Lessons to Self

I was kindly cajoled from my work desk to watch the football match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. 

It was a good game as expected and a sad loss for those of us who are Manchester United fans. I listened to the comments thereafter and instead of engaging into merely the usual postmortem of blame allocation, i decided to turn my loss into some sort of gain by inquiring in to what  lessons i had learnt about the game and about fair play generally -

Here are the six ''Lessons-to-Self''
 
1. Be respectful in victory#Ronaldo. 

Ronaldo scored the second (painful i admit) goal against his former team ManU. There is something sportsmanly about a player who seeks not to rub it in after he has won. Whether it was because Ronaldo was coming back to play his former team or because he took cognisance of the fact that his fellow countryman had been given the red card is anyone's guess. I was nevertheless challenged to be cordial in victory

2. When you feel unfairly treated, express your disapproval and then shake hands and move on (and be ready for the consequences of your actions) #Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferinand's desparation was understandable, but the fact that he came back to make peace with the referee who he had seconds earlier sarcastically applauded, appealed to the 'human being' in me. His actions opened him up to  face sanctions from the UEFA although it is reported that he will not be punished.

However the Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson might not be so lucky since he was too distraught to face the media. He may face Uefa sanction for his non-appearance. Lesson to self, next time i am angry, keep away lest i say something i might regret. Ambrose Bierce is quoted as saying 'Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.'

3. Two wrongs do not make a right!!  However well you justify it#Howard Webb

In addition to justifying the red card given to Nani, some have argued that Manchester United 'deserved' the kind of treatment it received from the referee because of the ''unjust victories gained through biased decisions that have gone their way over the years.''

Whether that be true or false, my lesson is that two wrongs do not make a right.

The rules of fair play and natural justice demand that each case be decided upon its own facts. UEFA already has rules regarding appeals against Referee's decisions. I see no situation, apart from those who believe in karma, which can justify such an argument.

4. Once you have beef with a team, it blurs the authenticity of your vision (read -opinion) # Roy Keane 

 I listened to one of the commentators on ITV Roy Keane, (a former Manchester United Captain), justify the red card issued against Nani. Whereas the other commentators thought a yellow card would have been sufficient, Keane did not.

I must point out that Keane does have a right to an opinion on this -and  whether i agree or disagree with him should not matter. The rules on fairplay are available here for us to read and apply. Thus whereas i didn't agree with the referee's decision, i am sure others saw it differently.

However, watching Keane's demeanour on screen as he made his comments (Gareth Southgate looked petrified) as well as listening to his ''additional'' comments on Nani, left a sour taste in my mouth. I found those comments rather misplaced and unnecessary. Indeed a former ManU player asserted that Keane's reaction and comments were due to his unhappy departure from Manchester United. However, i digress but hopefully the point has been made.

5. Be honest 

I was impressed and also challenged by the brazen honesty of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. Not only did he keep a gentlemanly atmosphere between him and Sir Alex Ferguson, but in his opinion, (and to my pleasure of course)  'the best team (Manchester United) lost.' He further said that he doubts whether his team would have won if Nani had remained on the pitch.

Now i must quickly add that whereas his comments bring a smile to my face, they might not necessarily be true. What astounded me though was his honesty and inspite of not being omniscient, i doubt he was bluffing. It remains anyway, his honest opinion and i respected that.

6. Last but not least, when occupying certain positions, be careful who you ''follow'' on Twitter. 

This is because, however honest your intentions, it might be viewed with suspicion when you make a decision.  Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's Twitter page shows that he follows Real Madrid and their star man Cristiano Ronaldo -

Those were my lessons from the game and i thank my buddy Alex Jakana for dragging me away from my work to watch this game -

Aluta Continua!!