IS IT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME?

There is no doubt that football (soccer) is the sport of the masses, the most popular sport in the world. There is no argument about that.

The excitement, the passion of the players and the supporters, the last minute goals to win or draw the game:

It's all there and it can be fantastic sporting theatre. However like any theatre there is always a villain and that villain is the constant running at the referees, shouting and gesticulating. The diving and the simulating, I think it ruins it all.

This afternoon I was watching the final game of the J League season. FC Tokyo had to beat Yokohama Marinos by four goals to become champions. In the end Yokohama won quite easily 3-0 and became champions for the first time in 15 years but what struck em about the game was midway through the second half when the FC Tokyo striker Kensuke Nagai was going for goal and was fouled  by the Yokohama keeper. Whether it should be a yellow card or a red card was debated and needed with people running at the referee and his assistant and it just got tiresome.

For me what was a great spectacle was ruined by the antics of the players.

I think that referees should be more fearless in giving cards for that kind of shenanigans. Also yellow cards should be like rugby and be a 10 minute sin bin.

I would like to know what football fans think of my 10 minute sin bin thoughts.