In the midst of all the match-fixing scandals, the diving and all the evil deeds that have engulfed the beautiful game, it feels refreshing to note that there are still honest players out there. Football was slowly losing its reputation as the beautiful game due to some Oscar-worthy performances from players to get an opposition player sent off or to gain an unfair advantage for the team. Players are diving and the referees actually buy into that and send off the innocent player. Penalties have been given and some denied, with the culprits walking around as ‘heroes’. How honest should footballers be on the field of play? Is it up to the match officials to spot incidents of cheating or must players own up when they clearly know they have gained an advantage from an infringement? Well, Werder Bremen midfielder Aaron Hunt proved that football can do without technology and that the referee’s decision is not always final. The Bremen skipper won praise for admitting to a dive, which made the referee reverse his decision to award a penalty during the 2-0 win at Nurnberg. With Bremen already leading by two goals in Saturday’s relegation battle, Hunt tumbled in Nurnberg’s box and referee Manuel Graefe awarded a penalty but hunt urged Graefe to take back the penalty decision. “He [the referee] pointed to the spot quite quickly and I told him that Id actually contrived it slightly. I did look for the contact, but then I noticed that their defender pulled out of the challenge. I fought with my conscience for a moment, but I dont want to win that way. I must admit I looked up at the clock a lot more often than usual in those final ten minutes,”said the Bremen skipper Hunt. Bremen striker Franco di Santo, who opened the scoring said he was moved by his captain’s decision and hailed him for his act. “I was surprised. If a player would do that in Argentina, the fans would wait outside his home. But it was the right decision and honest” said Di Santo Bremen sporting director Thomas Eichin admitted that at first he had mixed feelings about Hunt’s decision, especially considering that the team faces relegation. “You see that penalty that could make it 3-0, and you know that Nurnberg can pull one back on the other side, and that could change the run of events. But I have the greatest respect for Aaron’s decision. That’s totally an exemplary gesture,” he told reporters. This was an exemplary gesture by the Bremen captain and this little gesture shows that even when a team faces relegation there is still room for fair play in football. Stand up and salute “Kapitän ehrlich”, which means “Captain Honest”
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:34:33 +0000
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