Sentence:  "Billionaire Johann Rupert has called on politicians to <WSD>play the ball and not the man</WSD> in his acceptance of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Lifetime Achievement Award... “Why attack people instead of debating the issue? Our issues are unemployment and a terrible educational system. It is a disaster,” said Rupert." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the opposite of an ad hominem attack. Usually considered a positive action, and an avoidance of a fallacious argumentative technique. Often used in comparison to play the man and not the ball.