It’s half-time in the Merseyside derby, and once again the outcome of the match has been given an almighty helping-hand by the match officials, in this case one Martin Atkinson. In case you have missed this particular incident, Mr Atkinson decided that Jack Rodwell’s tough, but legitimate challenge, was worthy of a straight red card.
Neil Warnock said recently something that my father has long been advocating – “Referees should be seen and not heard”. Yet, as the season continues, already there has been a number of woeful decisions made by the match officials that have ruined matches that, pre-kickoff, promised to be somewhat of a spectacle.
Now, I am almost certain that Mr Atkinson will come out post-match and say that Rodwell’s tackle was high, dangerous, and could have broken Luis Suarez’s leg. However, may I draw your attention to one seemingly obvious point: The tackle DID NOT break Suarez’s leg. On the contrary, Rodwell actually won the ball, and well before he even made contact with the Liverpool striker. Therefore, by the laws of football (apparently disregard by Mr Atkinson in this moment of refereeing nonsense), that makes Jack Rodwell’s ‘leg-breaker’ a legitimate tackle, and not worthy of a yellow, let alone a straight red.
This decision by today’s match official begs the question; when will the referees realise that there is a key distinction between a tough but fair challenge, such as that of Jack Rodwell’s, and a two-footed lunge that does indeed warrant a straight red card? It is a worry that the laws of the professional game appear to be becoming ever more blurred. Please do not take tough tackling away from our wonderful national obsession.
