Laws in our country are laws and enforceable whenever and wherever, though those in football seem to change depending on when they are deemed necessary.
Every year there are new rules introduced which often just disappear. Remember the six-second rule for goalkeepers or moving the ball ten-yards forward for dissent.
One rule which has stuck has been to book a player if he removes his jersey. A bizarre decision and has since seen a number of players sent off after they have been booked later for perhaps a poor tackle.
However, after watching Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool, it puzzled me as to why footballers should be allowed to take their shirts off after the final whistle has gone?
Florent Malouda – to his credit – took off his shirt to give it to a ball boy after the 90-minutes and then went off to celebrate with the fans – but should he be booked retrospectively?
Team-mate Didier Drogba was banned after a fit of rage after the final whistle in last year’s Champions League Semi-Final against Barcelona; and if a player was to square-up to an opponent as they walk off the pitch, or in the tunnel, action would be taken.
Obviously Malouda should not be punished. The rule is a farcical one which does no one any harm, and only goes to spoil matches if the offender is subsequently sent-off later, or misses another crucial match for amassing too many bookings in the season.
However, it does raise an interesting issue as to why some rules apply all the time and others only sometimes.
Speeding, after all, is speeding whether driving to work or hurriedly rushing to dinner with your other-half.
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