By Simone Poliandri
It is always a surprising pleasure to witness episodes of fair play on the football pitch. What should be the norm rather than the exception entails placing a higher value on honesty than on winning a game or scoring a goal. This is exactly what midfielder Vittorio Esposito of Termoli Calcio did in the Italian National Amateur Cup quarterfinal return match against Torres. After being unjustly awarded a penalty kick, Esposito missed it intentionally, thus earning the opponents’ respectful cheers as well as those of all footballers and lovers of the sport. For the record, Termoli won the game 1-0 and advanced to the semifinals on a 3-2 aggregate.
As we still witness countless unsportsmanlike episodes like diving and faking injuries among professionals in all leagues and international competitions, Esposito’s gesture represents both a breath of fresh air and an example that many of his more famous and better paid colleagues ought to emulate. Way to go Vittorio!
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