Mexican Coach Insists on Fair Play

Sometimes it takes a steadfast coach to drill good sporting etiquette into his players. That was the case in this match between Pachuca’s under-20s and Estudiantes. When a Pachuca player was injured in the 87th minute, the ref called a drop ball to restart the game. Rather than hand the Pachuca player the ball—as soccer etiquette states should be done—Estudiantes’ Sergio Teran used the opportunity to charge the Pachuca box and draw a penalty from the keeper. That’s when Estudiantes coach Mauricio Gallaga ordered his player to miss the penalty on purpose, because it was achieved unfairly. Good on Gallaga. The sport could use more men like him.