It needs sorting, players and referees need sorting. Players need to know they cannot get away with abusing a referee, cannot get away with fouling in the box, cannot abuse other players racially and finally, they need to realise that football IS a contact sport — not touch rugby.
Referees need guidance from Uefa and the FA, a foul in the box is a foul, a penalty. Give it. Always give it. Every time. Nothing infuriates everyone in the game when a ref bottles it and lets it go. We have seen where this gets us: every defender holds players in the box — that’s a foul btw.
Referees need to let play go on when players look for the foul, drop when a gust of wind blows on them or even the most ridiculous term I have heard of —“The intent was there” tackle where no contact is made, no one is harmed, and yet the player roles around in simulated agony!
Uefa need to sort this out now. This is what I believe needs to be tackled if the game is too improve as a spectacle and be fair once again:
1. Award penalties and book offenders for holding in the penalty box, on every occasion!
2. Simulation is reviewed by technology real time, the ref can ask or review a decision. If it’s dodgy, book them.
3. Allow physical contact, you know, tackling. Real, straight up tackles, not from behind. If it’s a fair tackle then play on, players will soon get the message. Take off the cotton wool…
4. ANY referee abuse, sin bin the player or send them off. Penalise the team by moving the ball ten yards or giving a penalty kick. It will soon stop.
5. Use technology to assist the ref if he needs a second opinion. Rugby does it, cricket does it, it works.. hello…
6. All red cards are subject to a second opinion by a fourth official or second ref upstairs. Check first.
That’s what I would like too see, how about some better ones?
Now I am NOT advocating a return to the days of Norman Hunter or his like, but the pendulum has swung too far away from common sense, too far away from the game of football.
Somewhere along the line, things have to change; supporters, managers and players all voice their frustration and the lack of consistency over the above points. Football may never be fair but we need to believe it can be.
Play the Game!
Reader Comments (12)
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2 Posted 17/12/2012 at 19:35:55
Seriously, something has to be done, but Fifa and Uefa are the real culprits in all of this. They are great at enjoying the high life, but I don't think they have as much love for the sport as they do for living high on the hog and mooching with the rich and famous.
Maybe the introduction of 3 yellows and off, because I'm sick of seeing the likes of Toure get away with 'yellows' because he's already had one earlier.
3 Posted 17/12/2012 at 21:56:20
More to the point I suggest it's a greater issue in this country than abroad meaning politically it carries no weight.
They hate us because we invented the game, and of course x-factor.
4 Posted 18/12/2012 at 00:29:27
How can that penalty be given against us at City one week, and then Stoke not get punished for any of their man-handling at the weekend?
Every so often you see a player get booked for taking a dive, or for swearing at the ref, but week in week out you see players getting away with it. It doesn't take a lip reading expert to see how often a player shouts "fuck off" to a ref or linesman, but they keep getting away with it so they will keep doing it.
Having said that, one offence which refs seem to consistently punish with a yellow card is the removal of a shirt during a goal celebration - and you still see players doing it, which makes me believe that some footballers are just stupid and won't stick to the rules no matter how strictly they are enforced!
5 Posted 18/12/2012 at 15:00:43
What could really set a precedent is that Fellaini has been given a 3 match ban via a review panel after the game. Why this type of review can't be used to punish divers and molesters is stupid and just shows that the powers that be are stuck in a rose tinted past when this didn't happen. Virtually every other big sport has moved with the times.
6 Posted 18/12/2012 at 15:43:40
How come when the Rodwell Incident was reviewed and the red card rescinded, no action was taken retrospectively against the player who blatantly feigned being chopped in half by the "tackle"?
And, no, I'm not asking "just `cos it's `im"
Why doesn't the highest earning waste of space in football do something about members of his union deliberately cheating members of his union
Jesus, imagine if Duncan had've been playing now - he hated being touched, never mind fondled
7 Posted 18/12/2012 at 16:16:26
As suggested before, I predict we will fall foul of this against West Ham, with a penalty awarded against us for pulling/holding.
8 Posted 18/12/2012 at 22:01:57
9 Posted 18/12/2012 at 22:36:19
I do agree with sin bins for answering ref back or complaining. 5 mins in sin bin. It will soon stop
10 Posted 19/12/2012 at 08:59:32
Peter Warren #894 You say football is not a stop start game. I am confused, what happens every time a throw in is required, a free kick is awarded, a goal kick or corner and so on and so on.....? A mere few seconds to review an incident would be quicker than the retrieval of the ball in almost any of the aforementioned list. Therefore, no time impact whatsoever on the game
11 Posted 19/12/2012 at 10:59:47
It is absolutely rife within the premier league. We've already felt the effects of it this year. By my count we've had one blatant decision in our favour (Suarez goal being chalked off...lets not get into should he have been on, was it a free kick, was their a foul in the process) but countless others against us. Disallowed goals v Newcastle, countless penalty appeals in virtually every match, dubious penalty decisions against us at City and Reading. There seems to be a pattern that outside of the moneyed clubs bad decisions are just spread about on a whim to stop anyone from rising out of the pack. West brom were going along fine but as soon as the media attention went on them as sure as night follows day there was a bad penalty shout in the Arsenal game. Similarly when we're flying under the radar we tend to go incident free (unless Fellaini butts someone) but as soon as we string a few results together and people take notice we seem to be on the end of a concerted effort by a referee to rob us of a few points.
As for the teams at the top, when they're not playing each other they just get whatever they want, so much so now that lines such as 'you don't get those (penalties) at Old Trafford' 'If that hadn't of been at Anfield they would have got that' are common accepted usage by pundits. People have complained about our consistency but the top teams are helped along in a way we never are by officials. Take the Reading game, we went a goal up and then had two blatant penalty shouts turned down. We then had a bad second half and with a dubious shout against us lost all the points. Man City in the same week were 1 up and just when they looked like they were struggling got a pen seemingly for nothing and ende dup winning comfortably. We could have ran out 3-0 at Reading with proper officiating, equally at Wigan, equally at newcastle, maybe at QPR, probably at Arsenal. How many points is that? Enough to put us up there with the big teams but no-one wants us there.
Goal technology, replays, decision reviews, would, as other psorts have shown, be the easiest thing in the worl dto install, the fact that they haven't been is because no one at the top want sthem at all in case it upsets the cash cow.
12 Posted 22/12/2012 at 13:29:14
Too much fuss has been made by Moyes this season, a few cases he has been right , but most of them have just been to shield his players from heat.
Moyes also was too honest in his handling of the Fellaini situation, Owen then came out and poured gas on the fire, just like Moyes invited.
Fellaini could have done much worse harm if he really intended to headbutt the guy. To me the whole game against Stoke was a stink of shit, Fellaini was not the only one to blame in the game, but the media paints it the way they want.
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1 Posted 17/12/2012 at 19:17:15
If a video-referred appeal is upheld they remain with their amount of appeals intact. If it is not they are one down and if something spectacular happens but they have used all of their appeals it is a case of boy who cried wolf and be more sensible with their use next match.
This then puts the onus on the manager to be responsible for the queries and takes the pressure off the referees for getting so much so hideously wrong so frequently. Simples!