarks is a posting crime.
–I defy anyone to show where I made the comment about monkeys and frogs. Copy and paste it with my name on it. I dare anyone. My comments were about the game and replies to remarks about the same. Apparently it’s a posting crime to post remarks and replies to remarks here.4. “The Marseille incident, a huge embarrassment to French football, happened over 15 years ago, and both of those teams were relegated as well (as opposed to in Italy, where teams can escape with only some deducted points).’
–Milan was relegated in the early 80s for match fixing. Juve was relegated in 2006 for match fixing. More lies by the Lyon Blogger, but at this point its just drops in the bucket.
–Apparently it’s not a posting crime to get your facts so wrong that the complete opposite is true. It is a posting crime apparently to point this out.5. “You clearly have no logical argument to make, nor are you interested in reasonable, polite debate, so please stop trolling.
–This quote is a complete lie.
–The fact that everything that you have said is a complete falsehood, and the fact that I disagree with complete falsehoods, makes me a troll?
–The fact that I post references, haven’t sworn at anyone in this instance or called people names also somehow means that I am NOT interested in polite debate?
–But the fact that you banned me from even replying to this message means that you are?!Posted from
United States -
Steve… Fiorentina didn’t play the ball (unless you count a header to clear the ball to the half-way line as “having the ball”) after Zauri went down, and when you’re facing the opposite way from a player, you can (quite understandably) not see them. Zauri blacked out, he said, and only regained conciousness when he tried to stand up, seeing Benzema run towards him. As he tried to get up, he felt the pain in his cheek, and stopped. I’m not putting all the blame on Lyon nor equating Zauri’s injury with the fate of the late Foe or Puerto, but people saying that the fair play rule should be scrapped or that Lyon were “right” to play on are not realising that nobody knew then what Zauri had. Whoever he collided with didn’t care a bit, Frey didn’t go and check on him, the linesman didn’t react… They all can be blamed. But Lyon should have, in my opinion, played the ball out. If Fiorentina were trying to buy time, the referee should have just started waiting a minute or a minute and a half for the player to come back onto the pitch. Not done the opposite and left an injured player on the pitch with the game playing.
In this situation, the referee made a bad call, and Lyon took advantage of it, in my opinion in an unsporting manner. Last season (or was it two seasons ago?) I was appalled when Kallstrom took a blow to the head against Toulouse, and not only did the referee not deem it a foul, but sent Kallstrom off for allegedly spitting at the fourth referee. This is pretty much the same case, except with a goal instead of a red card. The ref should have blown in both cases, but in both cases the team that injured a player (Toulouse two seasons ago and Lyon yesterday) were in the wrong for playing on regardless of the condition of the player they just fouled (and injured).
Posted from
United States -
It is usual that when a team wins, they celebrate together and they did not follow the rules of the game and did not care of looser that is a bad thing and if we don’t sure if the player is injured or not, we cannot stop the game.
Shadow Stewart
Posted from
Pakistan -
What I find most disturbing, is that Zauri was so blatantly keeping all the Lyon players onside, that it was just impossible for Benzema and Piquionne not to have noticed him.
So not only were Fiorentina playing one man down, but the man down provided the “get-out-of-offside-free” card for the Lyon players. Brilliant. :/
I wonder what L’Équipe of Thursday morning put in their headlines. Anyone?
Posted from
United States -
The police, ambulance, and firefighters get a lot of nonsense calls, but because the service is so important and time is critical, the service must be sent out immediately regardless of whether the request warrants it.
Every week somewhere there is an accident involving cars, some of which are fatal: so, let’s ban the use of cars until safer means of transport can be found.
Every drug in production has to go to trials that may place the user’s life in harm; so, let’s cease the trialling of all new drugs until a better understanding of how chemicals affect the stasis of the human body is gained, however many decades or centuries that may take.
MAD, anyone can come up with an exaggerated analogy to prove their point: you must adhere to the essential principles of the argument. By escalating the analogy, you appealed to characteristics not relevant to the case at hand (such as comparing charitable services to the “treatment” of a player who most of the time doesn’t need it). And the point is the word “most”: as Shazback says, what happens in the worst case scenario?
Posted from
United States -
Fiorentina players were flopping all over the pitch, faking injuries.
Obivously, at some point bad karma is FOR THEM.
Posted from
United States -
Comparing these real life scenarios to football is obviously just stupid.
Posted from
United States -
Yup. He was definitely faking injury. In fact he was faking so good he was unconscious for almost a minute.
Fair Play Award should definitely go to Lyon.
Posted from
United States -
I can see Lyon playing on if the ball is still in the penalty box, but it almost crossed the halfway line. That ball needs to be kicked out. This is going to haunt Lyon at Artemio Franchi. No one’s going to stop for anything if Fiorentina have the ball. And with Gamberini back for that game…
Posted from
United States -
I don’t have a problem with it at all. How many injuries which require players to leave the game are legit in the first place. As a fan it seems like nearly every time the player just hops right back in seconds later appearing none the worse. Unfortunately, faking injury to try and influence the ref is all to common and Lyon did nothing wrong. It should be up to the referee to stop play and if he doesn’t then teams should play on. Soccer is being hurt by all of the fake injuries and diving so prevalent in the game today.
Posted from
United States -
TO CHRIS:
The only reason you even put this idiotic blog up was to indulge in your favorite pasttime of francophobic bigotry and letting people come on here and express the same hatred you have. Your motives are so freaking obvious and petty and small-minded. It’s a favorite hobby of yours: hating the French.
I await (with absolute futility) a blog written by you about an Italian team that demonstrates lack of sportsmanship — I mean, it happens so RARELY, right?
You’re a bigot and a moral hypocrite.
Not only that, you’re thoroughly NAIVE about football: I see this kind of thing happening all the time in the game today. I’ve seen Chelsea do this constantly. The fact that you cherrypicked this particular game and this particular team is all about your francophobic agenda and nothing else.
Posted from
United States -
Chris has an agenda. That is awesome.
Posted from
United States -
Ya, I bet he keeps it on his fridge and it goes something like this:
Feed the cat
Do the shopping
Read the news
Write some stuff
Hate the french
Try to take over the worldPosted from
United States -
2 anti-Lyon threads from the same blogger? thats subtle.
FYI the fiorentina player hurt himself by trying to maul frederique piquionne. thats what i call poetic justice.
Posted from
United States -
Gentlemen - not much to say other than you have all shown your true colours very nicely here.
Posted from
Canada -
Actually my point was to exaggerate to show that everything is abused–even the most important things– at some point and it’s not necessary to “throw the baby out with the bath water”.
Any alternative system is going to be abused.
This system works most of the time, and certainly more often than should be necessary for a football match. Just kick the thing out and you get the ball back.
Posted from
United States -
If the Italian’s wouldn’t have done the same thing I will eat my shorts …. twice … while wearing them.
Posted from
Sweden -
maybe someone already said this… but doesn’t that ref ALWAYS remind you of that dude from NCIS?! maybe it’s just me…
Posted from
United States -
Hi
I can see Lyon playing on if the ball is still in the penalty box, but it almost crossed the halfway line. That ball needs to be kicked out. This is going to haunt Lyon at Artemio Franchi. No one’s going to stop for anything if Fiorentina have the ball. And with Gamberini back for that game.Max
Posted from
India
Read the rest of the comments
Leave a Reply
If you have not commented here before, please take a moment to peruse ourCommenting Guidelines.
Home 
