Warning: football to dominate news as Chelsea player literally kicks ballboy

[4eyesbetter]

So you're 2-0 down in the second leg of a cup semi-final, the ball goes out for a goal-kick to the other team, you run over to encourage the ballboy to return the ball in a speedy fashion, the ballboy falls over on top of the ball, and then you decide that this is an entirely proportionate and appropriate response to the situation.

Of course, this is the club that has already established that you can bring a gun to work and shoot someone with it and not be sacked, so I suppose we can't be too surprised. So yeah, this is probably going to dominate the sports section of anything for the next little while, so be prepared.

(If you're trapped in a discussion of it and absolutely can't get out, you might offer the discussion point that Eric Cantona got an eight-month suspension back in 1995.)

 

[Phil E]

The player was red carded and the police want to interview the ball boy, who appeared to be a minor.

 

[dave_clark]

if the sport has any credibility whatsoever, the player has got to be sacked. right?

not that it would mean the same as if one of us got sacked of course.

 

[DrSTU]

He appears to be trying to free the ball by kicking it out from underneath him:chin: (I guess that will be his version of it)

 

[Dickie E]

"Has football gone mad?" Chelsea said on its official Twitter feed. "Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it."

:holysheep:

 

[Dickie E]

"Has football gone mad?" Chelsea said on its official Twitter feed. "Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it."

:holysheep:

Here's the video. I reckon the ball boy has taken a dive!!! Seriously, though, the kid was pretty slow to get off the ball. No excuse for a kick, though

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...-kicking-ballboy/story-e6frg7mf-1226560627706

 

[Drift]

What was the ball boy doing lying on top of the ball in the first place? Well this is from his twitter account:

Charlie Morgan™ ‏@CHARLIEM0RGAN
The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting

Seems like he knew what he was doing and had planned to be a pest. Last time I checked the whole purpose of a ball boy is to return the ball to the players yet he seemed to fail at this task. Not saying he deserves a kick but he certainly was aware of what he was doing.

 

[Agustin]

Surely he had to let him up!

 

[damo]

The ballboy was cheating and he got his comeuppance. The video that I have seen tends to indicate the player kicked the ball free, maybe connecting with the players ribs a bit.

It was pretty marginal from the Chelsea player, but no sympathy at all should go to the cheating ballboy who knew exactly what he was doing. If, as has been reported, there was a conscious and premeditated strategy by Swansea for the ballboy's to waste time then I would hope they are looking at at least a 6 figure fine.

 

[smeagol]

It was pretty marginal from the Chelsea player, but no sympathy at all should go to the cheating ballboy who knew exactly what he was doing. If, as has been reported, there was a conscious and premeditated strategy by Swansea for the ballboy's to waste time then I would hope they are looking at at least a 6 figure fine.

Agreed, but to me Hazard crossed the line by kicking at it. The player better be banned for months.

 

[didds]

Here's the video. I reckon the ball boy has taken a dive!!! Seriously, though, the kid was pretty slow to get off the ball. No excuse for a kick, though

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...-kicking-ballboy/story-e6frg7mf-1226560627706

according to radio 4 this morning ball boys are INSTRUCTED by the home coach to NOT easily provide the ball for the opposition if it could cause a problem for the home side.

I won't even start to comment.

Are these ball boys academy/youth players employed by the clubs?

didds

 

[Taff]

Here's the video. I reckon the ball boy has taken a dive!!! Seriously, though, the kid was pretty slow to get off the ball.

But as has been said, why did he dive on the ball in the first place? Sugar coat it all you like and call it "home advantage" if you want, but I call it cheating and it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Which is a pity as they would have won the game and got to the final anyway.

Surely he had to let him up!

:biggrin: Sharp sir. Sharp. :clap:

according to radio 4 this morning ball boys are INSTRUCTED by the home coach to NOT easily provide the ball for the opposition if it could cause a problem for the home side. ... Are these ball boys academy/youth players employed by the clubs?

