more flesh please

An article in the other day’s newspaper: John Aloisi, he of ‘the penalty kick that got us into the world cup’ fame, has managed to retrieve his shirt from the Uruguay player he exchanged it with after the match. There followed in the paper a discussion of the tradition of exchanging shirts after internationals, a tradition that’s been around for over fifty years now. FIFA is trying to discourage the practice as ‘undignified’. They reckon it’s okay as long as it occurs in the dressing-rooms. And I recall recently a player being yellow-carded after taking his shirt off after scoring a goal (the hard word had gone out previously of course).

It’s my view that FIFA have got it wrong. Is it the bare flesh they find unpalatable? I mean, what exactly is the issue here? I’m sure that many women, and not a few men, find the experience quite a tasty one. And isn’t it better to have this tradition out in full view rather than hidden in dressing rooms? It’s a sporting tradition in more ways than one after all, and a great example for every young wannabe.

And of course, with women getting into the act, things can only get better.