If you haven't seen it, you should really watch Maynor Figueroa's handball in Monday's match featuring Manchester City and Wigan. If only because it's probably the most egregious act of cheating you'll see on a football pitch this year.*
That said, it wasn't necessarily sinister. It actually appears Figueroa momentarily forgot he was playing football and believed instead he was jumping to catch a Frisbee on a beach back in Honduras. It was hilarious due to its sheer audacity.
But for supporters of the Canadian mens' national team who happened to be watching the match, the moment carried a significance beyond a blatant disregard for the rules.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
All the anger directed at both the real and perceived slights Canada and its club teams have suffered at the international level - bizarre refereeing decisions and unlucky tournament draws to name two - have for one reason or another been balled up into one collective fist of anger that's swung metaphorically in the direction of Honduras** at every opportunity. It also doesn't help that Canada keeps getting drawn against them in World Cup qualifying.
Am I or other Canada fans implying Hondurans cheat? Nope, not at all. This misplaced anger largely serves to divert attention from the fact that Honduras now produces better footballers, both individually and as a collective, than Canada does. But it would also be fair to argue that the standard of officiating on offer for Concacaf Champions League matches and Concacaf World Cup qualifying tends to follow a different, more lax, interpretation of the rules against simulation and time-wasting.
The point is, for Canada fans watching it just had to be the one Honduran player on the pitch who pulled this off. If I'm the person who owns the pub (and therefore the furniture inside it) where Canada fans are watching the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Honduras and Figueroa attempts another one of his Ultimate Frisbee moves in a manner that seriously alters the course of the match, I'm praying I have a good insurance policy.
*If you watch the clip repeatedly it actually looks like Figueroa jumped with both arms in the air about three feet off target, and in the split second before the ball crashes into his hand subconsciously decided to bat at it out of reflex. But that doesn't really fit with the theme of this post.
**I'm not backing up my assertion about Canada fans singling out Honduras with anything more than some anecdotal observations swirling around in my memory. In fact, I am likely heavily influenced by certain fellow writers on this site who generally can't stop ranting about the country. But I'm comfortable saying the rivalry with Honduras is about as heated as Canada has, and it will only get hotter this summer.