Football has become so weird that players can sometimes be booked for taking off their shirts, but can escape punishment for cheating to influence referees.
Harry Maguire let himself down (Image: Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Harry Maguire was supposed to be one of the last bastions of integrity and decency when it comes to footballers worthy of our respect.
However, after a certain moment, his reputation fell into disrepair. For a footballer like Maguire, going viral on social media and trending on X is never a good place to be.
It tends to mean that the person has done something indiscreet. And the England and Manchester United defender has been in the spotlight after claiming he was kicked in the head during the home win against Crystal Palace.
He then reacted as if he had been assaulted, making a bad situation even worse. The problem was that Jorgen Strand Larsen had never touched him. Not even close. Who would have thought that fresh air could be so dangerous?
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Maguire won a free kick, but was not satisfied with his moment of amazing deception and reprimanded the linesman, complaining that it was the second time Larsen had kicked him at Bonse.
Having spent time in Maguire’s company while covering England and United, I must say he has always struck me as a thoroughly likeable man.
Charming, polite, kind and sincere. That makes his moments of madness all the more difficult to understand. There are enough liars and cheaters in football even without more players like Maguire.
But how is it right for someone like Maguire to do something like this and go unpunished?
How do we live in a world where soccer players can be arrested for the heinous crime of removing their shirts and yet escape scrutiny for blatant misconduct?
Maguire should face retroactive litigation (Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images)
Earlier this season, Everton manager David Moyes was booked for celebrating a late goal against Brighton. His attack was to run into the pitch. However, Maguire is allowed to use illegal means to influence referees and will not be penalized.
And one wonders why the actions of football players leave right-thinking people shaking their heads in despair. Maguire should have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
What kind of example will this set for young supporters and future generations of players? There is no doubt that Maguire will regret what he did. If he had the stomach to watch a rebroadcast of the incident, he would be embarrassed.
But perhaps the stupidest mistake he made was thinking he could do what he did without being caught on camera and exposed.
There is a growing belief that there is no limit to the unimaginably stupid tendencies of football players.
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