The Debate: should referees take harder line on bad tackles?

It wasn’t a bad tackle. That is the standard line, isn’t it? In the gantry, in the studio, in the newspapers, on the radio. I didn’t think it looked that bad. I’m not sure there was much intent.

He’s not that kind of player. He was just too quick for him. He didn’t mean to break his leg. Now we can line those excuses up against the potential end of a man’s career at the age of 25 (today, actually, so happy birthday Eduardo), and consider what good we have done, with our trite mitigations and apologies. Martin Taylor, the Birmingham City defender, is said to be distraught at the damage he did to a fellow professional on Saturday. He should be. So should we all, for we are in the dock with him.

We hate divers, and rightly, but the vicious tackle has always been the worm in the apple of the English game. Our response is to glory in it. “Tommy’s coming home with a broken leg,” the club official says to the hard man’s wife. “Whose is it?” she replies. Oh, how we laughed. Except you don’t go home with a broken leg; you go to the operating theatre after several agonising hours of frantic treatment, oxygen and morphine, and the television companies won’t show what your limb looks like in case its precious audience is physically sick.

Any manager new to English football, asked for his first impressions, says the same thing. The referees never blow. Fabio Capello said it after a matter of weeks. How often do you hear: “The ref was good today, he let the game flow.” What that means is he let the players operate on the boundaries of what is legal.

It was always going to end in tears.

What do you think? Must referees take a harder line or should the excitement continue unchecked? Have your say in the comment field below

Comments

[Petr]

Many Britons seem not to realize how easily events like this and their follow-ons are seen worldwide now.

Mr. Samuel is lucky to have the skill and personality to rise to this occasion so well. His Mike Dean column was outstanding, as was his response to some of these comments.

As for British football, this has been a tremendous advert for other leagues in other countries. Karim Benezema won't be the last player to decide that he'll ultimately make more money enjoying a longer, less violent, and ultimately healthier career elsewhere.

[Reg Towner]

For the health and safety of the players and to assist the flow of the game for the true fan, referees should certainly take a very hard line on bad tackles. A formal pre-match briefing in both dressing rooms followed by instant red card dismissal for offenders on the pitch seems about right. This would also send a clear message to the junior players who are the future of the game. Refs also need to take the opportunity to nip the new trend for deliberate handball in the bud at the same time. In many games Ive seen recently the defenders seem to have developed a culture for persistently intercepting the ball with their hands and arms when it looks like the striker might otherwise get past them with it.

[BC]

whether Taylor intended to injure Eduardo or not is irrelevant as the bad tackle was clearly deliberate. A professional footballer does not accidentally make a bad challenge - by going in high with studs up he knew he would be committing a foul. He deserves to be punished but not to the extent that some people here have mentioned - until Eduardo recovers?? slightly extreme I think!
Week in week out bad tackles are made and it would seem unfair to put a pause to/potentially end Taylor's career because he was the unlucky one who actually caused some damage. If the referee deems it a foul, regardless of whether it was intented maliciously, there should be a standard punishment - regardless of whether the player gets injured or not.
Why should Gallas get away completely free with making clear attempts to injure and Taylor get punished for being unlucky enough to actually make contact.

Obviously each case should be considered on its own - in the case of Thatcher I think nothing less than a permanent ban or even a prison sentence would be appropriate, but there needs to be some consistency with regards to intent and not neccessarily if contact was made!!

[Andrew]

Whilst not condoning Gallas's kick on Nani, to equate it with Taylor's foul on Eduardo is absurd.
Taylor's attempted challenge was dangerous. Nani was walking slowly away from Gallas who gave him a sly kick to the back of his leg. While potentially painful, the chance that such a kick would result in any injury is minimal, unless the victim had brittle bones.

[arthur blundell]

The game was 3 minutes old so I don't see how Dean could have been to blame, he could hardly have let the game get out of hand. We have had some silly red cards this season which were nonsensical (I Saw Robbie Keane vs Birmingham) and yet that player still got the 3 game ban. How on earth can Taylor get away with the bog standard 3 game ban for a tackle like that ??. You can be Christian and say it was mis-timed or what you like but he has potentially put a fellow profesional out of business for life. The league have just extended Aladiare's ban to 4 games -- they really do need to get the system working properly.

