To misquote John McEnroe "You cannot be Seriuoux!"...
After the Dallas match Beckham was asked why he reacted so badly to the wild challenge from Serioux. Beckhams reply 'He tried to break my leg' seems perfectly justified in my opinion and anyone else who is not hopelessly biased who saw the challenge must be aware that this is exactly the sort of challenge from which many a footballer does not get up from in a hurry if they just happen to have their weight on the leg in question.
Serioux is reputed to have muttered (childishly) 'Welcome to the MLS..'. Well perhaps Mr Serioux did not realise that EVEN in the MLS, you will actually be sent off for a challenge like that, and if he did realise it - what was his point? Welcome to the league where if I am losing 4 - 1, I might just do something really stupid and get myself sent off...
Since he was red-carded himself in the World Cup against Argentina, Beckham knows how to ride a challenge, get a man booked and if needs be, get a man sent off. In the modern game, these are (sadly) essential tools for survival, especially where so much jealousy is on public display.
He is also used to the crowd getting on his back, and like with all pro sportsmen it rarely bothers him and often improves the resolve to perform at a higher level. In retrospect, considering the 'heat' of the moment, and the heat of the day David arguably deserved his caution as he did nothing to take the sting out of the situation (not that I would have behaved anything like as calmly...). I can understand the 'shhh' gesture at the Dallas crowd who had been booing him the entire match after he set up Buddle for his hat-trick and Galaxy's fifth goal, though it was little petty. I think it unlikely that the investigation now being conducted into his behaviour is going to come up with anything more than a apologetic wrist-slap... even the officials have to see a potentially leg-breaking challenge as just cause for some kind of outcry.
The moral of the story is that players should pay each other a little respect and play like professionals, 'cos they sure as hell earn enough for the privilege of being pro sportsmen - in this instance, it applies to both players - but one considerably more than the other...
1 comment:
If anything, Seriuoux should be fined. The tackle was probably done out of anger. I think the MLS has to be strick now, for these things not to happen in the future.
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