If I was in charge of the FA and these are academy players, I would fine them and insist that Swansea use independent ballboys in future. Imagine a rugby club or an international side instructing it's home ball boys to touch a ball kicked to touch to deliberately prevent the opposition taking QTIs; there would be uproar and quite bloody right too. Sometimes you can be too clever for your own good, and they deserve to be bitten on the arse for it.

 

[crossref]

according to radio 4 this morning ball boys are INSTRUCTED by the home coach to NOT easily provide the ball for the opposition if it could cause a problem for the home side.

I won't even start to comment.

I know that this happens in rugby as well -I know ball boys in a very prestigious venue who have been encouraged by players/coaches to do thngs like take any opportunity to touch the ball on an oppo throw (to prevent a QT, of course) perhaps to be less fastidious about how dry the ball is when handed to a hooker for line out, or how muddy it is for a centre kick. that sort of thing.

BTW the ball-boy management team are quite proper and, make it clear this sort of thing is completely not acceptable. Whereas on radio 4 they suggested in football it's official

 

[Bunniksider]

I understand from elsewhere that the ballboy is the 17 year old son of a Swansea share holder (22.5% apparently)

 

[Account Deleted]

The player was very stupid and got what he deserved. However, at approx 4pm on the 23/1/13 the following was posted by this yob on his twitter page:

“Charlie Morgan™ ‏@CHARLIEM0RGAN
The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting”

He planned to do this all along if he got the chance Swansea should take action against him too. No wonder the little toe rag is not pressing charges.

 

[Phil E]

Some people might say that "all clubs instruct their ballboys to be slow giving the ball back to the opposition", I couldn't possibly comment. Ball boys in the Premiership are provided by the home teams academy.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of what the ball boy did (and that should be dealt with seperately by the FA) it doesn't, under any circumstances, give an adult the right to kick out at a minor.

However you have to ask yourself what was so important about getting the ball back 10 seconds earlier than he did? A quick play wasnt really possible. Maybe if Chelsea had played a better game and not been losing they wouldnt have needed the ball so urgently?

Consider this:
1. You lost because you kept dropping the ball in the first half, not because of the referees decision in the last minute.
2. You lost because you failed to score or defend properly all game, not because the ball boy held onto the ball for an extra 10 seconds.

Same difference.

 

[Shelflife]

first off all hazard shouldnt have done what he did, it just looks wrong.

I dont think that he ment to kick the little shit and that he just wanted to free the ball.

The little shit shouldnt be allowed to frustrate or impede the opposition or the flow of the game.Why should an outside force be allowed to have an effect on what happens on the pitch? The little shit should be hauled up in front of the FA as well as his club.

the little shit should be ashamed of the big girly way he rolled around on the ground as if he had been stabbed by hazard.

Phil E im not one to stand up for overpaid player and hardly watch the sport anymore, but you can understand him wanting to save as much time as possible and becoming frustrated with someone who intentionally was denying him the ball.I believe that it looked alot worse then it was and that the ballboy totally milked the situation.

 

[crossref]

football needs to learn a lesson from rugby in the management of time, and allow the referee to simply indicate time-off / time on - I think that vastly reduces opportunities for time wasting.

 

[SimonSmith]

Ballboys: get criticized if they hold on to the ball. Get criticized by Jimmy Hill on MOTD if you release the ball too quickly and let the away side (Liverpool in this case) take a quick throw and score. I remember that from wayyyy back.

Anyway, this is all the Ballboy you'll ever need:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61qf6LNtAI

 

[Phil E]

The little shit shouldnt be allowed to frustrate or impede the opposition or the flow of the game.Why should an outside force be allowed to have an effect on what happens on the pitch? The little shit should be hauled up in front of the FA as well as his club.

You have to consider that he is probably an academy player, and wants to remain so.
You also have to consider that he 'might' have been 'instructed' to slow the ball down.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesnt.