SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 414, 24 July 1928, Page 14

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

(By

Perseus)

Coals of Fire. —That some of our Soccer enthusiasts ar§ satisfied to take a small dose of discipline in the right spirit was demonstrated on the ground on Saturday, when one good sportsman made handsome amends for a lapsus lingua toward the referee in a match where he was taking part the week before, for which breach of good taste a whole Saturday holiday had been awarded by the judicial committee, and O.K.’d by the management. Not that the language used was other than conventional, but because the critic of the referee showed no symptoms of contrition—in fact, was inclined to emphasise the caustic comment made. However, the culprit was not only content to kiss the rod, but proceeded to punish himself still further by refereeing a lively thirdgrade game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and then take the line for a senior game which followed on immediately, which meant two and a-half hours’ hard labour under distinctly unpleasant conditions underfoot and overhead. The rumour that this unknown hero had also played in a 1 o’clock game, disguised under a dark wig and an English name, lacks confirmation, but be had done enough to prove that you can’t keep a good man down.

New Zealand Council’s Competency: —Last year the Dominion controlling authority came under a barrage of severe criticism from all quarters about its alleged blundering methods, more particularly with regard to the terms made with the visiting Canadians, the costly action of attaching a professional New Zealand coach to the overseas team, the muddling in selecting and assembling the All Blacks for the test matches, and a few other faults in administration. The balance sheet shown at the annual meeting justified the comments which had been made, matters this year show no signs of improvement so far as the season has gone. The position with regard to the F.A. trophy is still obscure, and no one seems to know who is the approved holder of the ornament, and the prospects of a meeting between the major provinces are still only in the air. The return visit of a New Zealand schoolboys* team to Australia appears to have resulted in a “wash-out,” and now another bungle seems to have occurred in the arrangements made for determining the destiny of another national trophy, the Chatham Cup.

The Clubs Protest.—Now the Wellington country area finalists, Hastings United, is communicating with all the associations affiliated with the New Zealand Council, alleging a breach of faith in the original conditions drawn up for the Chatham Cup knock-outs, and entering an emphatic protest against the authority’s actions. The Hawke’s Bay area, with its fighting Macs, is not likely to allow any authority to ride rough-shod over its rights to have a shot at the cup on its own native heath, and is demanding that the Wellington finalist, Petone, travels there as originally arranged and confirmed by the council last week. This would mean that if the “Pets” were winners, they would then have to travel from Wellington to Auckland to meet the finalist here, and decide the North Island survivors. A similar position has arisen here, Y.M.C.A. being now called on to meet Hiku-

rangi in the Far North; then, if still in, to meet Pukemiro at Huntly; and, should the Young Men put the Wellington finalists to sleep at Blandford Park, they must journey to Wellington to meet the South Island champs. Truly a terrible lot of chasing about, at considerable expense, for one minor trophy.

Soccer's Annual Parliament.—The annual meeting of the Football Association in London disclosed a healthy condition of the Empire’s governing body for the round-ball code. The balance sheet showed a profit of over £ 4,000 on last season’s working, and the Imperial authority now possesses surplus assets valued conservatively at £95,000! The proposal of the Scottish F.A. to amend the penalty law by extending the area to 30 yards from the goal line, and taking the spot kick at the place where the offence occurs, was reported on by the F.A. Council, and rejected without further comment, the Scottish delegates subsequently withdrawing it from the International Board. This was the only change suggested in the laws of the game, although the Auckland Referees’ Association has stated that some new law to deal with obstruction was to come up for consideration.

Doing the Right Thing.—Sir Charles Clegg, the veteran F.A. president, in acknowledging a hearty tribute from the assembled delegates, said the association had been called on to face some involved problems and delicate situations, but had aimed unflinchingly at doing the right and proper thing. The secret of their success, he considered, was the fact that everybody believed they were trying to carry on straight. He had heard it said that no one got lost on a straight road, and so long as they kept that in front of them, notwithstanding a great success that had attended them, he believed they would have greater success and greater support in the future.

Amateurs Application Rejected.—The annual meeting of the Football League, which controls the three divisions of senior Soccer in England and Wales, was held on the same day as the F.A.! gathering, and the keenest interest was taken in the application of a new amateur club, Argonauts, to enter the competitions with the professional clubs. The new combination proposed to make the Wembley Stadium its headquarters, and guaranteed that it held promises from the leading London amateurs to join up if the club was granted League status. On a vote Torquay (42) and Merthyr (27) retained their places in the Southern section of the Third Division, Argonauts only securing 16 votes. Durham City -was dropped from the Northern section, Carlisle United being successful in its claim for admission.

Soccer at Olympic Games.—Although the Olympic Soccer tournament at Amsterdam was banned by the Football Association, on account of the breach of its amateur definition, and no British teams were eligible to enter, the international sway which Soccer now holds was well illustrated by the number of countries appearing in the Dutch arena for the opening rounds. The United States representatives sang “Hail Columbia,” and then Argentine produced a shower of goals, with a

double-figure score. The following are the latest results to hand;

Kissock An American Star.—Mention of the United States reminds “Perseus” that a recent American exchange awards some streamer headlines to our old friend, Joe Kissock, the erstwhile Auckland Trammie and “All Black” Soccer representative. The burly but nimble Joe was at one time a first division English player for the Bury Club, and made his debut here as a "Wellington Hospital player and Wellington rep. Coming North he joined up with Trammies, and was an outstanding figure on Blandford Park, until the “Wanderlust” seized him again, and he drifted off to California. Here he has blown into his old game, which is making wonderful strides there, and he is hailed as the hefty herd by his club’s fans, and howled at by the opposing barrackers as a heavy villain who should be lynched. All of which is very reminiscent of his course here. Kissock was one of the finest exponents of the code ever seen here, but his bulky figure and vigorous use of quite a lot of avoirdupois was often a favourite target for biased benchers on the bank. But Joe was never a foul player: he only put his weight behind his play at times, and held his team together with clever play and heady generalship, which is sadly missing since he left.

Portugal . . . . 4 Chili 2 Belgium . . . Luxembourg . . Germany . • . 4 Switzerland . . 0 Turkey .... 1 Italy . . . . . 4 France ..... Portugal . . . Yugo-Slavia . . . l Spain .... Mexico ..... 1 Uruguay . . Holland .... 0 Argentine . . . 31 I nited States . . Italy .... Spain 1 Argentine . . * • 6 * Belgium .... * a