Card Him!

Why all the attempting to tell the ref how to do his job? It’s not a pretty sight to see players giving the universal “card him” signal to the ref. Even the managers are getting in on it this season. It would be an interesting day when I see a game where the players just go about their jobs and PLAY, walking away calmly when they just saw their teammate get hacked just outside the box, and in no way running 40 yards across the field to tell the ref their, obviously clear-sighted, thoughts on the recent tackle.

But who am I kidding? Isn’t this “card him” signal just the football version of sticking it to the opposition? Like any professional would in this cut-throat world. Perhaps the “card him (or her)” signal should be introduced into various other professions: In the courtroom (the lawyer charges the judge’s throne with her hand waving in the air “Judge, that’s a yellow, surely”); In teaching (the always prompt teacher runs 20 yards from the back of the meeting room waving the approved signal at his principal “Mr Principal surely Mr Slacker Teacher gets a second yellow for that, he’s 30 seconds late for the faculty meeting again”); In law enforcement (“I witnessed the infraction and saw the Sheriff pull the Mustang over, so I pulled over behind the Sheriff’s car, got out and ran up to the Sheriff’s window with my “card him” signal at full force yelling “That’s a straight red, Sir. He blew through that light like it wasn’t even there”).

Then again, that would look pretty ridiculous. Like it does when Mancini does it…

If you ever see me do that, please slap me like you were Ibrahimovic! (but make sure you connect better).