Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Ban Highlights Need for Global Consistency

On Monday, the German FA (DFB) threw the proverbial book at Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, suspending the Dutch striker for six Bundesliga games in response to a particularly vicious action last weekend that could hardly be defined as a tackle.

In a moment of madness, the 31-year-old kicked Manuel Schmiedebach from behind, a foul that would earn Huntelaar his marching orders. That and his subsequent confrontation with referee Sascha Stegemann eventually led to his suspension and a €15,000 fine.

There's no defending Huntelaar for his challenge, and the player himself admitted to his club website (h/t Goal) that the referee's decision was correct. The duration of his suspension, however, is questionable, even after Schalke's appeal resulted in it being decreased to four games.

However horrendous Huntelaar's tackle, the length of his suspension is extremely harsh for a Schalke side facing heavy competition from the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, Augsburg and Hoffenheim for a top-four finish. The Gelsenkirchen side missed their star striker in Tuesday's match against Bayern and as it stands will be without him for upcoming fixtures against Gladbach, Frankfurt and Werder Bremen.

In context with other recent suspensions outside the Bundesliga, the duration of Huntelaar's ban is rather extreme. Consider Chelsea star Diego Costa, who stamped on Liverpool duo Emre Can and Martin Skrtel last month. The Brazil-born striker was berated by many, but he was only charged with violent conduct in one of the two instances and was slapped with a three-match suspension.

The purpose of punishment is to deter would-be offenders from committing future offenses. But in Costa's case, it seems that three games will have little effect on the striker's behavior. He's since vowed not to change his ways, as reported by the Mail on Sunday (via Liverpool Echo).

Huntelaar's ban looks even more extreme when compared with sanctions against Cristiano Ronaldo following a series of outbursts against Cordoba. The Ballon d'Or winner punched Jose Crespo in the face before finally being sent off for kicking Edimar Fraga from behind. On his way off the pitch, Ronaldo appeared to taunt his opponents by pointing to the Club World Cup badge on his shirt.

Yet referee Alejandro Hernandez (per Marca) opted not to define the Portuguese forward's assault as "violent conduct," and he was banned for just two games. As a result, he will be eligible to face Atletico in Saturday's Madrid derby.

In context with those of other stars in recent weeks, Huntelaar's ban indeed appears disproportionate. His sending-off was the first straight red card during his time at Schalke and the second in his career overall: He's hardly a repeat offender. And the duration of his initial ban was just one below that which Luis Suarez received for his first biting incident while at Ajax.

Critical to note is that while Costa and Ronaldo were apparently guilty of two red card-worthy incidents apiece, in both cases only one such offense was investigated. Apparently the English and Spanish FAs found that a penalty for only one incident of belligerence was sufficient punishment for Costa and Ronaldo, respectively.

The decision for Huntelaar's ban was based on two incidents: The first being his attack on Schmiedebach; the second for his verbal offense against Stegemann.

Even with the reduction from six to four matches, Huntelaar's ban reflects punishment for two separate incidents (three is the standard for a red card-worthy offense). He was done no favors by the German FA and, although a star of the Bundesliga with no less importance to Schalke than Ronaldo to Real Madrid or Costa to Chelsea, was given no special treatment.

The result of Huntelaar's ban has already begun to be felt at Schalke. Roberto Di Matteo's men fought bravely against Bayern on Tuesday but missed a penalty and relied on a header from Benedikt Howedes to snatch a point. With a clinical center forward in the lineup, they could have taken three.

With any ban, Huntelaar would have missed the Bayern game. However, the three upcoming matches could be enough to see Schalke fall out of contention for a top-three spot and with it, a guarantee of some €20 million or more in Champions League revenue. A heavy price for an unprecedented moment of madness from the 31-year-old.

This isn't to say that Huntelaar shouldn't be punished, or that his offenses did not merit the sentence given to him. However, the questions still remain: Should Schalke as a team suffer such sporting and potentially financial loss as a result of this unique and unfortunate event? And their fans? Should the severity of punishment for offensive remarks (a three-match ban) match that given for a foul that could severely injure a player? And when both offenses are committed in a matter of seconds, should they be treated as separate incidents, with total punishment equaling the sum of its parts?

In England and Spain, the answers to the above are apparently No, No, No and No. And to an extent, it's understandable. One responsibility of a country's FA is to ensure the best quality of football possible within its jurisdiction. It's in the interest of an FA to keep the best players on the pitch.

Perhaps, then, it's understandable why the whistle wasn't blown when Ronaldo punched Crespo or in either of Costa's stamping incidents. They're superstars of their respective leagues and may be at least a little bit above the law.

In Germany, however, the law is firm, and even offending a referee can tack at least one extra match onto the end of a stern, three-match ban. As with refereeing culture, which differs from league to league as officials interpret the rules of the game differently, punitive measures can vary widely across Europe.

In general, football associations should be allowed a certain degree of autonomy. The main problem with such inconsistency comes in international play, when all the different local interpretations of the rules of the game become irrelevant. If a player commits the same offense in his domestic league and in international play and faces differing sanctions, it's hardly fair for all parties involved.

Also important is the insurance of consistency and fair play within a competition. Whether or not the referee intended it, Marca's immediate response to Hernandez's report on the Real vs. Cordoba match suggested that Ronaldo was given special leniency, the only explanation for which could be his star power and the fact that a three-match ban would spoil the spectacle of the Madrid derby.

UEFA and FIFA (the former of which has had a longstanding "Fair Play" campaign) must not allow the rules to be bent to favor star players. Yet if exceptions to protect them are made in domestic leagues, the FAs that govern them are legitimizing an ostensibly unfair aspect of sport. Such legitimization sows the seeds of similar injustices at the international level.

To create an international body to review every instance of suspected violent conduct is not a viable answer. However, UEFA and FIFA would be wise to apply some amount of pressure to local FAs to push them toward a certain standard of consistency and fairness.

In truth, Huntelaar and Schalke fans have little reason to feel hard done by. Yet given recent precedents, in context, his ban does not fit his crime. This is a disconnect that must be addressed.

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