Monday, June 14, 2010

Those darn bees

Khemara's Paris Zidougha (24) has a battle on his hands to get credited with their 1st goal. Photo nicksellsphotography
Another bee in my bonnet surfaced at yesterday's Metfone C-League game between Khemara and the Army. Khemara equalised as half-time approached with a flukey goal when Ek Vannak volleyed a shot against the knee of Army defender Thong Oudom and the ball ricocheted onto the head of Paris Zidougha before cannoning into the net. It was clearly, in anyone's book, Zidougha's goal and he celebrated as such. However, not in the eyes of the official match commissioner Thorm Angkeara. At half-time I checked with the officials and their version is that the goal was credited to Ek Vannak because it was his shot and Zidougha's involvement was purely unintentional. WTF has that got to do with anything? Vannak's name was announced over the loudspeaker and was shown on the official match result card, despite my insistence that their thinking was completely off the wall. When did intention have anything to do with goalscoring, I've never read that in any football rulebook. It's the last attacking player to touch the ball before it crosses the goal-line who gets the credit for any goal, the whole world and their dog knows that. So why do the Cambodian football federation match officials play by different rules? Sometimes I really do despair.

2 comments:

GADAFFI said...

Andy man, you have to get use to Cambodian sports administrators and the officials. I saw you looking real red on sunday when some of the decisions were completely wrong. I can feel your rage over the officials giving the goal scored by Paris to someone else because they are not aware of the rules governing deflected goals. We have been trying to point out their flaws but they continue to turn deaf ears...... I am beginning to take a sit down and watch approach, you either do that or just move with the flow. Thats cambodia for you.
cheers

KEN

Andy Brouwer said...

Indeed Ken, I know what you mean. I am and always have been passionate about football. As a player I always played to win. As a fan I was always one of the most vocal of supporters. As a reporter I often get incensed when I see something that is plainly wrong. Football is a game I love and I want to see it played properly, and passionately, and professionally, both on and off the pitch.
Andy