Most of us want and welcome some sort of consistency in our lives be that in work, leisure or family and it is no different in football. Fans demand consistency in refereeing and their team’s performance. Players also talk about consistency in refereeing and yet some do all they can to prevent a referee being consistent.
From the start of this season players can now be retrospectively charged by the FA and subsequently banned if they have committed a violent act that has been missed by the referee or are guilty of diving or successful deception of a match official.
This was warmly received by most football supporters who were sick to the back teeth with players rolling around pretending to be hurt without having been touched while hoping the referee would award them a penalty or even possibly send off one of the opposition.
Of course those players are still able to look in the mirror every day without a shred of guilt or shame because in their somewhat warped minds the referee is the one to blame because all they did was give him a decision to make. If he got it wrong then it was his fault and their conscience was clear.
Apparently only incidents that result in a penalty or an opponent being sent off will be looked at by the disciplinary panel that includes a former player, former manager and a former referee. All three have to be in agreement after, independently of each other, viewing the evidence before a player is charged.
The first to be charged is Everton’s Oumar Niasse who appeared to go down in the area without being touched by Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann. However not only did he win a penalty but also went on to score the Merseysider’s equaliser thus potentially robbing Palace of three much needed points.
However there was controversy when on Monday the panel failed to agree on an incident that saw Romelu Lukaku kick Brighton defender Gaetan Bong without the incident being seen by the referee. This highlights the inconsistency that drives fans barmy.
However the more players that are banned for diving the better for me and I am sure every other football fanatic. It is the only way to this malaise that ruins the game as a spectacle and at times deprives it of class.
It is ironic that players have the “don’t dare tackle me hard attitude” but are quite happy to cheat themselves. In fact there card players who will cheat and get angry when another player cheats them. Managers can be the inspiration behind cheating as they have been known to tell their players to go down at the slightest contact in the penalty area and yet moan at the same players who are not strong or physical enough to stay on their feet anywhere else on the pitch?.
Managers and coaches automatically put their hand in the air appealing for any throw in or corner despite knowing it is the oppositions as their own player kicked it out? However if the referee or linesman makes a mistake and does not award them a throw in that is genuinely theirs they go apoplectic with rage. They obviously have never heard of the phrase “double standards”.