When I witnessed the entrance of Renato Veiga on Lamine Yamalin the 38th minute of Villarreal-Barça Last Sunday, I was reminded of an almost identical incident that occurred on the day of the Mercy of 1983, in Camp Nouwhen Andoni Goicoecheaalso known as ‘The Butcher of Bilbao’, fractured the peroneal malleolus of his left foot Diego Maradona. The Argentine star had to undergo emergency surgery and was out for three months.
42 years later, all the details coincided: a play without danger of scoring, in the center of the field, with control of the ball by the Barça player and a violent tackle, on the run, from behind and treacherously. Without the Barça player expecting or sensing such violence, in both cases the aggressor stuck his cleats into the ankle of the victim’s supporting foot. Something meaningless, with the sole intention of harming the rival.
While Goicoechea He only saw a yellow card from a certain Jimenez Madrid, Alberola He showed the red card without any hesitation, which was the deserved punishment for such unsportsmanlike behavior. In 1983, the Competition Committee applied a seven-game suspension to the Basque player, whose ‘trophy room’ already featured a knee from Bernd Schuster. But Vega He will complete his “feat” with just one.
The second part of the episode comes when one hears comments against his expulsion. What more is needed to eradicate violence in football? The entrance of Vegalike that of Goicoecheait was not fortuitous or just another incident of the game. They both targeted the ankle of the supporting foot, with the ball three meters away. Is there anything else left to say? Yes, that Lamine he was very lucky.
