Fifa are examining Martin Taylor’s awful foul on Eduardo. Eduardo is out for 9 months or more, and could have lost his leg. The Birmingham defender got a simple three-match ban.
The world governing body have asked the FA to send them the disciplinary file. Taylor said the tackle was not malicious, and has brought out the usual round of character witnesses who say that he’s a nice guy really, and that he’s not doing something like that before.
Sepp Blatter has said FIFA have the right to ask for such files to ensure that appropriate sanctions have been issued.
This blog has written to FIFA to demand action, and Blatter has agreed the issue of violence needs to be looked at, taking up our suggestion that offenders should be suspended for the same length of time as the player they attack is out of the game.
“I told the international board that a player who is deliberately attacking another player and tries to demolish a player should be banned, and not only for three matches but temporarily banned or a life ban depending on the severity of the attack. Why the hell should footballers demolish each other?” said Blatter.
www.emiratesstadium.info reminded FIFA that this was not just the second terrible attack on an Arsenal player (Diaby suffered in the same way) but that the idea of attacking Arsenal players has been spread by journalists under the notion that “the only way to beat Arsenal is to kick Arsenal”
Our position is that this “kick Arsenal” campaign has been promoted by journalists on TV, radio and in the press, as the only way that less successful clubs can survive. It reached its height in the last season at Highbury when it was said that Arsenal’s very young team had no way of stopping clubs that kick players throughout the game.
Arsene Wenger has supported the notion that “kick Arsenal” is causing huge problems for the club, and mentioned Hleb as a particular victim.
This site fully supports FIFA’s move – we believe this is the most important development in football in the past 20 years.
