In the recent clash of rivals between Manchester United and Liverpool at Trafford, an incident occurred during the match that gave birth to the Liverpool goal, this incident simultaneously has caused a bit of uproar and argument among football fans. This I knew from what happened at my favourite viewing centre, the argument went on almost throughout the match giving the basis for the half time talk in my favourite viewing centre. The misunderstanding was if Paul Pogba's handball that resulted in a penalty kick for Liverpool was intentional.

There were different factions to this argument. Some non-Manchester United fans thought it was intentional, while devoted fans cover-up for their player by arguing that it wasn't intentional. From what I discover even among United fans we have the Pogba factions and the anti-Pogba factions. The anti-Pogba faction believed that the handball was intentional, though funny enough none of them was able to give reasons for believing it was intentional, it was later a middle-aged man said "we know Pogba, if it was not intentional he would have flared up at the referee's decision and that he won't be sober as he was after committing the foul". Though, that seems to be the only reason they could give. On the other hand those who believed it was a mistake based their argument on the fact that a player that wants to win could not have intentionally caused a penalty, which was later converted by the opponent in the process. The way they argue their point was so deep that it carried the sense and meaning that anybody that thought the act was intentional must be out of his/her mind as no player in his right senses would have done that. But i think their own argument too had a weak point, I'll explain that shortly.

What I believe both factions refuse to understand is that the incident being intentional or not intentional is 50-50. Those that believed it could never be intentional has forgotten something called player tricks. Looking closely and severally at the replay, I came up with two conclusions. First one is that when Pogba jumped he didn't have the intention of hand-balling, but while on air, the ball suddenly spin away from where he calculated to nod, then he discovered that the Liverpool player contesting with him might gain the nodding, then he did the player trick by flipping the hand towards ball and simultaneously simulating his head in that direction to fake the referee. And if you watch closely, his hand went up and down suddenly and too sharply suggesting he knew what he was doing. Well as I said above, it's 'suggesting'. Secondly when the ball spin away from his calculated nodding, the handball might have just been a reflex action that he couldn't control.

Either way, my opinion is that both factions should not be rigid with their points. It's a 50-50 way, nobody knew what Pogba was thinking, just speculations.

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