The colour red is prominent at Christmas whether its Santa’s red coat, Rudolph’s red nose or this season’s “in” colour - a red card from the referee.
A record-equalling 19 red cards were shown in England’s four top divisions on Boxing Day - the worst number on a single day since 19 were handed out on December 13, 2003.
Wednesday’s number was swollen by the continuing proliferation of two-footed lunges which have appeared from nowhere in the last month to blight the English game.
Chelsea’s Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho was the worst offender on Wednesday for a wild two-footed assault on Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
He was forced to apologise to Agbonlahor afterrwards saying: “It was never my intention to hurt Agbonlahor with the tackle. I was going for the ball and I don’t want people to think I tried
to hurt another player. I didn’t see him after the game to apologise but I asked for a message to be passed on to him.”
Reading’s Brynjar Gunnarson also went for a two-footed lunge on West Ham’s Hayden Mullins while in recent weeks Tottenham’s Didier Zokora, Manchester City’s Stephen Ireland and Peter
Crouch of Liverpool have all been sent off for similar rash tackles.
The two-footed lunge is one of the most dangerous in the sport because it can easily result in the victim suffering a broken leg or ankle, and it is a miracle that no-one has ended up in hospital yet.
Footballers have always tended to mimic each other whether its in the type of cars they drive, the clothes they wear or the nightclubs they get drunk in. Now it seems, its in the fouls
they commit.
Last week Portsmouth’s Sol Campbell was complaining that players don’t get enough respect from crowds. When you see them trying to commit full frontal assault on each other, is it any
wonder ?
The two-footed studs-up lunge can end a career. Here’s a way to stop it. Ban the player who committed the foul for at least three months. If the victim is out for nine months with a broken
leg, the purpatrator cannot play until the victim is fit again.
And if the worst comes to the worst and he loses his career — then the perpetrator is banned for life too. I guarantee two-footed jump-tackles would disappear from the game tomorrow.
Trackback
4 comments so far
I agree with the idea of banning a player until the injured player has recovered… only if intent is involved. It can be a natural reacion to go in 2 footed if the player feels that it would increase their chances of getting the ball.
For challenges that have serious malice behind it (a la Roy Keane and Haaland) then yes, bigger bans are the way forward.
- Posted by Andy @ Liquid FootballBanning a player until the injured player recovers is a good idea. Lucas Neill breaking Jamie Carragher’s leg was a real horror tackle, and he should not have played again until Carragher recovered.
On the other hand, if a player slides in with two feet, studs up, but doesn’t actually make any contact, or makes minimal contact and no injury results, then I wouldn’t support a ban.
- Posted by Total NewbieI agree with Andy that it would be good to go for long bans when intent is involved, but in practice, it might be difficult to prove intent and may lead to lengthy appeals. Perhaps it would be simpler - and more effective - to ban the tackle outright.
- Posted by fionaBut I wouldn’t want to see the idea of bans on potentially dangerous tackles taken to the extreme, and all element of risk removed. As the Health and Safety Executive have recently cottoned on to - let’s make things as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.
Proving intent is the problem, as Fiona says. You can’t wait for the players to write their autobiographies and fess up (like Roy Keane).
- Posted by Ted