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10th October 2005On Saturday, David Beckham became the first player to receive a red card whilst playing for England. Most commentators regarded his sending off as harsh, and rightly so. What I found particularly interesting about the incident was the reaction of the fans and the player himself. In 1998, his sending off was the result of an act of petulance, and he was vilified by fans all over the country during the following season. On this occasion, however, his sending off was the result of two poor refereeing decisions. David Beckham was, at most, guilty of competing to win, and arguably neither yellow card was an offence. In fact, in the second instance, replays showed that Beckham cautiously withdrew from tackling the opposing player. David Beckham has transformed himself into a valuable role model for young footballers, for which he is to be congratulated. |
BackgroundBBC Sport: "David Beckham became the first player to be sent off twice for England as they stuttered to victory against Austria at Old Trafford..." Read more at the BBC site |
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