Hooligan or not?

Watched Invictus and a comment in the movie went like this: football (soccer) is a gentlemen's game played by hooligans while rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen. Think the 2 sports had their fair share of dirty play, hooligan or gentlemen's game.


Recent years, the theatrical drama on the soccer pitch had died down very much from the late 1980s - when I started to watch some matches - till now. When every slightest touch during a tackle, the "victim" rolls on the ground, clutching the contacted part of the body and grimaced in "pain". The best part of it all was, after being stretchered off the playing ground, the player "limped" back and continued on his running as if nothing had happened. But all these changed when FIFA ruled that any of such drama can be warded a red card by the referee at his discretion. And this had resulted in lesser of such unprofessional behaviour.


Rugby also has its fair share of foul play. In the scrum, what goes on inside the mass of huge men, as long as it is unseen by the referee, there will be no form of penalty nor booking. What goes on inside the scrum? It varies from punches and upper-cuts into the face/stomach, pinching and squeezing of the genitals, to even biting of ears, arms or other body parts.


Fair play? Clearly not.


Off the pitch nor on the pitch, there has been no lesser of such drama. Wayne Rooney, 25 year old star player for world reknown English soccer club, Manchester United, got into the latest tabloids for his "social" visits to the prostitutes while his wife was pregnant with their first child. While he was younger, he was fiery and got into frequent brawls in pubs after getting drunk.


Gentlemen? Yeah right.


But what I could not believe was a comment his friend made when the tabloids spilled the beans about his night outings with prostitutes. The wife and her family are nothing without Rooney; everything they have now is because of him. If she cant take what he had done, she should just leave. Otherwise, live with it.


WHAT??? So just because the guy has the money and able to provide in abundance, he can do what he wants? A free for all country eh? I think this is clearly a consequence of too much soccer - brain damage from the excessive heading of the ball into the net.

***

Had an energetic swim with the squad at Buona Vista. Feels good to be back at BV and in the pool. Traffic is so much smoother and less time spent in jams. Despite the aching thighs from Sunday's run, I was able to keep pace with the rest of the blokes. Didnt go too slow. Probably because of the easy week last week.

Tomorrow night will be back with ENR ride again for recovery. For recovery? Funny... How can ENR ever be considered a recovery ride? But yes, looking forward to continuous harder training till end of November again.