European football’s summer break has provided a rare opportunity to put the spotlight on the other side of the world game—the women’s side. Amidst controversy and some brilliant football, the 2015 Women’s World Cup has shown that there are a few things the men could learn from the women’s game.
Each year Europe’s summer break rolls round and we get a brief break from the multi-billion dollar industry that is European club football. Of course, the madness of the transfer window ensues, but the sudden lack of televised football hits the football tragic hard. It quickly becomes apparent that the game is much like an addictive drug of which you desperately need a regular dose.
It is at this time of the year that I generally find myself wondering what I am doing with my life watching an U21 European Championship match at 5am in the morning.
This year the obvious option for the football-obsessed is the Copa America, which in theory should be a spectacle of unique, exciting football from the game’s most passionate region. Turn on the television, however, and you would be forgiven for believing that you were not watching a live match, but rather a montage of fouls and dramatic complaints directed at the referee.
Unfortunately, instead of showcasing South America’s sublime and unique way of enjoying football, this year’s Copa America is showcasing the issues that now plague the continent’s beloved game.
From incessant fouling to play-acting and shameful disrespecting of referees and officials, one wonders when and where it all went wrong.
Symbolically, one of the poster-boys for the tournament, Brazil’s young captain Neymar, has been suspended for the rest of the cup for his behaviour in a group stage clash with Colombia. Having been unfairly bullied all game by the Colombians, the Brazilian star lost his cool in the game’s aftermath, was sent off and then waited for the referee in the tunnel.
“He was waiting for me [in the tunnel] and insulted me, calling me a son of a b***h,” referee Enrique Osses said in his match report.
A lack of respect towards match officials is a huge problem for the game in South America, an issue clearly exacerbated by often poor refereeing and the continent’s almost dangerous obsession with the game.
In the tournament’s first quarter-final between host Chile and holder Uruguay, a number of Uruguayan players pushed and man-handled a linesman during remonstrations after Jorge Fucile was justifiably red-carded. A push and shove ensued including players from both teams, staff, match officials and apparently anyone on sight.
Yet this incident was not even the most controversial of the game. Striker Edinson Cavani was sent off earlier after lightly, and one might say almost affectionately, tapping Gonzalo Jara’s chin. The Chilean predictably fell to the ground like a bag of bricks and Cavani got his second yellow card and a send-off. Replays showed that Jara had in fact incited the action with a slap and a disturbingly lingering finger on the Uruguayan’s rear. It is worth a watch for the curious.
The reality is the Copa America is a hotbed for all that is bad in the game.
In contrast, the women’s game cannot be praised enough at this moment.
The 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada has been played virtually devoid of histrionics, dirty play and disrespect towards the referee. For the football tragic, after watching the Copa America, it is delightfully refreshing to watch a football match that is just exactly that, football.
Of course, the tournament and women’s football in general is not without its problems. Much controversy has been rightly made over the fact that while virtually all men’s tournaments are played on grass, the Women’s World Cup is being played on artificial turf.
Yet the tournament continues as a success and particularly because of the purity of the football that has been played.
On their way to their first ever quarter-final, the Australian team is yet to be shown a card. In fact, an average of only two cards have been shown each game for the entire tournament.
At the Copa America, referees have handed out an average of 4.6 yellow cards and 0.5 red cards per match. Given the conduct of players, those numbers could easily be doubled.
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While the Uruguay-Chile game descended to a scrap with little football being played, Japan’s performance against the Dutch at the Women’s World Cup was an exhibition. Mizuho Sakaguchi’s goal, Japan’s second, finished a brilliant passing move that would have had Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and all the stars of the men’s game on their feet.
These men could learn something from the women’s game, which, in many ways, is yet to be corrupted by football’s darker side.
The 2015 Women’s World Cup is a timely reminder that football is best enjoyed when it is pure, when it is just football and football alone.
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