There are very few things that can be compared to the pressure that an athlete experiences while competing at a tournament featuring the world's best. The stage is big, there is very often a lot at stake and thus it becomes more and more difficult to keep emotions in check for top-level athletes, especially in the heat of the moment.
In addition to their on-the-field antics, there are several factors beyond the actual sporting arena which might also add to the pressures that a professional sportsperson faces. As a result, there are bound to be some or other controversies in the sporting world. The year 2022 was a similar sort of year which witnessed several controversies erupt in the sporting arena.
Here is a recap of some of the biggest of them all.
1. Max Verstappen's refusal to let teammate Sergio Perez overtake him
There are very few sports more fast and exciting than Formula 1. However, it isn't all about the racing of cars in the sport as it is equally about teamwork, coordination, mutual trust and respect and whatnot. The same seemed to be missing in between the Red Bull teammates Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen at the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen had already secured the world championship title for the year but still refused to let teammate Leclerc overtake him who had a chance to come second in the final F1 standings and finishing sixth at the Brazilian GP would have helped him gain an advantage over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc but Verstappen refused.
"I told you already last time. Don’t ask that again to me. Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it," Verstappen was heard saying on the radio after his team engineer asked him to let Perez surpass him. However, the matter seemed to have been resolved
2. FIFA sanctions ban on AIFF
In another massive controversy closer to home, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was banned by the World football governing body FIFA. While AIFF was being run by officials that were deemed unfit for the role, the elections for the new governing body of AIFF were also long delayed.
Eventually, the Supreme Court of India had to appoint a three-member Committee (CoA) to force the then President Praful Patel out. However, as FIFA doesn't allow interference from a "third party" and AIFF took its own time to sort out things, the Indian football governing body was banned by FIFA which meant India could lose the hosting rights of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. But things worked out fine and the ban was lifted after new officials were elected to post a fair election.
3. Ronaldo's Interview to Piers Morgan
One of the biggest controversies of the year was Cristiano Ronaldo's interview with journalist Piers Morgan. It hadn't been a season to remember for one of the sport's biggest icons but this interview didn't help his cause either. When he walked in for the interview, he was still contracted with Premier League club Manchester United. However, after what he had to say about the club, its facilities and its manager, Ronaldo's contract was terminated and he is now without any club.
“I don’t have respect for him (United manager Erik Ten Hag) because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t respect me, I’m never gonna have respect for you,” he said in the interview, also claiming that he felt betrayed by the club not only this year but even the year before.
He also said that the training facilities at Old Trafford remained the same from the time he left the club after his first stint to the time he arrived for his second term. The explosive interview from Ronaldo drew curtains to his stay at Old Trafford. The 37-year-old is currently without a club and wasn't even in the starting 11 of Portugal's FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal defeat to Morocco.
4. Australia Allowed To "Retake" Penalty Against India Due To Technical Gaffe, FIH Issues Apology
In an incent that caused a massive uproar at the Commonwealth Games Semifinal between India and Australia, Australia's Ambrosia Malone missed the first penalty of the shootout after the two sides couldn't be separated in the 70 minutes of play.
A goal each from Rebecca Greiner (Australia) and Vandana Katariya (India) meant the match would be decided in the penalties but despite Malone missing her first shot, she was allowed to retake it as the umpires had failed to start the clock before her first attempt.
She was too good a player to miss out on the second occasion. This caused a massive uproar in a knockout game of a world event and even FIH had to apologise.
"In the semifinal match of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games between Australia and India (Women), the penalty shootout started mistakenly too early (the clock was not yet ready to operate), for which we apologise," the FIH said in a statement.
5. Deepti Sharma runs out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end after the latter leaves the crease early
Perhaps the biggest talking point in the cricketing world this year was Deepti Sharma's run out of Charlie Dean. While the bowler was well within her right to affect the dismissal, which is a legal mode as per the written laws, the matter blew out of proportion and a debate started around the "spirit of the game."
In a later report, it was revealed that Dean had in fact, left her crease early 72 times before ultimately getting out in that fashion. Yet several sections of the media suggested it wasn't in the right spirit from the Indian cricketer. However, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur defended her player and rightfully so. Perhaps the fact that irked the English cricketers more was it happened in a series decider at Lord's- their home of cricket.
Ultimately, MCC, the guardian of the Laws of the game, had to issue a statement saying that the non-striker had to remain inside the crease before the ball was released.