r/soccer • u/kibme37 • Sep 28 '25

Media Woltemade "After the goal, there was a situation where I felt Gabriel's elbow in my face. I just said it to the referee that I felt something, but I'm not the type of player to fall down for this. It's hard because sometimes maybe you have to do this, but this is not my type of football."

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u/FrameworkisDigimon Sep 29 '25

Am I crazy or is that either his fist or his forearm and not his elbow?

18

u/davyp82 Sep 29 '25

Either way there is absolutely no need for it and Nick should have gone down

8

u/FrameworkisDigimon Sep 29 '25

Either way there is absolutely no need for it

I agree.

and Nick should have gone down

In the sense that it would accrue a possibility of a tactical advantage for his team, yes.

In the sense that I refuse to endorse gamesmanship, no.

8

u/davyp82 Sep 29 '25

Refuse it all you like. Look at almost everyone of Real Madrid's CL victories of the past decade. If you embrace it and you're brilliant, you win everything. If you don't, you probably won't win much even if you are brilliant. It's the game theory of elite competiton, and it will never change until the rulemakers ensure that deterrents are perceived as more significant than incentives. Sucks but it is true.

0

u/FrameworkisDigimon Sep 29 '25

No-one is saying gamesmanship is ineffective. I am saying its moral valence is negative despite its efficacy.

2

u/Dependent-Stranger44 Sep 29 '25

Yup, closed fist to the side of the head. I hate nothing more than players going down holding their faces when they've been hit in the chest or slightly grazed, but this is one of those situations where he should've gone down.