Page 7 - Deal Round Up Feb-March-April-May 2021

The disappointment of not being able to book a holiday, even in the UK, was a massive blow
to many. So, how can seven of our top flight clubs be allowed to travel to five cities in Europe
in the middle of the ‘lock-down’? The answer is, quite honestly, I don’t know! Maybe Dominic
Cummings is in charge!
I don’t know about you, but I am totally fed up and often bewildered by the Video Assistant
Referee, or as it is affectionately known, VAR. I suppose this is highlighted because of the
amount of football lock-down has induced us to watch. I watched recently the Tottenham vs
Manchester United game and there was an incident in midfield when United’s Scott McTominay
was about to go past Spurs Son Heung-min. Son tried to prevent this by grabbing at McTominays
shirt, but the United player escaped this assault and in moving forward his right arm caught
the Tottenham player lightly on the face. Of course the United player was unaware of this as
he sensed a goal scoring opportunity. Son hit the ground as though he had been shot and laid
on the ground. United went on and scored a very good goal, but the dreaded VAR was looking
at it. After a few minutes the referee was advised to look at the monitor and subsequently
disallowed the goal for a foul, but did not book McTominay as this would have been his second
yellow and he would have had to leave the pitch.
My point is this, if that was a foul I am a Dutchman (which I am not), but more importantly
if it was a foul our great National game is in danger of being ruined by the administrators
that make the rules. The McTominay incident is one of many decisions that are baffling to
many football supporters. Goal Line technology I can accept because the machine makes the
decision which is indisputable, but our game is built on opinions offered by human beings, so
when VAR highlights an incident to be looked at it is not the machine that makes the decision
but a human being, so why not let the referee and his assistants officiate and get back to the
flowing ‘swings and roundabouts’ football we were so used to.
‘Grass Roots’ Football Gets The Go-Ahead
The levels forming footballs National Pyramid followed the National League North & South
in declaring their seasons null and void. However the government being keen to see people
taking an active part in sport gave the go ahead for the ‘grass roots’ game to continue, with
the same restrictions as before ‘lock-down’.
That meant that the leagues below the pyramid ‘feeder’ leagues could continue until the end
of June. In the CT area this means the Canterbury & District League and the Dover Sunday
league. From April 12th clubs were allowed to use the changing room facilities albeit on a
restricted basis.
This was really good news and hopefully, providing that common-sense prevails we can get
through this, have a short break before playing close season friendlies and the 2021-22 season
gets underway in August.

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