No penalty shootouts in finals of football

THE EDITOR: Penalty shootouts are nerve-racking for all footballers and supporters. Shootouts are more about luck than technical ability.

The team that kicks first has a significant advantage because of the psychological pressure it puts on their opponents. Am I not correct, Santokhie?

A penalty shootout is a spectacle, a public flogging in Woodford Square on a Monday morning. Ah lie?

The result is a lottery, rather than a test of skill. Only a minute subset of a footballer’s skills is tested by a shootout.

A penalty shootout is like deciding the Masters Tournament (golf) via a mini golf game. How ah talk?

The shootout is a test of individuals which may be considered inappropriate in a team sport. Football is a team sport and penalties are about the individual, not the team.

Inferior teams play for a draw, calculating that a shootout offers their best hope of victory. Some teams play for penalties from the kick-off.

William Wallace (new TTFA president), welcome. There is no honeymoon period. You have your work cut out for you. You need to hit the ground running expeditiously.

After a drawn 90-minute game, I suggest 30 minutes extra time. Especially for a final.

If still no result, a replay. Think of the revenue to be generated.

The basketball finals have seven games to decide a winner.

A loss on penalties is an honourable result or no defeat at all.

AV RAMPERSAD

Princes Town