Both of David Seaman and Robbie Fowler were surprised with the referee decision. Source: Daily Mail

One of the many reasons to do sports is to hone sportsmanship in us. To be fair to others even when you are competing with them. And one of the greatest display of sportsmanship in football was when Robbie Fowler refused a penalty for Liverpool. When many players would do anything just to win the game, Fowler gave us an example of sportsmanship.

It was on March 24, 1997, in Highbury stadium when a big match between Arsenal and Liverpool took place. The stake was high that night: the Premier League title. The Liverpool striker argued with referee Gerald Ashby to cancel the penalty after he was 'fouled' by David Seaman in the penalty box. Though, at that time Liverpool needed a victory in order to cut the gap with Manchester United on top of the table.

Fowler then explained to the referee that Seaman did not touch him at all. The referee did not respond to Fowler's protest, he insisted with his decision. Fowler then took the penalty, and he failed. But other Liverpool player, Jason McAteer, rushed forward and scored a goal. Liverpool won the match by 2-1.

This is how Sky commentators played it out as quoted from Daily Mail.

Alan Parry: Seven years since Liverpool won the title, remember, and… there’s a great through ball for Fowler to take on David Seaman… That’s got to be a penalty! It is!
(Camera cuts to Fowler, waving his hands, and mouthing, “No! No, ref! Sorry Dave…)
Trevor Francis: That’s amazing! Robbie Fowler is saying “no!”
Alan Parry: He’s surely saying “no” about the possibility of sending David Seaman off, which is a distinct possibility…
Trevor Francis: I don’t think he’s made contact there… Let’s have another look… I think Fowler has just skipped over the hand of David Seaman. There’s no contact!

After the match, Fowler denied that the penalty failure was intentional. "As a striker, scoring goals is part of my job and I really want to score that goal. I tried to score. I never deliberately didn't score, it just happened and it was a bad penalty," he said.

Even Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, said what Fowler did that day as 'remarkable sportsmanship'. Not just because of what he did, but also because the stake was very high: the league title itself. For what he did, UEFA awarded him the Fair Play Award. He showed us that sportsmanship is important, that's the very reason why we do sports in the first place.