In an ideal football game, two yellow cards amount to a red card and a suspension from the next two games. In the case of a straight red card it is usually 3 games suspension.
But shouldn’t there be extra punishment for grave offences?
Imagine, a player that ends a fellow player’s career with a serious tackle getting the same punishment with one who pushes the referee away or is involved in a fist fight with other players, is there any justice?
This season, the English Football Association has tried to clamp down on two footed tackles with referees given strict rules to brandish a red card every time a two-footed challenge has been made.
Already, players like Ricardo Carvalho, Mikel Obi, have been dismissed for those challenges.
In the case of Carvalho’s tackle on Gabriele Agbonlahor, he deserved the red card and a 3 game suspension that ensued but for Martin Taylor to get the same punishment, is completely nonsensical.
The guy broke Eduardo da Silva’s leg in three places, and every one is going on with normal service while some have the audacity to say Taylor “isn’t malicious and that he has no violent bone in his body”.
This to me is “murder” in football!
As long as the crime is committed the culprit is charged with murder and jail beckons there after.
Whether it’s a first timer or not, unless the defending council pleads self-defence, I don’t think Martin Taylor can use that get-out- of- jail card because this was St. Andrews, a football pitch not a battle field or gladiator park.
In the heat of the moment, Arsene Wenger said, “Martin Taylor should not play football again,” which to me is too harsh a punishment.
If the tackle is to end Eduardo’s playing career why should Taylor continue playing? Though Wenger retracted his statement, I feel he should have stood by it.
People may find it hard to believe that Eduardo forgave Taylor, but even Moses was willing to forgive the remorseless Pharaoh.
Players should know that it’s not only a matter of winning football games, but also a matter of life, career and family. Some of the tackles made are violent and life threatening.
It is players like Martin Taylor who deprived the world of geniuses like Marco van Basten and Sebastian Diesler.
Imagine if Eduardo was English and he was leading the Three Lions to the euro championships in the summer and Taylor was a foreigner, would the English be going on about ‘non-malicious’ intent?
Any one remember Pedro Aldo Duscher who broke Beckham’s third metatarsal before the world cup and how he was castigated by the English press, or Alpay who was forced out of Aston villa because of the tunnel fight he had with Beckham in a world cup qualifier?
Is it that there are different rules applying to foreigners in the English premiership or is it a way of trying to limit the number of foreigners in the league?
Imagine if the premiership was deprived of players like Ronaldo, Fabregas, Torres, and Berbatov and it remained only with players like Wright Philips, Aaron Mokoena, Kenwyn Jones and Marlon Harewood.
Would it be the global brand it is right now?
Instead of teaching young footballers the finer details of football like finesse and intelligent play, there is too much emphasis on huffing, puffing and gang ho approach to games.
You cant believe how hard players like Wes brown, Steven Gerard, Joey Barton, Allan Smith, Robbie Savage, and Nicky Butt go in on players to win the ball, yet players like Javier Mascherano, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele de Rossi are excellent ball winners, with out necessarily going in hard on others because they know the brain as a powerful organ and tend to utilise it to greater efficiency.
So whether there is malicious intent or not, as long as a player breaks a leg because of an opponent's challenge, let the length of ban be longer than that of a normal red card offence.
Maybe a period of 10 games could be fair enough. FIFA should also try to look at some of the rules that govern the beautiful game.
Imagine a player gets injured and needs touchline treatment leaving his team a man down, is it fair?
Why doesn’t the offender also go out until the injured player gets back to his feet and then on to the pitch?
I thought FIFA was so intent on fair play. They even have a fair player and team of the year award.
Ironic, isn’t it?
comments (12) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
When are people going to get over this incident. You are way off the mark Yahya. All the players you mention have been guilty of much worse tackles than Taylor. If you don't like the English rules and way of play then why follow it?
Violent and life threatening....sorry Yahya but I can't agree with you. That is sensationalism!
from 4 months ago
Its not only about taylor, but about all players who think to stop a skillful team is to tackle them hard. i mean its just not fair. there is no way Martin taylor should get the same suspension as kuzchack. atleast Blatter and Fifa have realised this and are going to have a look in to it.
4 months ago
are you saying that Riise should've been punished when he dislocated Alan Smith's ankle and shattered his leg? That seems pretty serious, Smith was out for more than a year, longer than Eduardo is expected to be out. He wasn't even carded. He took a free kick. Freak accidents happen. The Premier League is renowned for its pace and brutality, not the technical finesse of La Liga or Serie A. Mascherano leads Liverpool in yellow cards for hard tackles.
Andrea Pirlo is known as Tinkerbell. watch this and decide.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4936384483327803572&q=pirlo+red+card&total=4&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
It's the Premier League accidents happen, so toughen up.
from 4 months ago
"EPL is renowned for its pace and brutality" .........well you got that part right.
from 4 months ago
As you said Smith's was just a freak accident because it came from a free kick, BUT was Riise Red carded. of course not.
Taylor was Red carded, that means the referee sent him off for the challenge not necesarilly the breaking of the Leg. for some tackles even if no leg is broken a player is sent off. what about if a player' leg is broken after a silly challenge, do u suggest same punishment, come on please,
4 months ago
It was an accident – it Taylor had done it on purpose then yes, ban him for longer. But he didn’t.
If punishments were handed out for length of injuries then players will be too scared to tackle and football will become a non-contact sport. No-one wants this surely?! A game where defenders are too scared to tackle so all they can do is pull peoples shirts and block them off illegally? Tackling is part of the game, football is a contact sport – accidents happen. Get on with it, like we always have done.
Football has been going for over a hundred years with these rules, it is more popular than ever and yet people like you want to change it for some reason?!
from 4 months ago
"A game where defenders are scared to tackle" Can't you just time and take the ball cleanly without killing people?
How about " A game where talented players are afraid to run with the ball"
Football is about scoring goals.....You want to tackle hard.... then play rugby or something.
from 4 months ago
Aren't there other ways of winning the ball without necesarily tackling a player clumsily. players like fernando redondo were good at winning the ball with out necesarily tackling hard.
Football is a contact sport fine, but what about the beauty of it too. would you want to see it go down the drain.
Imagine a euro championship with out the twists, turns, flicks, step overs, and beautiful Goals because the players capable of doing these things are scared. would you rather have defenders competing for the award of the best tackler? Accidents happen right, but if it was one, then the referree shouldn't have sent Taylor off.
4 months ago
Yahya
Absolutely spot on.
Very good observations.
The main issue is who was hurt by whom.
4 months ago
What you suggest is just plain silly. Noone knows the outcome of a tackle before it's already done, so what you suggest would have a huge luck factor in it. The same tackle you mention happen in almost every match, but the outcome in this case was way more serious. Punishment should be handed out for intent, not for outcome.
from 4 months ago
Yes no one knows the out come of a tackle before its done, but then why do refs send off players for two footed challenges? its mainly because those tackles can easily end a players career.
so if as a result a players leg is broken, then why the hell would he get just a 3game suspension. Have you heard Sepp Blatter recently? i think he made some key observations too. and am happy Fifa will look into such issues.
4 months ago
we see tackles like that week in week out in the EPL! the tackle wasnt spectacular that it broke his leg off! who would've guessed? 3 match ban is good enough! he definitely didnt go in to break his leg. went in to perhaps hurt him a bit. time to move on! the total amount of tackles arsenal get.. ronaldo alone get them week in week out! grow up Arsenal!
write a new comment