On the face of it, Brazil’s 3-0 win over Argentina in the Copa America final, though not pretty, was fair and square.
They stung Argentina with an early goal, destroyed their normally slick passing game with tenacious marking in midfield, won most of the 50-50 balls with superior physical strength and hit their rivals with fulminating counter-attacks.
But there was another reason Argentina could not get into their rhythm. Nearly every time they got within 30 to 40 metres of the Brazilian goal, the move was halted with a foul — a tug of the shirt, a push or a sneaky trip, that sort of thing.
The offenders did not receive yellow cards because the fouls were not considered violent by the Paraguayan referee, Carlos Amarilla. Yet this tactic was clearly against the laws of the game, an illegitimate way of stopping Argentina playing football.
Like Amarilla, many other referees seem reluctant to clamp down on repetitive fouling. But, in doing so, they are encouraging the teams who put the emphasis on defending and destroying, as Brazil did on Sunday, and inhibiting those such as Argentina, who like to pass the ball around.
Should something be done to get rid of the tactical foul or is it part of modern football, where physical strength and power are becoming ever more predominant?
Brian Homewood was covering the Copa America in Venezuela
Trackback
4 comments so far
I think the tactical foul should not be done away with. That does not mean, however, that repetitive fouling anywhere near the area is ok. The tactical foul should be used sparingly and in neccessary situations. I think thats part of the tactics of it.
- Posted by BryanI don’t like fouls of any kind, even if they are unlikely to be penalised by the referee. But a yellow card for every shirt tug or push would be going over the top. Perhaps a Rugby Union “sin-bin” to temporarily send offending players off to, but treated as a measure short of a yellow card, would cut down on this. Or would this just destroy the game as we know it?
- Posted by fionaBrazil are the new Italy, basically, aren’t they? Ruthless, hardworking, generally unspectacular but with the odd moment of brilliance.
- Posted by LondonDon’t know about that, London. They were missing Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano, don’t forget. That they still managed to win the tournament is a pretty decent effort.
- Posted by Kev