Soccer Sickies

This is the scenario. Two soccer players go into a harmless tackle, one runs away with the ball and the other is a little bit hurt so does not get up. Cries from the sideline and all over the field. "kick the ball out". The ball is kicked out and five seconds later the player gets up and walks off the injury. No harm done. The ball is given back to the team that had the ball and everybody on the field and in the crowd claps. Personally I would like to throw up.

I mentioned this to somebody the other day and they questioned my sportsmanship. I fully understand that with children playing that some action does need to be taken. What needs to happen is for the referee to blow his whistle immediately that he thinks somebody is injured and needs attention. Then we could have a good old fashioned drop ball where players from each team contest the ball.

What we have at the moment is a plague. Professional footballers rolling around the ground in pain when there is nothing wrong with them. Why? To stop play and get their team organised again.

There needs to be some reward in the game for the player who can win a fair challenge and play on. Why should the other player have the game stopped just to accommodate them? How about this? If you go down injured and need assistance, you are not allowed back on the field for another five minutes. I will call it "duty of care". We need to really assess if you are indeed injured or fit to continue the game. I guarantee that players will then be getting up instead of seeking sympathy from all around.

What I say to all you players out there is that if you get injured in a tackle and its not too bad, try to get up and see if you can play on. Isn't this better than waiting for a medically unqualified volunteer coach or manager with a bottle of luke warm water running on the field to ask you how it is? Come on Australia, we used to be tough. Lets not follow the ways of the rest of the soccer world.

And on that injury point, some of you tennis players out there need to toughen up a bit as well. The amount of times that you call an injury time out is shocking. If some physio can fix up your injury with a bit of a massage in ten minutes, then you are not injured. You are just wasting everybody's time and probably using the break for your own advantage. If you can't play on, you forfeit, and please, don't get me started on toilet breaks.