[Stacey]

The whole situation has been blown out of proportion. This tackle was a mistimed tackle that had disastrous consequences but to say ban Taylor for more than 3 games is a joke. some of the tackles going on around the grounds in the Premier league are malicious with some players running the length of the pitch to dive in two footed and they get away with them, no yellow card or nothing. This was a clumsy tackle that resulted in a broken leg. There was no malice and those who think stronger action should be taken should take a look at themselves and realise that football is a contact sport and if tackles similar to these are always punished so severely by bigger bans that 3 matches, then players will become afraid to tackle and the game will become a farce. Both players were injured in this tackle, eduardo physically, Taylor mentally. Remember that before you start judging everyone involved

[Shishir Kedlaya]

For sake of an analogy, if a dentist started scraping the roof of your mouth or the cavity in a completely reckless manner, or a cop started shooting indiscriminately, you would not let them get away with it! They will be sued or atleast severely reprimanded and/ or suspended for conduct unbecoming of the profession!

Why should it be any different for footballers!? I agree that there was no malice in the tackle, but why should such a tackle be allowed in the first place? and why should a player, [Taylor in this case] be allowed to get away with only a 3 match ban when another player's, [Eduardo] career hangs in the balance because of his tackle.

The arguement that it is a contact sport does not hold water at all. such recklessness [as oppossed to malice] has no place even in the hardest of sports. And as professional footballers the players are paid to play the ball and not other players

[Steve Gould]

The fact that Taylors leg was dead straight, with studs up, with no margin for give at the time of impact meant that serious damage was likely to Eduardo.

He is so guilty, and yes, of course it has been only a matter of time. Why all the debate.
The powers that be are making a joke of running this game. They are a disgrace.

[Midda]

I think the refs have it pretty much right at the moment, and rightly a red card was issued when an idiotic tackle like Taylor's came along. Taylor slid into Eduardo from a mile out with his sprigs pointed at him with no apparent care for the consequences of what would happen if he missed the ball. Someone like Eduardo was always going to be half-a-step faster than the likes of Taylor so there's no way Taylor was going to connect any part of his boot with the ball. To me, any lazy pathetic tackles like that should warrant an instant red card. Well done ref.

[Wang Chung Kwang (HK)]

In my opinion the refs in the UK are more tolerant of crunching tackles.There have been many cases
where the offending player shd have red carded not yellow carded.
I know football is a game of close physical contact but to go round kicking your opponent and yet not be punished is unbelievable.Believe me some of these tackles should have been rewarded with a straight red.
Until the day the FA cleans up the game with heavy punishment for serious tackles ,I'm afraid the thugs will continue to get away and England can forget about qualifying for the world cup.Don't even dream about winning it.

[dave bush]

Ban any 'straight leg ' tackle. If your knee is bent when you collide, the damage to the opponent is lessened. Once you lock your leg, you are putting your opponent in danger.

[marcio gabriel]

Where is the FA? let FIFA handle this situation for the well being of the players.Silence is agreeing with what you see.

[marcio gabriel]

Where is the english football federation? Silent! No comments about it. Shame on you! This was a horrible and disgusting incident. If this federation say nothing , it means it is ok. Now in the english media they are telling that we must have compassion for both. If this had happened to a well known english player....would they react in the same matter? of course not!
I hope that this incident be dealt by FIFA because The English Football Federation is going to do nothing. Football is art, ability, technic and professionalism and what i am seeing now is what Wenger, mancini and other players around the world are saying, This is not a RODEO or a GLADIATOR ARENA.

[Simon Bullock, Kings Langley]

If this tackle was 'an accident', was 'just an unfortunate mis-timed tackle', was 'not malicious', 'happened purely because Eduardo was too quick for Taylor', 'Eduardo was just unlucky because these sort of tackles happen every week and don't cause serious injury, if at all', then tell me why these type of studs up, high, dangerous, tackles NEVER occur in the penalty area?
Because defenders know fine well they will concede a penalty if they catch the attacker.
But Taylor and many before him are quite prepared to launch themselves at opponents outside the area regardless of the consequences to the opponent because they know a free kick is all they will concede.
So please don't anyone tell me that Taylor was unfortunate because you are insulting my intelligence and showing your lack of it. The fact that he was instructed to "get in some tackles, it's no use running alongside Arsenal players" by McLeish just before the game started and was over the top of where the ball was anyway, merely confirms Taylors' guilt.
That's why an example must be made of Taylor.

[Martin Smith]

Over the past (say) ten seasons how many players in each European League have suffered broken legs as a direct result of tackles?

[HP]

So do we want a non-contact sport? Every fan in the country will cheer the tackle where their player wins the ball, and in doing so clatters his opponent. This is a physical game, where accidents do happen. Football, or at least the Premier league, would not be the game we enjoy without the contact. The majority of teams in the EPL place physicality, strength and fitness above technique. These things have occured for decades, and will continue to do so. Of course tackles with studs up should be outlawed, but that is what a red card is for, and the referees are getting better at clamping down on these challenges (at least compared to seasons gone by).
Letting the game flow is an EPL thing, and maybe we have to think this could be one of the reasons that the EPL is the most watched league in the world. So we either instruct refs to whistle for every slight contact, resulting in a stop start game that would loose its popularity, but less players get injured. Or let things go on as they are, tweak a few of the rules to erradicate the serious injures, and in turn keep the EPL as the entertaining league it has always been, raking in the money for each and every PL team.
I feel extremly sorry for Eduardo, but he himself has probably been the most gracious person about the whole event. If he can realise that it had nothing to do with referees, or rule changes, then we all can.

