The F.A. and corruption

[wilf9]

One has been missed Skirtle on Jo at the beginning of the season. We didn't even get a Free Kick !!!!!!!

 

[Paladin]

Re: Take action against the F.A.

Bosingwa incident... The FA said they cant act because the referee saw it.

They can act - they should take action against the referee, for witnessing and condoning such an assault. If the police had seen this on a Friday night in town, the perpetrator would have spent the night in the nick, and faced a magistrate at the next available opportunity.

The Thatcher decision set a dangerous precedent for the authorities.

I get the impression you're not happy with this, *singingtheblues*.

 

[*singingtheblues*]

Re: Take action against the F.A.

Bosingwa incident... The FA said they cant act because the referee saw it.

They can act - they should take action against the referee, for witnessing and condoning such an assault. If the police had seen this on a Friday night in town, the perpetrator would have spent the night in the nick, and faced a magistrate at the next available opportunity.

The Thatcher decision set a dangerous precedent for the authorities.

I get the impression you're not happy with this, *singingtheblues*.

You are not wrong there!

May I ask why you have quoted something someone else has said and stamped my name above it?

 

[*singingtheblues*]

Official site update;

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pageid=115&pagegid=%7BDBD12D53%2D8346%2D431D%2DA04F%2D5D0F8664DE80%7D&newsid=6626549&siteid=&pageno=&newscategory=&frommonth=12&fromyear=2008&tomonth=2&toyear=2009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagei ... oyear=2009</a>

 

[dannybcity]

I'd rather him miss Boro at home than West ham away so that doesn't really help us at all.

 

[Shooter 83]

I'd rather him miss Boro at home than West ham away so that doesn't really help us at all.

 

[BlueMooney]

Something I wrote on the subject:
<a class="postlink" href="http://kingkippax.blogspot.com/2009/02/seeing-things-in-black-and-white.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://kingkippax.blogspot.com/2009/02/ ... white.html</a>

“You’re not fit to referee!” Several thousand City fans shouted past me, during City’s 2-3 defeat against Liverpool. We had been in a great position – two goals in front at half time and Liverpool not looking like they were going to score, every City fan was bouncing.

But then the game changed, just after Liverpool had pulled a goal back. Pablo Zabaleta was sent off for a foul that left the football pundits worldwide torn between whether it was or wasn’t a red card.

Incidentally, I’ve never really understood the chants “who’s the wanker in the black?” and “you’re not fit to referee!” I don’t quite get why it would then be in the referee’s interest to give that side advantage on the next 50-50. After all, if 40,000 people turned up at whichever swimming pool I was working at and started shouting abuse at me for my choice of activity, I’d sure as hell not change my mind.

Now, you might be wondering why I’ve taken you all the way back to the start of October, but there is reason in my madness. Apart from the fact that it was quite a snappy opening, it illustrates the point in the title. The referee saw Zabaleta’s tackle as dangerous and worthy of a red card and the FA backed him up.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the country wasn’t really sure. But the FA was, and that’s what matters, when it comes down to it.

This brings me to my grievance of this month, with an excellent, yet rather suspicious link between subject matters.

I don’t get to a lot of away games, but I made the relatively easy trip down the M6 (I didn’t expect it to be that easy, but for some reason there was no traffic on the way there or back – I think it’s the first time in my short life that I’ve seen the M6 queueless) to Stoke’s Britannia stadium. There, I witnessed a team who forgot to shoot when they had the chance play against a team who were happy to concede possession in return for not facing any shots, especially after they’d grabbed a goal when being a man down.

If that makes any sense at all.

And now, because of the incident that caused the national press to be preparing puns like Delap thrown by Wright-Phillips challenge, Delap hurled off early, or Delap launched into tackle, City will be without Shaun Wright-Phillips for three matches.

Don’t get me wrong, he shouldn’t have kicked out at Delap after the Stoke man had chopped him down, and he’s right to be punished for it. But what has me riled, is the clear and blatant double standards on show at the FA.

If anybody saw Chelsea’s defeat to Liverpool last weekend, then you’ll probably have seen an incident in the corner when Benayoun was wasting a bit of time and Bosingwa found a way to stop him doing it. It involved Benayoun’s back, Bosingwa’s foot and the Chelsea full back taking it upon himself to introduce them to each other.

And, after the incident was looked at by the FA’s video panel, they decided no further action should be taken and the player wouldn’t be punished.

In the same game, Gerrard got away with a two-footed lunge on Salomon Kalou and, as far as I’m aware, the FA didn’t even look at the incident, when most agreed he was lucky to stay on the pitch.

A few weeks ago, Spurs played Man United and Ronaldo kicked out at Michael Dawson. At the time, the referee didn’t see it and it was reviewed by the FA panel. It was a petulant kick out, granted, but the pundit world was agreed that he was lucky to have stayed on the pitch.

And, after the incident was looked at by the FA’s video panel, they decided no further action should be taken and the player wouldn’t be punished.

