Have you ever wondered why little Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi always seems to get calls his way? Sometimes it seems unfair when seemingly minor fouls result in free kicks – usually direct – or yellow cards.
Are the referees biased? Do they protect him because he’s small? Maybe. But a better reason may be found in the Laws of the Game.
Under Law 12, a player may be cautioned for ‘persistent infringement’. This rule is meant to penalize players who consistently commit fouls, even if they are quite small. A referee can then manage the game by cautioning a player who constantly kicks another’s ankles, for example.
Importantly, warning one player is seen as enough to warn all the players of one team – or even players on the other team. Each player does not start fresh. Each referee call is part of a continuum, a developing series of decisions of which the players should be aware.
Messi attracts fouls because he is skillful with the ball and often taps it just out of reach of the defender, drawing contact. But eventually these repeated contacts add up and amount to persistent infringement.
If you watch the game, you’ll see that the best players often seem to be protected. It’s extremely difficult for defending teams because their strategy typically involves bumping or frustrating the best players in order to marginalized them.
So next time you see a card issued to a defending team, think about all the things that have come before. Did you see them?
–Deji Olukotun
Gorgeous Pictures Anel