What if… a goal action stopped by a wrong whistle would cause the same sensation as a goal recognized by a wrong whistle?
This may sound a bit complicated, especially as a headline? However, the problem itself can be explained gladly and quite simply. Nevertheless, it is necessary to elaborate a little further.
A goal scored, which is recognized, not only provides for the jubilation of one’s own fans, the absolute imaginable maximum climax, the pure feeling of happiness for the one who has waited so long feverishly for it, the adrenaline rush, which makes one continue to stay as a supporter at this game, despite recognized often long and persistent suffering. No, a recognized goal additionally provides an entry in the scoresheet, is reflected on the scoreboard, receives entry in the table, brings (usually) a goal scorer who can be celebrated even more, longer and more extensively, perhaps even in the consequence a championship, a promotion, the fulfilled season goal and furthermore an honored top scorer?
In any case, a goal is still what counts – and not only among fans but also among neutral spectators who may only be watching a summary or who are merely looking at the final results and the standings.
A falling goal is the absolute exception, no goal is the normal state. It lasts almost throughout — there is simply no goal falling. Not on this attack and not on the next. The average wait for a goal is over 30 minutes at the moment, globally speaking, which is something you wouldn’t even expect on a bus or train if you wanted to reach a destination on public transport. It’s pretty pointless, so to speak, to wait for a gate the next moment. You have to let it happen. And should then be happy. The few supporters of the team conceding the goal, as well as their players, coach, manager, board, whatever, are a small minority and are more than outweighed when it does happen, by those who are so exuberantly happy. Because it would have to be all friends of the game, who are simply there.
There is no goal. That was the statement. And not only that this is the normal state, no, you also get used to a score. This is an essential aspect. The referee also does this. Everyone in the stadium, at the TV screens, in front of the live tickers, in the teletext or at results servers: it is “normal” that a score does not change for a long time. It is the status quo. It is not so easy to shake it – as is also explained in the chapter on the rigidity of the rules. You settle into it and somehow want it to stay that way.
Now a recognized gate would be accordingly that, which upsets this condition. It may be that quite a few would be pleased about it, but before the goal success stands also still its acknowledgment and/or the admitting of the goal chance. And here the slight limitations already begin. One could say that when a team makes a real attack, it endangers the status quo, the state to which one has become accustomed.
The big problem with scoring goals appears at this moment. The referee has a certain concern that everything has been done right when he allows a goal or declares everything regular in the making alone. Maybe there was someone with his arm on the ball, imperceptibly only, or there was someone who pushed slightly and I would have missed it? Maybe there was a player on the edge of the offside line and I didn’t stop him with the actually necessary offside whistle? You should be happy about it, I would be too. But please, everything must have been done according to the rules. Otherwise – and this now gradually advances to the decisive aspect – I am the bogeyman.
It is with the so seldom occurring, but entry in result and table finding events of a goal success, purely intuitively spoken, please absolutely to pay attention to the fact that here any mistake is avoided. Partly because it (the goal) happens so rarely, partly because it receives this entry and possibly a team considerable damage – relegation? European Cup missed? No title? – which could have been avoided if the situation had been correctly recognized. So one must pay attention above all to the fact that each goal was absolutely flawless and came about regularly.
Now you can consider for a moment the opposite situation: an offside was recognized that did not exist (by the way, in English the opposite of “offside” is “onside”; translated it should actually mean: the player was not offside, he was “on this side”).