Yellow card for taking your shirt off, wtf?

[WTF11]

I think this works for me as I've played with or against a fair number of the players involved in the past and, although it probably shouldn't help, everyone also knows I'm "not American" and so perhaps pay more heed to anything I might say or call. Silly sausages!

It's not uncommon for the referees here to have never played the game in any real capacity and so they often fail when it comes to situations where play should be allowed to continue and get all het up about trivial calls (which I suppose this shirt argument falls under!).

I actually enjoy refereeing, especially when it seems as if I've helped the game flow and not inserted myself into situations where I'm not needed. It certainly isn't for everyone though.

You should become chief advisor to PGMOL!

[Monaco_Totty]

Sportsmanship,players & Refs ?

Bamford on My Mates a Footballer BBC podcast.

Q.Leeds striker Bamford was asked about his recent goal against Rotherham which appeared to go in off his arm:

"At the time, I thought, ‘it’s really close to me, but I can’t quite get it with my body, so I’m just going to nudge it with my elbow’.

"I thought, ‘that’s really subtle, everyone will think it came off my chest’. I ran off and as I’m running off, I tried to make it look normal. Looked back and their players are going mental. The ref’s given the goal. Stupidly, I did a celebration where I tapped my elbow. The goal was already given.

"Afterwards, we’re walking back to the centre circle – one of their players asked me, ‘did you handball it?’ I said yeah. The ref said, ‘did it touch your hand?’, before it had kicked off again. To be fair, it didn’t touch my hand, it touched my elbow, so I said ‘no, it didn’t touch my hand’."

Q.Would he prefer the game with or without VAR?

"For supporters, it needs to be refined a lot to not take the joy out of the game. I think simple things like, with offside, if it’s that close, you’re literally just an inch offside, I think it has to be really obvious. If it’s not obvious to the natural eye, then it’s not offside. I’d keep goal line technology and then I’d just keep it for penalties or red cards."

[cherrypie7]

Coming back to the topic, I agree that celebrations with taking of one's shirt should incur a yellow card. And it must be consistent. Once many years ago, AC Milan were playing in the World Club Championship final (if memory recalls), Kaka scores, takes off his shirt and reveals his undershirt where its written, "I belong to Jesus". The referee was so stunned he forgot to issue a yellow.