Play "The Carmelo": 2014

"The Carmelo" was a fun game for all the family invented by me and inspired by this incident, as reported in the Bangkok Post on August 9th, 2014.

Gonzalez Condemned To Miss Season
by Tor Chittinand
The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) yesterday upheld its ruling to ban Buriram midfielder Carmelo Gonzalez for the rest of the season.

The Spaniard was sent off after receiving two yellow cards at Ratchaburi in the semi-final second leg of the League Cup last month.

Three-time defending champions Buriram won 2-1 on the night and progressed to the final with a 3-1 aggregate win.

The FAT then handed Gonzalez a suspension in all competitions for the rest of the season, saying the midfielder kicked the ball in the direction of the referee while he was walking off the pitch after receiving his marching orders.

Buriram appealed the decision on Monday but the FAT yesterday said the suspension stood.

"Carmelo Gonzalez intentionally tried to attack the referee," said FAT secretary-general Worawuth Thongsringam.

"We do not have to listen to the player's explanation because replays clearly showed the incident."

Gonzalez will miss 11 matches in the Thai Premier League and one match in the League Cup final against BEC Tero Sasana on Oct 12.

But Buriram are not worried much about the suspension.

"We still have other players who can play in his position," said Buriram manager Thadthep Pitakpoolsin.


How To Play "The Carmelo"
Buriram Utd's attacking midfielder, Carmelo Gonzalez was recently given a 12 match ban following his sending off in a League Cup tie at Ratchaburi. The player received a second yellow card for petulantly kicking a water bottle - allegedly in the direction of the fourth official. However, it was his reaction to the dismissal that earned him the lengthy break. Attempting to get at the referee is never a good idea and, in this case, it proved to be a very stupid one.

But, on a happy note, the incident has given us the opportunity to present to the world - The Carmelo, a brand new outdoor game for all the family. Read on to find out how to play.

What you need
A large grassy area
A plastic water bottle (full)
A tape measure
Some flags or white tape
A referee
A stopwatch

How to play
1. Mark out the playing area as shown in the photo below (click to enlarge). The lines should be four yards apart.
2. Place the full plastic water bottle on the start line and make sure the referee is in place.
3. Each player takes it in turns to kick the bottle as far up the grid as they can from a standing position (no run ups allowed).
4. Once a player has kicked the bottle, they then have ten seconds to chase and catch the referee. All other players are allowed to try to restrain the chaser.
5. If the referee is caught within the allotted time, add 5 matches to the length of your ban. If the player fails to catch the referee, the original ban counts as your score.
6. The winner is the player who receives the longest ban from the TPL/FAT.

Good luck!