There is a new, well-intentioned, but meddlesome flaw at the heart of football – one which has become all too familiar for fans.
It’s that heartstopping lag between a goal or a full-blooded challenge, and the official confirmation that it is legitimate, or otherwise. It’s those uncanny, time-stretching pauses where players run to the corner flag to celebrate, yet keep half an eye on the man in black. At home, this often manifests in a strangely yogic body position; knees bent, straight back, hanging in mid air. Waiting to erupt one way or another.
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