Punishment should fit the crime.

The Fa will consider the severity of injuries caused by rash tackles when dealing with suspensions for red card offences next season.

The governing body say they will reduce or increase the length of bans depending on a number of Factors which include the intent shown by the tackler, the force of the challenge and any subsequent injury.

The announcement comes after a number of players suffered serious injuries in challenges where the tackler was red-carded and then given a standard three-match ban. Danny Guthrie, the Newcastle United midfielder, received a three-game ban for the challenge that broke the leg of Hull’s Craig Fagan last season while Martin Taylor, the Birmingham City defender, received the same suspension for his tackle on Eduardo, the Arsenal striker, in February 2008.

“Clubs can now seek a reduction in the standard punishment for dismissal offences where they feel the punishment is clearly excessive,” an FA statement said.

“The standard punishment will remain appropriate in the vast majority of cases as this change will only cater for the truly exceptional cases. It is not intended for this policy to encourage or lead to the systematic, regular review of standard punishments.

“When considering such cases, independent regulatory commissions will take account of a number of important specified factors including intent, force and injury.” (Times Online)

I am not sure it makes much sense when it comes to punishing players to take into account the length of time the injured player is out for, after all what if the player has legs made of balsa wood or is in fact just returning from a previous knock?

It’s time the FA looked at each and every incident on its own merits instead of trotting out big ideas that are pretty much unworkable. What really does need to be looked into is the act of diving, with appropriate bans handed to the worst offenders, even if this means doing so retroactively, it still needs to be something that needs to be shunned from the game.

Intent should always be the biggest factor considered when trying to make punishment fit the crime, and this is kind of obvious. Look at the Eduardo incident, I don’t care what Martin Taylor stated after the game, it was as clear as day that he meant to harm the Croatian international, whether he meant to do quite so much damage isn’t really much of a defence.

Common sense is not a word often referred to when discussing the FA but it’s time that a Referee’s panel did more to punish those who deliberately seek to injure their fellow footballers and ditto to those who seek to play act and isn’t it about time someone was actually booked for trying to get a fellow booked by motioning to the ref that he should do so, I hate it when they do that!

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