Yes, it sounds like a Hollywood sequel – perhaps to the Indiana Jones franchise… The ‘Hand of God’ in question of course, is the one that we see, albeit more often than we would like, in football (i.e. soccer) – a game in which rich, prima donna players, whether it is rolling around in grass, miming fake grimaces, or using their hands, cheat more often than we would like. That is the state of affairs in football today.

It appears that, as long as the referee does not spot the offending action, the players have carte-blanche to undertake any illegal action of their choosing. And FIFA… Well, they usually are not bothered – especially when a protest is brought by a lowly football country such as Ireland. Perhaps if it had been Germany versus France – things by now would have turned out differently.

We can draw a number of conclusions from the recent re-appearance of the ‘Hand of god:’
1. Players are permitted to use their hands in controlling the ball. The proper procedure for this is for a team member to obstruct the view of the referre, or to distract the referee.
2. Game rules are of no value. If you cannot win the game by the rules, then you can win by cheating. We might as well have no game rules and do away with the referees.
3. FIFA is not fit to govern football.
4. Players, especially stars, no longer have any respect left for the game.

Personally I would have rather seen Ireland than France in the finals. I am old fashioned of course, and still believe in the best teams going through. They used to say that the (foot)ball is round, and that on any given day, you couldn’t be certain who would win. It made the game exciting to watch. Nowadays I can hardly watch a football game without getting disgusted at the players’ antics, discussions of huge sums of money, etcetera, etcetera…

I believe that the time has come to institute a salary cap, and also to do away with FIFA. Perhaps we need an NFL style commissioner based approach. Everytime I watch American football, I am not only impressed by the violence of the play, but also by the skill and professionalism of the players. Whatever system they set up, it is working folks! Let’s snag it, and put enjoyment, and the spirit of competition back into football (i.e. soccer).