Jeff Winter today criticized Bolton attacker El Hadj Diouf for his tackle on Liverpool’s Alvaro Arbeloa, which was just short of criminal assault, but only got Diouf a yellow card. Winter claims that Diouf’s tackle was something that even Joey Barton would shudder at – Winter said:
“Anyone who has ever played football knows that you cannot win the ball by jumping into a challenge and the sooner the FA get tough on this kind of crime the better. Referees should show straight red cards for two-footed lunge tackles – and there should be no exceptions. That would stamp it out completely. Even if it means we have games spoiled because there are so many red cards being shown, then so be it.”
Winter continued his rant, his bloodlust for matches festooned with red cards growing by the minute. Winter decribed his disgust for crap refereeing and violent players to The Sun:
“I don’t want to take any of the heart and commitment out of the game but these challenges are like physical assaults. They won’t upgrade a yellow to a red, even if the player deserves it – which, to me, is a complete disgrace. Diouf’s challenge, for example, earned him a yellow card when it should have been a red. But, to be honest, that tackle was so bad it deserved a six-match ban — let alone three games. They should hammer him. Sooner or later Diouf, or a player like him, is going to seriously hurt someone or even end their career. The FA would certainly have charged Diouf with violent conduct yesterday had the ref not seen it. Instead, because the ref has dealt with it, the authorities won’t lift a finger and it’s farcical.”
So is Winter right -do we need more red cards in matches?