Patrick Dorgu: Man Utd wing-back tells referee he was wrong to award penalty

In a recent Europa League Round of 16 match, Manchester United led Real Sociedad with an aggregate score of 3-2. During the game, the referee awarded Manchester United a penalty, which would have been their third of the match. The referee believed that Real Sociedad player Dorgu had been brought down in the penalty area by Traore.

However, when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to verify the call, Dorgu proactively signaled to the referee that it was not a foul. The 20-year-old player's action was admirable, and VAR ultimately agreed with him, canceling the penalty decision. Although Manchester United ultimately advanced to the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 5-2, Dorgu's honest behavior is worthy of praise.

Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim said, "This is a good thing, and I am proud of him. Whether the score was 0-0 or we were behind, I believe he would have made the same choice." Football matches are full of passion and competition, but there is no shortage of examples in history where sportsmanship transcends the desire to win.

Looking back, similar acts of sportsmanship have been seen on many occasions. For example, former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler once told the referee that Liverpool should not be awarded a penalty in a match against Arsenal. Although the referee insisted on the original decision, Fowler took the penalty, but his behavior still earned respect. In addition, Arsenal coach Wenger once took the initiative to propose a replay with Sheffield United to make up for a controversial penalty in the match.

Other examples of sportsmanship include: Di Canio, in a match between West Ham United and Everton, gave up the opportunity to shoot into an empty net, choosing to catch the ball to avoid taking advantage of the opponent's injured goalkeeper; Leicester City, in a League Cup replay against Nottingham Forest, proactively allowed the opponent to score a goal to show fairness. In addition, Klose, while playing for Lazio, also proactively admitted to the referee that he had handled the ball, leading to the cancellation of the goal. These behaviors fully demonstrate the brilliance of sportsmanship.