Sportsmanship – a thing of the past?

In my opinion, Wenger’s decision to storm off down the tunnel last night without shaking the hand of Mark Hughes is as bad as one of his players diving on the pitch. Wenger’s sharp turn on his heels as he fled to down the tunnel showed what a bad loser he is and epitomised the equity that some footballers and managers have in the modern game. The issue of “sportsmanship” is hanging over football like a dark cloud right now. Where has it gone?

I’m sure, like me, if you play grass roots football on a Saturday afternoon then you will know that the FA has introduced a hand shake before the game. The referee lines us up on the half-way line and watches intently as the new law comes into play. Twenty-two men, all shapes and sizes, don’t really shake hands but rather grasp each others palms as if they are trying their best to break a finger. Gazing into your eyes as if to say “you just wait until battle commences”.

Needless to say, as a 5’7” winger, when my hand gets crushed by their towering centre-back, who is missing a few teeth, I wonder whether I should be in the safety of my own home watching Soccer Saturday with a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich.

But at the end of the game, after the battle has been won, the toothless wonder centre-back will be the first to come and shake my hand. I then make sure, as do the rest of my team, that we shake everybody’s hand – especially the referee’s. Rather more graciously this time too – mainly because my hand is battered and bruised from the time before.

I think Wenger and other modern day professional footballers could learn a lesson or two from grass roots football, not in the style of play but in the manner the players conduct themselves. Why, just last Saturday the ball hit one of the other team’s arm just outside of the box and he held his hands up and admitted it. I can think of a certain Frenchman who could have done
the same.

All too often we see petty squabblings between, not only players on the pitch, but managers on the touchline – bickering like two old ladies. I can only think that the governing impulse behind the situation is that age old enemy – vanity.

If your pride is seen to be damaged by a snide remark or a swift clip of the heels on the football pitch – it has become customary to react. I know that injured pride can cloud judgement but for goodness sake just get on with the game. By all means go hard into tackles and battle like a true warrior – but at the end of the match shake hands and head into the clubhouse for a beer.

Alas, I can’t quite imagine Arsene sat with pint in hand and entering the raffle to win a years free membership to the clubhouse. As he sits alone in his posh London flat sipping his fancy wine, I would like to think that the wily old Frenchman, despite being a brilliant football manager, could learn a thing or two about sportsmanship from the toothless centre-back who has worked at the paper mill all of his life.

Harry Hesp