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Clattenburg Clattered, but Gomes Should Take the Blame
Published by Ian John on October 31, 2010
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Last night’s game at Old Trafford saw one of the strangest incidents in the Premier League since, well if we are being honest, since Fernando Torres scored a similar kind of goal against Sunderland at Anfield a month or so ago. Once again a referee, Mark Clattenburg, was centre of the controversy that followed Nani scoring the second of Manchester United’s goals in their 2-0 home win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.
The incident, if you have not seen it, happened thus: Nani tried to get onto the end of a pass chipped into the Spurs box. As he did so, he came together with Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul. There was contact, outside of the box initially, but Nani ran into the box after the ball, before falling theatrically to the turf (as he is increasingly prone to doing), reaching out with his arm and grabbing the ball, stopping it. As he did so, Gomes, the Tottenham keeper, raced out of his goal and grabbed the ball in both his hands.
At this point Mark Clattenburg and the linesman had both noted that Nani had handled the ball and that it was technically, a free kick to Spurs. However, with Gomes holding the ball in his hands and in advance of the foul anyway (and presumably wanting to start the game quickly and get Spurs on the counter attack seeing as they were 1-0 down at the time). Clattenburg decided not to blow for the free kick and allow the keeper to get on with the game via the advantage rule.
It was at this point events got a little confused. Gomes, it seemed, had decided that despite the lack of a whistle or any signal from the referee, that it was a free kick and dropped the ball down in the box miles away from where the original offence took place. He then backed away from the ball. Nani, who was alert to the fact that no whistle had been blown, approached the ball slowly and stood over it. Glanced at the referee who shrugged as if to say “play on” and then the Portuguese winger stuck the ball into the Spurs net. Much to the chagrin of the keeper and the Tottenham team.
Now, I am as likely to defend Manchester United and officiating ineptitude as I am to take my next holiday in Kandahar, but for once, I think that Clattenburg and his team got it right.
Here’s why. What would have happened if Gomes had picked the ball up, ran out with it, threw it out quickly to Aaron Lennon in acres of space and sent Spurs onto a dangerous quick counter-attack? Only then for Clattenburg to blow up and award the free kick. Then we would have commentators moaning about how stupid and officious the referee was, punishing Tottenham by not allowing them to play on quickly. Clattenburg gave Spurs that chance, it is not his fault that Gomes assumed (and that is the KEY word here) that it was a free kick. No whistle or signal was given to the keeper to make him think that was the case.
The reason the goal stood was not down to Clattenburg’s mistake, but Gomes. The Spurs keeper did not play to the whistle. He assumed it was a free kick. He was wrong. As was said many a time, you play to the whistle. There was no whistle, the ball was still ‘live’ and Gomes should have known that. Not taken it upon himself to take a non-existent free kick.
The only galling thing was that United profited from this monumental error of judgement and instead of lauding Nani for his quick thinking (he wasn’t the only United player to notice, Carrick and Scholes both urged the winger to slot the ball home), the blame is once again being pointed at the referee. Only this time, unjustly so in my view.
When a referee plays the advantage rule, he does so so the team that were the victim, can take advantage of the situation. It is not the referees fault if the team then, through the ineptitude of an individual, fails to do so. At which point should Clattenburg be able to recall the advantage and award a free kick? Immediately? After 5 seconds? It’s impossible to state an answer to this. Simply to say that you ALWAYS play to the whistle.
United players did, Gomes didn’t. Hence it was rightfully 2-0, regardless of what had happened beforehand with Nani handling the ball.
Believe me, I attended a Tranmere game this weekend with some of the most hilariously bad officiating ever seen on a football field, for both teams I hasten to add. There were decisions made in that game so bafflingly awful that the referee should rightly be hauled over the coals for it. Clattenburg however, should not.
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Pontus on Tue, 2nd Nov 2010 6:16 am
Well I think the biggest offense is that: a) there is a rule against diving, so if he fell theatrically in a Eduardoesque sort of way there should be a yellow card for simulation as such things should be punished in this way.
b) If he later grabs the ball which is done to try add psychological leverage for his case of being fouled. And the referee deems him not to be fouled it is a delibirate handball which has during the last 20years of football always resulted in yellow cards.
c) Clattenburg is clearly showing a bias here. If he was neutral and had deemeded Tottenham the advantage of the ball he should clearly show that throw body language and race back for the ensuing counter attack. Instead he has just as you said enough time to even have eye contact with Nani and wink to him go ahead, when Nani looked at him he should of just carried on tracking back up the field.