If you’re walking down the street and someone decides to punch you in the face for no apparent reason, do you turn a blind eye to it or retaliate out of anger? This is the question that the FA should be asking themselves after charging this Manchester City player with violent conduct. Surely he doesn’t deserve a three-match ban.
After all, Shaun Wright-Phillips was hacked down by Rory Delap last Saturday, before the Stoke midfielder decided to kick the ball at his grounded opponent. Delap was quite rightly shown a red card for his behaviour, although The Times reports that SWP has now been charged with violent conduct by the FA for kicking out.
The former Chelsea player had escaped being penalised for a poor tackle on Matthew Etherington, the Stoke midfielder, who responded by twice having a hack at the England man before eventually grounding him. Delap then kicked the ball at the fallen player and was shown the red card, although television replays showed Wright-Phillips had also kicked out, and it is that incident that the FA have decided to investigate further.
Surely if the FA are to take no further action on Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa after his high kick on Yossi Benayoun, then the same rule must be applied with regard to the Manchester City winger. After all, SWP was at least provoked, something that the Portuguese full-back can’t claim! Does anyone really think the little tinker deserves a three-match ban?