|
The start of any new season invariably provokes the debate not only about specific refereeing decisions but also the very laws which they are made by. This was once again the case in Saturday's evening kick off as Chelsea hosted Swansea when Michael Oliver dismissed Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (D.O.G.S.O). The club are the first this season to be the victim of the so called 'triple punishment', so is it time to amend the controversial law?
|
There are many who have advocated a change to this aspect of the L.O.T.G. They point to the aforementioned potential consequences for the team who have denied the opportunity of the opposition to score. They argue a simple mistake by a player can result in them being off the pitch, the game lost and them being without a key player in the subsequent fixture; this being particularly detrimental if, for instance, it is a two-legged cup fixture. Some would say that because of the rule, a defender simply has to let an attacker run by and hope he misses the opportunity or that their team can somehow respond by scoring themselves rather than risk missing the remainder of the fixture. People also point to the fact a good game can potentially be ruined by what they see as a needless dismissal, particularly if a player is given their marching orders early in the game.
However, whilst it is true that there is a very high price to play for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, this is in place for good reasons and there should be no change in the laws concerning this area. Perhaps the strongest argument for this law to remain in place is the big deterrent it sends out to those thinking of committing a cynical foul to prevent the opposition from converting a promising goal scoring opportunity.
The number of incidents of players deliberately committing illegal challenges would no doubt significantly increase if the dismissal element of its punishment was removed. This then would be very unfair on the team who have been offended against because they could potentially lose the game, a trophy/championship or be relegated when it is extremely likely they could have taken the obvious chance to score had they not been fouled.
|
|
In the end, we have to remember that the players at the highest level are all professionals and will be well aware of the relevant laws concerning D.O.G.S.Os. A simple solution for them would be not to commit the foul if they do not wish to be sent off.