Now this is one of those footballing moments you just wish were more commonplace but are clearly
an oasis of rarity in a sea of poor sportsmanship. Auxerre striker Valter Birsa was felled by
Marseille man Bakari Kone, an offence the referee decided was worthy of a red card only to be told
by the victim of the accidental challenge that he had indeed got the decision wrong.
It has developed into some kind of a tradition that every year, when the African Cup of Nations
takes place in January, Chelsea come out moaning about the effect it will have on their team with a
number of players leaving their club duty to represent their countries in it's continent's most
important competition.
Perhaps filled with the mythical goodwill towards men of the holiday season, Auxerre's Valter
Birsa demonstrated an admirable bit of fair play in his side's final match before the Christmas
break last week after Marseille's Bakari Kone was shown a red card for elbowing him in the face.
Birsa pleaded with the ref to change his decision, arguing that the contact was accidental, even
though it left him writhing on the ground.
