Why should we pay for one man’s stupidity?
27/04/04 | by Phil Wood

FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants all games to be decided on penalties

Football, like all other sports, is played for enjoyment, and to test yourself against other competitors. It is entirely feasible for two competitors to be equal. A draw is therefore not not a result, if you see what I mean. 

The whole idea of introducing three points for a win rather than the old two, was to encourage attacking football because teams were going out to win at home, and were settling for a draw away on the basis that playing safe and drawing every match would get them as many points as them going out to attack, and coming unstuck 50% of the time.

To allow a situation where three points can be won from playing for a draw is a massive step backwards. Teams, especially the mid-table types (Birmingham, Everton, etc) will go out to draw away from home and hope to win it on the penalty shootout.

Not only that, but teams will start to focus more on penalties than any other aspect of training as they are a more likely and more reliable way to win a match than a flash of spectacular skill. Imagine what it would be like to turn up to watch a match where each team plays ten behind the ball and hope for the penalties. With a minute to go, a triple substitution and on come three specialist penalty takers, with the hope of winning the game in a one-on-one situation. 

Not only that, but I hate the notion of adopting an idea which the Americans have had for several years. It's bad enough having other countries better than us at a sport that we invented, but to be borrowing ideas from a country which not only regards football as we know it to be a female sport and not worthy of serious male participation outside of school, but once voted it their 72nd favourite sport, behind tractor-pulling! 

The beautiful game deserves better than this, and Sepp Blatter doesn't understand it. His suggestion that women should wear hotpants to play football shows that he is ignorant of the fact that the vast majority of fans turn up to watch the skill of the players, not admire the physique of the team.