Sporting Injustice
This week has had it’s fair share of sporting injustices, from the goal that wasn’t, to Ashley Young’s swan dive and Drogba’s theatrics to Synchronised being put down in the Grand National.
This year has had its fair share of injustices, not least in manager dismissals. Some of the most unlikely and unfair dismissals have occurred this year.
You could trace it back to Sam Allardyce’s departure from Blackburn, with Blackburn mid-table and comfortably a Premiership side, now they are in a relegation dog-fight.
Since then, Lee Clark at Huddersfield; Simon Grayson at Leeds United and Gary Megson at Sheffield Wednesday have all lost their jobs unfairly.
Clark was in 4th place with Huddersfield, Megson was in 3rd place with Sheffield Wednesday and Grayson had Leeds chasing the play-offs, having got them promoted a couple of seasons back.
All these clubs are either worse off, or no better off.
And then there is Mick McCarthy, having got Wolves into the Premier league and maintained their status, he was sacked as they faced another relegation battle. Granted he had spent money this season, but replacing him with Terry Connor, his assistant made very little sense. You have to think McCarthy would have made a better fist of their last few games, and would have given them a chance of staying up.
The truth is there will always be injustice, wrong decisions will always occur in the game, and it is clear that technology can reduce the wrong decisions, but cannot eradicate them. Even so, even when the right decision is made the injustice may have already been perpetrated, think of Ghana and Luis Suarez deliberate handball and Gyan’s subsequent missed penalty costing Ghana a chance in the World Cup Semi-finals. Think of the 2004 olympic marathon where the Brazilian runner, leading the marathon was pounced upon by an Irish protestor. No technology, no sanction or fine can make up for those moments.
We can and should reduce injustice, through proper use of technology. But we must acknowledge and understand that injustice will still occur, because we cannot rely on the spirit of the game to override the desire to win. Integrity should always be worth more, but many value the win more highly.
