This weeks challenge was quite interesting and it took me a while to think about what to do with it. I think this is a bit tongue in cheek and may only be understood by the English and Scottish, particularly football (soccer) supporters. Hope you enjoy it anyway. It’s meant to be light-hearted.

The task set was:

A man is given the ability to go back in time and change one event in his life.

The linesman

Hello, my name is Tofik Bakhramov. You may not recognize my name, but in my own way I was very famous.

 I am from Azerbaijan, and I love football. I love football so much that when I could no longer play because of my sore knees, I decided to become a referee. I refereed many important games, and in 1966 I was given the honour of being a linesman in the World Cup final at Wembley in England. It was a very exciting day. England had done very well and reached the final to play against West Germany.

 The people in England were very excited. It was a very special occasion and I wanted to play my part in making it a day to remember. It was a very good game, and after the regulation time the score was tied at 2-2. The game then went in to extra time and very shortly the very good English player Geoff Hirst hit a strong shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar of the German goal and bounced downwards. My colleague, the referee Gottfried Dienst, was not sure if the ball had crossed the line and if a goal was to be awarded. He asked me if I thought the ball crossed the line. In the noise of the crowd, who desperately wanted England to score, Gottfried did not hear me properly and he thought I said it was a goal, when in fact I said I could not tell.

 A goal was awarded and England went on to win the match and the World Cup. It was a joyous day in England.

 Many years later, at my home in Azerbaijan, I received many visitors from England who thanked me for awarding the goal and how proud they were that England won the cup.

 But one day nearly forty years after the game, my wife brought a relation of hers to visit. His name was Kenneth. It was very strange because he did not congratulate me on my performance in the cup final, but stayed very silent.

 My wife said to me, “Tofik, this is my sister’s husband and he lives in Scotland. For the last forty years he has had to put up with the English people telling him how they won the World Cup. Every time the English national team plays, the television and radio commentators always mention it as though it was yesterday. It has made his life miserable. Only last month, he found out that his brother-in-law was the man who awarded the goal to England that was never really a goal. He, and every other Scotsman, has suffered humiliation at the hands of the English because they always talk about 1966. He is now threatening to divorce my sister as he cannot be part of the family who gifted that goal to England. My sister loves him very much, and she will be very, very sad if he leaves. Do you have anything to say to  him?”

I looked at Kenneth, who appeared to be a pleasant and reasonable man, although he had not said anything yet. I had often thought about that instant when the goal was awarded. Perhaps I should have been more forceful and stopped Gottfried awarding the goal. But I didn’t. So many people were so happy about the goal. But I had not realized the angst I would cause in Germany and now to my horror in my family and in Scotland.

“Kenneth,” I said, “What happened was a long time ago, and it should be something that we can all put behind us. But I do understand that the English have had nothing else to celebrate since then, and if I had known they would have become so supercilious and boring about it, I would have made sure the goal was not awarded. I have visited Scotland many times, and I do like the place very much. And now finding out that I have a Scottish relative, I feel even more remorseful. If I had the chance to go back in time and change one thing in my life, it would be that moment. It was not right, but it is what happened. Do you have the ability to turn back time?”

Kenneth looked at me, and cracked a smile. “ I can’t turn back time, but you know what, even just to hear you say it was a mistake is good enough for me. From now on, every time an Englishman tells me about 1966 I can honestly say that I heard from the man himself that it wasn’t a goal, and they shouldn’t have won the cup. I know it’s petty, but that is what life is like!”

With that, he got up, shook my hand and left. Ten minutes later, my daughter came home with her new boyfriend. “Dad, I want you to meet Dave. He is from London, and he wants to meet you and thank you for being brave and awarding the goal in 1966.”

I sighed, looked at Dave, then looked at my daughter who was obviously infatuated with this handsome Englishman.

“Dave, I am glad I awarded that goal, it was the right decision.” I smiled at him and looked towards the door to make sure Kenneth wasn’t listening in. I can’t turn back time, but I’ve got to keep the family happy. I just hope my son doesn’t bring home a new German girlfriend.