Even if, on the whole, the application of existing rules is advocated or only a rethinking per goal action in the sense of an increased entertainment value in football is considered sufficient, there are nevertheless a few fundamental situations in modern professional football which may well be reconsidered. It is possible – and presumably can be confirmed by everyone immediately upon brief reflection – that there are a few annoyances week after week. Sometimes one’s own team is affected, sometimes it benefits, one accepts it as it is, sometimes one smiles to oneself or, conversely, is indignant. But at games “without one’s own participation”, where one would at least be “objective” so far, it is disturbingly noticeable and serves for the regulars’ table to keep the heated discussions taking place at it going. Whereby: uniform agitation is also part of it (Möller – Schwalbe?).
The central point here is the behaviour of the players themselves, who, forced by the media to have only success in mind, are required to forget good manners and instead use all available minor or major “dirty tricks” – usually tolerated by the rules officials – to achieve the only goal proclaimed – victory.
Again and again, a self-imposed rule here – which would first have to be confirmed – reads like this: clean football, higher justice are conducive. Only the fans – of this or that team – are currently the overwhelming number of spectators who have a subjective view of things, on the one hand, and on the other actually accept any means to ensure that their team wins. However, this in no way rules out the possibility that they themselves will notice misconduct on the part of one of their team’s players. Only then they would still have the simple justification: “Last week it was the other way round against us.” And usually even “and a fortnight ago as well”. The injustices against one’s own team that actually took place or were even perceived as such are often outnumbered because of the stronger perception.
The neutral spectator, however, should be the “rules observer” and also far outnumbered. One could simply “calculate” that the fans of this and that team involved “neutralise” each other. One would like that, the other the opposite, cancel each other out. So the only one “capable of judgement” would be this neutral spectator, who, however, is usually deprived of the goal actions by the lame way of interpreting the rules.
The basic minor, medium to major annoyances include:
- Display of injury time – and then?
- Playing for time
- The advantage rule
- Acting, especially faking an injury
- Provocations
- Yellow cards legalise foul play
- What is a penalty?
- Penalty – and nothing else?
- Distance between walls
- Where is the goalkeeper allowed to play with his hand?
- Goalkeeper protection
- “Block the ball out of bounds”?