Nothing pisses me off in football more than hypocrisy! Example, January 27, 2010 “Video evidence, which shows Ferdinand striking Hull City’s Craig Fagan with an arm means that the Manchester United skipper must plead either precedent or accident at the hearing” The outcome? “That panel increased the mandatory three match ban by one game because Ferdinand’s challenge to the FA charge was deemed to be frivolous.” Ok, let’s for a moment accept that it may have been a fair decision.
Video technology is now being called for once again after referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free kick to Wigan in their 4-0 defeat on Saturday, but chose not to take any action against Wayne Rooney for catching defender James McCarthy with an elbow. Does that mean that Clattenburg is biased towards United as so many rival fans like to claim? I hardly think so. Please give referees a bit more credit than that.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez admitted as much afterwards “It is a big call in the game. It is unfortunate because the referee saw it but he didn’t feel it was a red card. It was not because he was Wayne Rooney. It was an incident in the game. That is it. I saw the referee at half time. He said he felt it was not a red card and that Rooney had just clipped McCarthy.”
This has absolutely nothing to do with Rooney, Ferdinand or Manchester United but simply about the selective use of retrospective video evidence to punish certain offences. Let me confess that I’m completely in favour of using modern technology in football, it can only be a matter of time before it’s introduced so let’s have a look at what happens on the other side of the world – with the full blessing by FIFA.
The Australian A League has twice given three match bans this season, each for simulation in winning late penalties. The referee was duped on both occasions but following a close study of the incidents after the games, the two players involved were found to be guilty and suspended. All very fair one would think. Yet no such common sense is legislated for in the Premier League.
My plea is for some sort of consistency to be shown. Video replays are either shown as evidence or they ars not, they must not be used selectively. If players are to be punished based on video evidence, other critical refereeing decisions must be scrutinised in the same way. You cannot have one while ignoring the other.
Should SELECTIVE video technology continue to be used?
Stop moaning, don’t do it then you wont be punished.
If consitency in refereeing ever happens United are screwed!
Just what we can expect to hear from another envious one Si
The thing that gets me is we are constantly told that no retrospective action can be taken or bookings challenged or anything like that if the referee has seen the offence. Clattenburg has seen it, deemed it not worthy of a red or a yellow end of story right? Oh no not when its United, we can then bend the rules as much as we like to make sure we get the chance to punish United. And apparently we get preferential treatment!!! It makes my arse smile it really does.
yeah, Si is everywhere crying about this!
why all the fuss? if gerrard can do it (twice)and nothing is said or done about it and in neither of those cases did his opponent try to block his run
And it wasn’t an elbow…it was an arm raised to get by someone who was blocking his path. If it was an elbow McCarthy wouldn’t be smiling this morning, he’d be out for a few months and then wearing a mask to protect a previously smashed jaw or cheek bone. Think Gascoigne after the Dutch did him twice in one match a few years back without anyone being sent off as far as I remember.
Just busy reading the crap that silly old gobsh*te Whelan is coming out with this morning. FA are scared to punish him because he is Ronney and they are scared to punish United. He even says any other team would not get treated like that. Is he real? Gerrard smashing Michael browns face in last season with an elbow? No action, Nigel De Jong breaking Ben Arfas leg this season, no action. Joey Barton elobowing in the face, no action. Are they scared of Liverpool City and Newcastle as well then Dave? The bloke is a complete and utter embarassment eveytime he opens his big mouth.