Karl Henry's Challenge and the Changing Face of Modern Football

Karl Henry's challenge on Jordi Gomez today was simply idiotic. The Wolves midfielder was deservedly sent off and will rightfully receive a three-match ban. It was a dreadful error of judgement which probably cost his team the game.

It was also an isolated incident which is not necessarily symptomatic of a wider problem within the game itself. The challenge was borne out of recklessness rather than malice. Henry thought the ball was there to be won when, as the replays would repeatedly demonstrate, it quite clearly was not. 

For a highly paid professional such as Henry this represented an absolutely epic error of judgement. Launching yourself at any tackle at that sort of velocity, particularly one in your own half, is an utterly ridiculous thing to do.

Gomez emerged almost unscathed and fortunately for Henry there was no obvious harm done. I am not condoning the challenge, it was awful, but fouls of this magnitude are few and far between. When they do occur they are inevitably highlighted in excruciating detail.

I don't believe that Henry went into this challenge with the intention of harming Gomez. I suspect that he was motivated more by the misplaced belief that as captain he should set an example for his teammates by winning a crunching tackle.

Arsene Wenger has been extremely vocal about the need to stamp out bad tackles. He has more reason to complain than most as Abou Diaby, Eduardo, and Aaron Ramsey have all been on the receiving end of potentially career-ending fouls.

While Wenger is within his rights to highlight this particular issue he also has a strong personal incentive for doing so. Arsenal are extremely accomplished at passing the ball around and using deft flicks and tricks to bemuse the opposition. The team's defensive frailties remain well documented and it is in Wenger's interests for referees to start interpreting rules in a way which protects the player in possession.

Challenges like the one which Henry committed today are no longer tolerated in the game and neither should they be. The problem is that the pressure which gets exerted on referees as a result of incidents like this inevitably leads to bad decision-making.

Time and time again you see players protesting a decision with a circular motion as if to say, "I got the ball ref!" Often any contact they might have made with the actual ball is out-weighed by the intent of the challenge. However it is increasingly common to see challenges which would once have fallen into the "firm but fair" category being penalized. The early stages of the World Cup were ruined by a series of unwarranted sending-offs. Referees are becoming far too willing to blow their whistles and brandish cards.

Football is a physical sport and this has always been part of its appeal. Tackling is an intrinsic part of the game and brave centre backs have just as much right to be on the pitch as tricky wingers. One terrible challenge should not be used to create an officiating environment in which players are no longer permitted to physically compete.