Just after Christmas, Rooney hurled Stoke’s Faye to the ground by his neck and wasn’t punished at the match, despite the incident being in full view of the assistant, three yards away.

And, after the incident was looked at by the FA’s video panel, they decided no further action should be taken and the player wouldn’t be punished.

Spotted the connection yet?

I could go on.

Basically, when you take the incident that Shaun Wright-Phillips has been punished for as a standalone action, then the FA is correct to punish him. He kicked out at an opponent and it’s not allowed. Had the referee seen it, he would have been sent off at the time.

But, when it’s put into context with the other incidents that have been left retrospectively unpunished, then it’s nothing more than double-standards.

City are being made an example of, but there have been similar and worse incidents (thinking mainly, here, of Bosingwa, Gerrard and Rooney) that could have been punished, but weren’t.

And, as a side note, just take a look at the clubs those players are affiliated to. Now, take a quick look at where those three clubs have finished in the Premier League in the last ten years and you might, might see a connection.

The top four teams provide the league with the best source of income – they’re the ones who bring in the biggest crowds when they visit other stadiums and the most views from abroad, ensuring a bigger TV deal.

So, (and I think you can forgive me for being cynical, here) you don’t suppose that the FA are doing their best not to upset their biggest money-earners?

I actually think the argument that these people at the FA ‘haven’t ever played the game and so their decisions could be excused’ is utter rubbish. I’ve played football, but not to any decent standard – ok, so I might not understand everything about the game, but I know that wrestling someone to the ground, karate-kicking someone in the back and diving in with two feet is just as much of a red card or retrospective ban as kicking out because you’ve been chopped down.

I don’t think I’ll hold my breath for too long.

The trouble is, the referees have to play by the rules in the book. And I know that sounds like a completely daft sentence, but there’s absolutely no flexibility for common sense.

With the referees having an assessor in the stands who can’t help meddling every time there’s a minor decision the man in the middle has got wrong, resulting in said man in the middle being dropped a division for a few weeks (or, to put it another way, acting like a father around their child and a pile of Lego), then the referees are going to stick to the rules as they are written.

There just isn’t room for common sense in the rules. But the FA don’t seem to see this and they are too preoccupied in trying to apply hard set, non-flexible and abstract sentences to an entity that changes constantly and is about as predictable as a Manchester City form book.

But we don’t live in such a black and white world. If we did, then there would be a very clear boundary between right and wrong, there would be no grey areas causing confusion, Frank Lampard wouldn’t have been sent off for winning the ball and there would be absolutely no heavy metal music. I don’t care what anybody says, it is just noise.

I think the ironic part of this is that each of the incidents I listed earlier, including the Wright-Phillips one, has no grey area. Each player is in the wrong and each should be punished.

But somehow, the video review panel has found the grey area, camp in it, before delivering a brutal right hook to Manchester City.

And things, unfortunately, won’t change any time soon.

Part of the problem is that these decisions aren’t usually made in the first place. Granted, some of them have been missed because they’re subtle, but Bosingwa’s kick was about as obvious as an alligator in a tutu trying to get into the Royal Ballet performance of Swan Lake, just so it can have a tasty snack.

If the referee had taken action against the kick, then I doubt the FA would have overturned the decision. But, since he didn’t – and the assistant didn’t even flag for a foul on this one – then they can hide away, say he deserves no further action and go back to the comfy seating area for a cup of hot tea and a chocolate bourbon.

Another part of the problem is the assessor in the stand. The referee is so petrified of making a cock-up in front of thousands of people in the stadium, millions of people around the world, and one person in the stands, that they will tend to favour the top teams.

By no means do I think this is the referee consciously cheating the smaller teams, I actually think it’s a subconscious trait – a mistake leads to him being demoted for a few weeks. While, having assessors in the stands leads to nervousness. But, and this is the killer, nervousness leads to mistakes.

You’d have to be Houdini to get out of that one.

It’s such a shame that the only ones who can change how this system works are the FA. And that’s because they are the one governing body of any company, scheme, system, sport or (insert synonym here) that won’t actually do anything about it.

Since September people have been doing their best to blame City for ruining football because of the money we can spend. If Kaká accepted half a million quid a week, then football was beyond lunacy.

But, if you want to truly find out what is causing the most problems in football, then I think there’s wider issues to be looked at first, starting at the top.

 

[dom]

Keep bombarding the FA twats people.

Keep supporting your argument with evidence and comparisons with the treatment of tranny boy.

Great news that at least we've got him v. the smoggies

 

[*singingtheblues*]

As I said;

Something has to be done.

As I've already written to The FA and haven't even received a reply, I'm considering putting our case to a National newspaper.

It's no good moaning to ourselves on here, we have to take action.

All we have to do us compile each and every example of the corruption and fraud that is part and parcel of The FA, and write in our droves to a National newspaper. Then we would have an audience, and we would have a voice.

We do not have to accept this.

I know I certainly won't.

 

[Manchester1894]

I wasnt even angry until I read this thread and remembered John Terry's rugby tackle on Jo many months ago..

Must be corruption in the game