Euro Championship Rules Reform: A Strange Scene on the Football Field
Today, let's talk about a "long time to see" thing in this year's European Cup. Every time I think of a football match, the first word that pops up in everyone's mind is probably "win or lose". After all, in competitive sports, either you win or I win, and it's rare to have that kind of scene where both sides are happy. However, a small rule change at this year's European Championship resulted in a ridiculous match – Romania vs. Slovakia.
The rules change, and the strange scenes continue
First of all, let's give you a talk about the reform of the competition system of this year's European Cup. To put it simply, this tournament has a few more promotion places than in the past, and even the third place in the group can qualify. It sounds like good news, more teams have a chance to show off, but who would have thought that this reform has caused a lot of laughing and crying scenes on the pitch.
Let's take an example, this match between Romania and Slovakia. The game was played to the end, and the score of the two sides was tied 1:1. It stands to reason that at this time, both sides should be in a hurry to score goals and strive for the final victory. However, as soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the players of both teams immediately rushed to the center of the field and began to celebrate wildly. For a while, the jerseys were flying all over the sky, and the players hugged each other, and it was completely impossible to see who was the winner and who was the loser. This scene really makes people doubt life: what is this competition for?
What's the point of the competition?
Here's the question: when have we ever seen a game and both sides celebrated after the game? Isn't football a game all about winning and losing? But in this game, the two sides drew 1:1, and as soon as the whistle blew, the whole court boiled. The players exchanged jerseys, hugged each other and celebrated like a Chinese New Year. Can you believe it? It's a European Cup, not a friendly!
At the end of a football match, the winning side rejoices and the losing side is saddened. That's the norm. You look at this game, both sides are laughing and celebrating, so what's the point of this game? Isn't the charm of competitive sports the tension and uncertainty? Well, now that everyone knows that a draw can also be promoted, so what's the point of fighting?
Tacit understanding of "calculation"
In fact, from before the game, Romania and Slovakia knew that as long as they draw, the two sides could advance together. So at the beginning of the game, the two teams played quite "tacitly" as if they had discussed it. In the first half of the game, there was still a bit of offense and defense, but in the second half, especially in seventy or eighty minutes, the two sides suddenly stopped fighting, and began to reverse their feet and slowly and leisurely kill time. People want to laugh when they see it: this game is played like a family, it's really a long time to see.
Do you think this scene is funny or not? As soon as the referee blew the whistle, the players on both sides began to hug and celebrate, and one second they were still fighting on the field as if they were fighting to the death, and the next second they became brothers. This picture is simply an epic funny scene. After the game, the two teams stood together and waited for the referee to blow the whistle, and then rushed to the center of the field together to celebrate. No wonder some people joked: "The game is over, congratulations to both sides!" ”
Another sad moment in the arena
But not only is this game funny, there are even more tragic stories. Also at this European Championship, after a draw, all 11 members of the Ukrainian team fell to the ground at the same time at the final whistle, and many people began to cry in front of the camera. Why? Because they know that the other game was also drawn. As a result, all four teams were tied on four points, but Ukraine became the only team to be eliminated with four points. Are you saying this is unjust?
Considering that Denmark and Slovenia in Group C both scored only three points, but were able to advance together, the Ukrainian players can imagine the mood of the players. Why can someone qualify with 3 points, but we are at the bottom with 4 points? It's a rule that makes people laugh and cry.
Pros and cons of rule reform
The rules of this European Championship were originally intended to increase the spectacle of the game and give more teams a chance to qualify. But it turned out to be self-defeating, and it made the game a bit "child's play". Although the rule that the third place in the group can also be promoted, although it sounds like a good thing, in practice, it has made many teams take advantage of loopholes, and there are many "tacit goals". This kind of game is really emotional: where has the original charm and competitiveness of football gone?
The essence of competitive sports
The charm of competitive sports lies in its unpredictability, where every game has the potential to be a counterattack, and every moment can be the difference between victory and defeat. However, when the game becomes "tacit", can the audience still see that kind of bloody scene? The match between Romania and Slovakia has, to some extent, lost the essence of competitive sports.
Think about it, if all the games were like this, and the players were thinking about how to play "tacitly" to draw and ensure that both of them advanced, what would be the point of watching the football game? What the audience is looking forward to is the kind of confrontation where you fight and do your best, not this kind of calculated draw. Such a scene is simply a kind of irony of the spirit of football.
Reflections on rule reform
Therefore, although the original intention of this new rule is good, the actual effect is not satisfactory. Rule reform needs to take into account the core values of competitive sports, rather than blindly pursuing superficial fairness. After all, the beauty of football lies in its uncertainty and competitiveness, not in a "everyone wins" situation.
We need to revisit this rule and find a balance that increases the fairness of the game without losing its original competitive appeal. Otherwise, "tacit goals" like Romania vs. Slovakia will only increase, and eventually the audience will lose interest in the game.
Prospects for the future
At this point, you may ask: will this continue in the future? More than that, it depends on how the rule-makers adjust. If some improvements can be made to the rules, such as increasing the penalty for tacit balls, or setting stricter criteria for promotion, it may be possible to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Generally speaking, competitive sports are all about competition, not calculation. Only by maintaining this competitiveness can the game be more exciting and the audience can truly enjoy the charm of football. I hope that in the future games, there will be less "tacit balls" and more real confrontations.
Football games should be a collision of passion and sweat, a contest between winners and losers. But this year's European Championship match between Romania and Slovakia gave us a strange scene brought about by the rule reform. I hope that future competitions can return to the essence of competitive sports and let the charm of football shine again on the green field.
What do you guys think of this game? You are welcome to leave a message to discuss and talk about your views on this rule reform!