Oddballs they are, but goalkeepers are not protected by referees
The myth that goalkeepers - whose mistakes have a huge impact - are protected isn't true
Goalkeepers are the oddballs because they do not have nifty footwork and any mistake will usually influence a match's outcome. As such, there has long been a sneaky suspicion that referees overly protect goalkeepers.
From last weekend's English Premier League matches, Arsenal's David Ospina would wholeheartedly agree, Manchester City's Joe Hart would not, and Aston Villa's Brad Guzman would want to forget his nightmare.
The goalless Arsenal-Chelsea match belied the fact that this meeting was full of important incidents. In the first half, there were penalty shouts that were all not given. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will no doubt continue his siege mentality in claiming there is a "campaign" against his team, even though one of those penalty claims was Arsenal's.
Goalkeepers cannot afford to depend on referees being protective and just have to keep doing what they do
Arguably the most important incident, involving Ospina's unfair challenge on Chelsea's Oscar, is what conspiracy theorists use to support the claim that referees favour goalkeepers.
Oscar had beaten the offside trap and lobbed the onrushing Columbian goalkeeper. As the ball looped towards the Arsenal goal, Oscar was knocked down by Ospina's ill attempt at a challenge inside the penalty area. The ball was headed away and referee Michael Oliver whistled for a corner. Oscar was checked by medics, substituted at half-time and sent to hospital for possible concussion.
This bizarre non-penalty decision prompted fans to fill Twitter with parodies of the incident. In one, Ospina is seen "saving" Oscar from an onrushing train.
With video replays, it is easy to see why Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty. Some fans also believe Ospina should have been sent off.
A red card can only be shown if Ospina's challenge had used excessive force that endangered the safety of his opponent or if it had denied Oscar an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. First, the challenge was clumsy and at most reckless, and second, because a defender had cleared the ball off the line it was not an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Therefore it was not a sending-off offence, but it would not have been incorrect for the referee to caution the fortunate Ospina.
In the Manchester City-Aston Villa match, Christian Benteke unfairly challenged Sky Blues shotstopper Hart by kicking the ball out of his hands. Instead of awarding a free kick, referee Mike Dean gave a corner kick to Villa, having decided that Hart was the last person to touch the ball as it went over the goal-line. Because Hart was unfairly dispossessed, he would have felt he had no protection from the referee.
Generally, goalkeepers cannot afford to depend on referees being protective and just have to keep doing what they do, which is to defend their goal by all fair methods. This means they are allowed to jump up and challenge for the ball, to shield the ball within their playing distance, but must also refrain as much as possible from playing the ball with their feet.
This last point is illustrated by Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzman, who committed the eternal sin of trying to pass the ball across his own goalmouth. Even at amateur level, it was poor footwork. Guzman goofed as he kicked the ball against his standing right leg and the ball fell invitingly for Manchester City's Sergio Aguero to slot home.
Guzman then lost confidence and within 10 minutes blundered again when he came out for a cross and totally missed the inswinging ball.
His teammates naturally called for a foul on the goalkeeper, but referee Dean correctly dismissed those calls and therefore was consistent in showing no bias in overly protecting both keepers during that match.
Goalkeepers have been seen throwing, punching and even kicking the ball into their own net and then accused of match-fixing.
Three seasons ago in a Malaysia Cup match, Terengganu keeper Sharbinee Allawee Ramli clawed a high ball from a corner into his own net to gift Kedah a goal. English coach Peter Butler immediately substituted Sharbinee and even shoved the keeper as he left the field, accusing him of dishonesty.
Sharbinee, a former national Malaysia goalkeeper, denied any wrongdoing and welcomed any investigation. Ultimately, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission cleared him of match-fixing. Nevertheless, by virtue of their role in the game, goalkeepers cannot help being the real oddballs in soccer.
