The anger and frustration have quieted a bit since an official's poor call in the last minutes of the USA-Slovenia World Cup game last Friday. It was a costly mistake by the official and a costly one for the USA. They still, however, can control their destiny this week.
FIFA and the official Koman Coulibaly could take a lesson from a recent incident in Major League Baseball. It was just several days ago where Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the verge of pitching a no-hitter, when a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce ended that possibility. But what did Mr. Joyce do - he took ownership of his mistake and apologized to Armando and everyone has moved forward with positive feelings about baseball and the integrity of the sport.
What has the official Coulibaly done? Nothing. He did not even tell the players at the time what the call was. I have no problem with the mistake - it happens and it is unfortunate, but that is and will always be a part of sport. The problem is more with how he and FIFA are handling the situation. Simply step up, take responsibility, and we can all move forward, with much more positive feelings toward soccer and officiating.
Sports Psychology from the Athletic Mind Institute
No comments:
Post a Comment