By Ivan Saldajeno
SAN JUAN, MM--Waving a football striker's jersey is a common way of celebrating his goal.
Although FIFA made some regulations regarding goal celebrations, it has given professional leagues a discretion about it, and the Barclays Premier League is known to still let players celebrate like crazy after scoring.
The most recent well-known shirt-waving celebration happened after Sergio Aguero struck the game-winner for Manchester City in stoppage time of its last 2012 BPL season match against Queens Park Rangers that turned out to be the championship clincher for City.
Mapua men's basketball team coach Atoy Co, however, gave the shirt-waving a new meaning.
Late in the Cardinals' NCAA battle with the Lyceum Pirates on Friday, an apparently disgusted Co hit out about what he thought was spotty officiating by taking off his shirt and waved it to the delight of the Mapua fans.
The game officials eventually "red-carded" Co for the shirt-waving, considered an unsportsmanlike gesture.
Mapua, which nearly lost a 43-point cushion, then held on to a 109-95 win against Lyceum.
[Related Story: Mapua escapes Lyceum's second half surge to go to .500]
Co explained to the press after the game why he made the shirt-waving.
The former Crispa star said, "I felt that the referee is the one deciding the game. Yung mga tawag na foul [ang Lyceum], ayaw tumawag. Pag sa amin, konting contact, foul na. There was a good steal [in one play]. Doon ako [nagalit]. Noong nai-steal na ang bola, saka tumawag, 'Ay! Foul pala.' Dapat pito agad, pero hindi eh."
He then compared the way of officiating today to how it was done during his playing days during the PBA's primitive years in the 70's.
Co thought, "Wala masyadong difference sa tawagan noon at ngayon. It's just that inconsistent yung tawag ng mga referees ngayon. Noong araw, mas mahigpit ang tawag sa handcheck. Ngayon, may mga innovations."
Co later apologized for the said gesture.
"I want to say sorry for that I did something stupid in the fourth just to make a statement," he stated.
.jpg)