[Rob Mack]

It is interesting to note the amount of issues that people have tacked onto this debate. The sheer enormity of analysis and debate over a tackle is puzzling. Sure Taylor should have made a better tackle, for that he is at fault, but the resultant amateur analysis of the incident has in no way made any involved party feel better. This was a sickening incident which should be seen for what it is - an accident. Hindsight would allow this to be avoided, but as for blame in any direction, please don't be so silly.

[Adam,London]

Having seen the incident a good number of times now I have to agree with the minority that Taylor was not deliberately trying to injure a player. People also seem to have short memories. Was it not last week when somebody was deliberately trying to injure a player and get away scott free? Imagine if William Gallas had caught Nani properly and that player broke his leg. If there is to be consistency amongst referee's on bad fouls then these sort of tackles cannot go unpunished. Taylor received a 3 match ban for an unmalicious tackle that he just got wrong and unfortunately a player got injured. Gallas kicked out maliciously at a player and recieved nothing. This is where the inconsistency lies. I don't seem to remember either of the players being witch-hunted who broke Djibrill Cisse's leg twice in one season.

[Hilson M.Breckenfeld Filho]

yes!the reffre must be harder with anybody in tackle or fact like this will be happing again,during same game in with strike's arsenal eduardo broken his leg,have several times tackle with could be becames a game in field batle;punisher hard at tackle ever.

[EFE]

message: do football supporters want to have a uniform standard of game, irrespective of who they support? in other words, is football a sport... of mice or men, do fans views matter, and who made martin samuel and his type GOD?

[samuel o]

Would it be wrong to realise that a sizeable majority( emphasis on majority and not sizeable) of the attention has been placed on the role of commentary during and after the breaking of da silva's leg? Have the commentators bitten off more than they can chew in that they appear to have an audience and their views appear bto be like those of agents criticised by alex fergusson.
If their contributions are in any way USEFUL perhaps they can offer advice to the FA on how to improve the state of the english game(which obviously has proud and passionate fans)

[John Naylor]

Straight after the match Gavin Peacock made the comment to the effect that these sort of injuries will always happen because of the pace of football, the player does not have time to pull out of the tackle when he gets it wrong. Yes they will if players continue to "tackle" by lunging in whether with one foot or two, with studs showing. These tackles have no part in the game and the only way to get rid of them is for referees to consistantly send off the player whether any contact is made or not.
The tackles clearly endanger other players and are therefor reckless. If done with intent, the tackles are criminal assault. So lets not say "Don't send the player off because he only endangered another players career, afer all he didn't commit a crime! "

[samuel o]

For a sport which is glorified for being a 'last bastion' of manhood the reaction of followes and opinions to Eduardo da silva's broken leg says a lot about the true state of football in England today. 'It's fast and hard, but fair', goes the popular refrain about the premierleague. then when the world cup or the european championships come around this sense of fairness goes out the window and england is going to win!!! When unfortun ately this doesn't happen, what are we left with? A fairness unrewarded, in the midst of a 'hard and fast GAME*. It doesn't take a genius to see what the result of this frustration will be( it is just a matter of time and the 'unfortunate unknowing talent').
Oh, and the next round of shoot the messenger( this time, wenger) to kickstart the whole sorry, endless, episode.

[Tommy D, Leatherhead]

Yes i do belive that refs should take a harder line on bad takles such as the one commited on edwardo at the weekend. I myself am a Rugby ref and if a takcle of the same magnitude happened to a player in one of my games or one that i was watching i would not hesitate to do a couple of things.
1. to send the player off for gross misconduct
2. Go straight to the RFU to ensure that the player has a sufficient ban if it has to be a life ban so be it.
Things like this should not happen if people see that takle and Taylor gets away with onlt a 3 match ban people will see it and think that they will be able to do a takle like that. As officials of sports at any level it is our responsibility to make sure the game is played in a fair and enjoyable way for all it may consern,

[Timothy Tanner]

Eduardo has forgiven Taylor for what happened, I hope others follow in his example. Also credit to Taylor's club where it is deserved, they did a lot to help medically, have offered their condolences and the fans applauded the stricken player off the pitch. Thank you AC Milan for offering Eduardo their best wishes and a happy birthday.

My point about some of the media and the English attitude to hacking people still stands but it is nice to see some niceness in an increasingly rotten episode.