Football

 We watch a lot of football in our house simply because we like football though we don't support an particular team. I love the passing game, players moving the ball around the pitch is a joy to watch . Lately there are several things that have begun to annoy me.  The first thing is the way players spit all over the pitch, surely this isn't necessary/it doesn't happen in any other sport, rugby players don't do it.  Surely this is a health hazard just as much as is blood on a players shirt?  There is no need for it and it's a dirty habit which is a bad example to youngsters.  Then there is the histrionics when tackles are made, players go down as if they are badly injured when that is clearly not the case.  It seems to happen a lot more in the closing minutes of the game especially to a player on the leading side.  It's cheating plain and simple.  Another thing is picking up the ball to prevent the opposition from taking a free kick quickly, hand ball is not allowed and if the player kicked the ball away he would be booked.  VAR is bad enough for causing delays (but that is improving) but players surrounding the referee complaining about his decisions is even worse, what happened to respect for the match officials.  Talking about complaining why do players throw their arms in the air when they have committed a foul?  It's plain cheating.  They claim for everything even when they know they are wrong.  I blame the coaching of players in things like this, a good example is players being told to go down if they feel any kind of touch in the penalty area whether or not the contact is hard enough to upend them.  Placing the ball for a corner outside the quadrant is pathetic, pushing the rules to the absolute limit to gain a couple of inches?  Grow up please and play the game as it was meant to be played.

I will finish with one question; how when barbers have been shut all year are most players sporting newly cut hairstyles?  Are the exempt from those Covid rules too?