FA clampdown: A growing concern

"Grimsby Town Football Club have reviewed last night's clash between Justin Whittle and Alan Shearer. We feel that there was no deliberate intent on behalf of Justin to catch Alan with his arm. The referee (Mark Halsey) on the evening was very close to the incident and no action was taken. We hope that this does not overshadow what was a pulsating cup-tie between Grimsby Town and Newcastle United."

The above is a statement on the Grimbsy Town FC web-site. During the game, Shearer went up for a high ball and caught Whittle, Grimsby captain, on the face with his right elbow. Whittle was haf-bowed as a result, Shearer came up to him, placed a hand on his head as if to say 'Sorry, not intentional, it's part of how I challenge for the ball.' Whittle turned away and turned back with a sly smile on his face. Later on they both steadied to challenge another high ball but Whittle caught Shearer on the lip with his right elbow. Shearer was incensed, blood visible from a gash on his lip, as Halsey, who was mere yards away from the incident, considered taking no action.

To Shearer's elbow on Whittle, perhaps a stern word or a caution would have sufficed. To Whittle's elbow, clearly intentional, dangerous play, should have been sent off. Things depend on what Halsey sees and he may not have seen the actual contact in both incidents. Yet the FA have shown they are ready to intervene into decisions, practically contrary to FIFA rules, which dictate that referees' decisions are final and cannot be changed by the respective football association.

Recently Scott Parker appealed his booking during the match on Sunday against Sunderland, which he alleged was a case of mistaken identity where Stephen Carr was the actual offender, regarding an incident with Sunderland's Andy Welsh. Rob Styles' report indicated he booked Parker for unsporting behaviour and considered Carr hadn't committed an offence at all. An independent 3-man FA commission decided in favour of Parker, passing his booking instead to Carr's record, without even calling or consulting with Styles. It has been suggested the commission do not necessarily have officiating experience as a requirement for being a commission member. Former referee Ketih Hackett, head of the Premier League Referees' Association, considered the commission are undermining the referees' authority and are 're-refereeing games'.

When you also consider David Beckham was cautioned for a somewhat innocuous arm across Andreas Ibertsberger, leading up to his dismissal, and Spurs' Ahmed Mido was sent off for an arm across Chelsea's Asier del Horno, Whittle's elbow (and, to a less serious extent, Shearer's)clearly warranted disciplinary action on the field, and, where the FA's inherent powers are concerned, is alternatively open to their disciplinary panel to review. Once you use your arms to elevate yourself up into the air and they make contact with a player's face, then some action has to be taken. Otherwise players like Shearer could have a more serious injury. Don't forget when Mikel Arteta was horrendously barged from behind by Dinamo Bucharest midfielder Mihaita Plesan in the UEFA cup tie at Goodison Park, the Spaniard feared to have swallowed his tongue and suffered a fit on the pitch.

Footage of Whittle exchanging what seemed to be harsh words with Shearer at the end was not sporting to see. Having injured the former England skipper already, he should have left it alone but chose to instead approach Shearer clearly to stir him up. Of course Shearer had the last laugh by scoring the only decisive goal, which is the best way to get back at an annoying opponent.

According to FIFIA rules, the referee's decision is to remain final. A referee can change a booking on the field of play if it was issued to the wrong player, provided play has not yet restarted. Otherwise it is too late, so the FA are in violation of FIFA rules. The emphasis, therefore, that should be emulating from Lancaster Gate is for the officials at a match to spot the discrepancies and clamp on them immediately. Halsey surely could not have missed Whittle's elbow, and clearly Shearer had made contact on Whittle earlier. Had there been a stern word to Shearer, maybe Whittle would not have retaliated. I said 'maybe'. But for the officials to enhance their reputation, there needs to be a complete overhaul and a new look at what is clearly acceptable and what is not. As a beginning, or a catalyst, a number of recent offside decisions have been shown in replay to be wrong, the most recent being Chelsea's Didier Drogba's disallowed goal against Everton on Sunday, where it was actually Drogba's team-mate Eidur Gudjohnsen in an offside position but not interfering with play.


RedsMan.