I have been a soccer fan for the past three years, focusing my attention on some of the top professional leagues in the world. I follow England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Mexico's Liga MX, and the United States/Canada's Major League Soccer...well, maybe this last one still has a way to before attaining that "top professional league" status. I would be a fan of Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, and Italy's Lega Serie A, but I don't pick up their games with my TV cable plan and have plenty of soccer to watch as it is. One of my favorite "activities" on a Saturday evening at home is to tune in to Univision and watch the Spanish-language play-by-play live broadcasts of Mexican soccer. And last night had two great games lined up: "my" team, the UANL Tigres, were facing off against Guadalajara, a traditional favorite in Mexico and doing well this year...and the later game was between first-year Necaxa and another traditional favorite: Club America, based in Mexico City. There was extra drama with these matchups because Tigres and Club America, each usually near the top of the standings, were struggling so far this season and are both in danger of missing the playoffs, which they call "Liguilla". So I'm sitting there waiting for this very violent dramatic series titled La Piloto to finish at eight, when game number one was going to start. Only it never did, and that horrid show kept going on and on. Being a citizen of the 21st century, I simply whipped out my android phone and asked it what happened to the games...the answer, while disappointing, affirmed what I had already been thinking about professional soccer, especially as it is played in Mexico...
The referees, totally exasperated at the whining, arguing, and even threatening attitude of the players whenever a call goes against them, collectively got together with their union and staged a one-weekend walk-off strike in protest of their poor treatment. Apparently, all the games slated for this weekend were postponed to a later date. While I was unhappy at missing what would have in all probability been two entertaining contests, I am completely in sympathy with the officiating staff, which gets very little respect from the players during their matches. Soccer does not use cameras and instant replays and reviews to back up their calls, so what the officials say on the field is final and that's just the way it is until the rules get changed...hopefully that won't happen as replay/review would ruin the natural flow of the game. But with that lack of official review, the authority and responsibility for calling fouls and penalties (or not calling them) rests much more heavily on the individual referees, and there seems to be an epidemic of players getting in their faces arguing with almost every serious call. I see this in all of the leagues I follow, but in Mexico the lack of sportsmanship has reached new depths. I love following the different teams and seeing the fans in the stands rooting for their sides...but folks just need to get a life...after all, it's all just a game in the end...
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