The art of sh*thousery

When it comes to entertainment, football has produced some of the world's most memorable moments over the years. It is a sport that unites people of different creed, colour and conviction. 

The countless dramatic moments witnessed in football across the world show that it is more than just a sport in which 22 men are chasing after a ball. 

Take, for example, Manchester City's dramatic turnaround against Aston Villa to resurrect their title hopes. No one would have written a script where the defending champions went down 2-0 as their closest rivals, Liverpool, were chasing a win against Wolves before Pep Guardiola's charges scored three goals with 10 minutes to go. 

Football is also a psychological sport where players try every trick possible to excel over their opponents. In the sport's lingo, this is known as sh*thousery. 

It is a form of dark art where a player does things to rile up an opponent and to distract him from the task at hand. A victim of sh*thousery would either foolishly retaliate to these tricks and get sent off or will cow against his bully and play woefully on that day. 

Surviving a series of sh*thousery tactics requires the target player to keep a cool ahead and focus on playing football. However, this is easier said than done as some of the most famous players can attest.

At the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, Zinedine Zidane was looking to exit his playing career with a second world title for France against Italy. However, his dream was cut short by Marco Materazzi, who provoked him into headbutting the Italian, resulting in a red card. 

Various claims have emerged regarding the verbal exchange that led to the incident. However, Materazzi admitted he spoke about Zidane's sister in an unpleasant manner after the Frenchman teased him that he would give the Italian his jersey after the match. 

A Zidane-less France went on to lose to Italy on penalties, whereas their star player's reputation was stained by what some considered to be a foolish and indisciplined act from him. 

Likewise, a player practising sh*thousery on an opponent has to be careful it does not backfire as the referee may see through their act and punish them instead. 

Uruguayan Luis Suarez has distinguished himself as a warrior striker who is always willing to do anything to get the better of his markers. However, he has not always been successful in his antics. 

While playing for Liverpool, he was caught on camera trying to bite the arm of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League match between the two. 

Initially, it seemed as if Suarez had been fouled as he lay down 'writhing in pain' before the replays showed he was, in fact, the culprit. 

He was up to the same tactics at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, where he sunk his teeth onto the shoulder of Italy's Giorgio Chiellini. 

In the age of video assistant referee, it is going to be harder for players to get away with acts of sh*thousery unless they devise new ways. 

It is a part of the game and weeding it out will take more than just videos.