Fair Play is Dead Again
by Graham Davies

Football's Bastards in Black have always had a reputation for myopia. But Joe Shoebridge, who refereed Bristol City's match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, seems to be an extreme sufferer of the condition. Mind you, the other 3 match officials also did not see Bristol City's blatantly legitimate goal...presumably because they were feeding their guide dogs at the time.

However, I am not writing today's blog to carry on the British tradition of moaning about sporting officialdom. I write to moan about what could have been the re-birth of British Fair Play.

All 11 Bristol City players knew that a goal had been scored against them. They should either have persuaded the referee of that fact or, after consulting with their manager, immediately and openly allowed Crystal Palace an unnopposed walk-in goal.

They had the chance to present the image of Bristol City in particular, and British sport in general, in a new and glorious light. Their Micro-Message to the world could have been: Even in the Age of Hard-Nosed Sporting Professionalism, there is still room for Sportsmanship.

But they bottled it. I hope they lose every other match this season.