Saw on Sky news this morning that Bartez will face no action as he was booked by the Ref for his kick on Saturday.

This is a joke. This is not intended as a wind up of LR.

If there is to be any consistence surely Babayaro should only be given a yellow card to add to his tally.

I do not care if it was Given or Harper. He should be suspended and lose money for that sort of display.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Answers

Away with you........

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Absolutely, the refere claimed it was a trip hence the yellow card. Obviously the ref was wrong therefore warranting a stiff fine and long ban. That behaviour has ABSOLUTELY no place on the football field.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

If Gary Walsh had done this for Bradford would anyone in the country give a toss about this?

A little bit of tit for tat in my view and making a big deal of it only serves to create further ridicule surrounding the ref's/FA discilinary committee when there is no need.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

It was a strange one Gus. I don't think the Ref got much of a view of the incident, but Harte first had a little kick at Barthez who reacted with little more than a tap. At this point Harte did a 'dix points' Greg Luganis triple solka.

Without in any way condoning Barthez' action, Harte was actually the bigger sinner in my book - he was the instigator, the cheap, conniving, cheating b@st@rd.

Having said all that, people have undoubtedly been sent off for similar retaliatory offences. However, having been awarded a penalty, I feel manure would have been very harshly treated if Barthez had been sent off to doubly reward Leed's obvious cheating. Incidentally, Harte should also have been booked for taking the first kick AND for his pathetic dive.

I felt justice was just about done - even though according to the current, crazy dictates you're right in saying Barthez probably should have been sent off - that doesn't make it right though.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Yes, maybe Harte should have been sent off but you can't justify someone having a kick at someone else. It's a red card offence for violent behavior and intent.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Maybe, the consistent culprit in all this is the referee, if they are viewed as having missed an incident (understandable) or got an incident wrong they should receive punishment. The Babyaro ref deserved a yellow card at least for allowing that incident to prompt the later fights, the Leeds ref deserves a red card and missing one game for getting it so wrong.

The Barthez incident may well have been a tripping (I didn't think so) but it was off the ball by about 50 yards. Any off the ball violent act MUST be a sending off, law 12 part (n).

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

I don't reckon the refs are any worse than they've ever been. What causes the problems IMO is the fact that every other facet of football has taken advantage of increasingly sophisticated technology, but refs are still left with the responsibility of making microsecond decisions and having no redress if they get it wrong.

What chance have the poor buggas got when the likes of A GRAY repeatedly regurgitate cockups that would never have seen the light of day without Sky etc.

Nobody will convince me that some of these modern electronic gadgets can't be utilsed to help out refs in dodgy situations, and the sooner the better.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Sorry I was not as lucid as I thought I was. I agree re the original offender being punished, I mentioned on here several times the Viera incident with Ruddock sticking his nose in etc.

However the point is the Refs and their governing body bleat on and on about consistency etc. Their logic is is someone commits a foul, the ref bottles out and awards a free kick or a yellow card, (deals with it) it is OK. If the ref misses the same foul, with video evidence they can "red card" the offender.

This brings 2 questions, if the ref does not do anything isn't that (deals with it?) So why do they stick there nibs in?

If the ref misses it and the offence is punishable they suspend the player. If it is the same offence and the ref gets it wrong, in there eyes what? It is no longer a "red card" offence?

As McBeth stated what he did was a send off offence. No matter why he did it or to whom.

As to whoever said re the Bradford keeper, yes I would be just as annoyed. That sort of action has no place in football from ANYONE.

Hope you are all not too cold. Its been sweltering here.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

David O'Leary is praising the ref in last night's match versus Real Madrid. Apparently Raul scored a goal with his hand but the ref didn't see the hand propel the ball therefore the goal stood. Leeds lost 3-2, Raul's goal may have been the winning goal.

Anyway the ref looked at the TV replays after the match and saw he had made an incorrect decision, then went into the Leeds dressing room and apologised to the Leeds players for his mistake.

Humility on a grand scale.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

The story is even better than that DB. Apparently Raul went to see the Ref, admitted he had instinctively handled the ball and apologised. He said he fully expected a free kick to be awarded.

At that point, the Ref went to apolgise to Leeds for the omission which, as evidenced by DOL's post-match interviews, Leeds accepted graciously. Nothing to do with the result being immaterial, I don't suppose!

Personally I feel this story is rather uplifting, and I would love to think is the beginning of a restoration of sporting values to the game. Sadly, it won't be. however, if the story is true both Raul and the Ref deserve a big pat on the back for their honesty and class.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Did Raul say to the ref he had handled it as soon as he scored or after the game, if he did it straight away, now that would be honesty.

You're right about O'Leary and I suspect that his comments are more about repairing his reputation after the snipings in the press over the weekend.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

I'm with you Clarky. Wouldn't it be great if we could take stuff like this at face value, and not automatically assume there's got to be a hidden agenda ?

Me ? I'm so gullible that I believe nowt unless I can see it, touch it, taste it, smell it, feel it and have a good gut feeling about it.

(There must be a thesaurus somewhere that equates 'gullible' with 'cynical'.) :-))

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Andy Gray with all his gadgets spent 20minutes lambasting the referee for allowing a certain goal by a Mr Peacock against a team who wear red. When suitable time had elapsed for someone to produce an enhanced view of the ball failing to be cleared by A Mr Irwin, his response was, "Oh dear. It looks over, doesn't it?"

At no time did he retract his 20 minute diatribe about referees needing the assistance of technology to make such decisions on the grounds that 20 minutes is a long time to wait for the correct result. I mean, even American football fans won't wait 20minutes between passages of play :-)

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

How about the bit in the Leeds game where they said Figo got himself intentionally booked, so he could make the quarter finals. Would any player in this country do this?

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

I'm sure some would. What was worse about Figo last night was how he blatantly went about it, then smiled at the ref afterwards.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Somewhat off-subject, but Andy Gray's sycophantic fawning over manure in the game with Leeds on Saturday made me pewk.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Sadly, it looks as though the uplifting story about Raul apologising to the Referee for "inadvertantly" handling the ball into the net is a load of bollox.

He is now reported as saying "There is no way that I touched the ball with my hand. It was a rapid move, I jumped up strongly with a Leeds defender and when I saw the ball, it was already in the net. I don't know what I hit the ball with, but it was not with my hand." Yeh, right!

Fortunately, A UEFA spokesman has said "We will be taking action against Real Madrid striker Raul. The disciplinary committee have confirmed they have opened the case against him and action will be taken." However, it seems UEFA only have recourse to fine Raul and do not have the power of a CL suspension at their discretion.

In some countries they would just chop off the offending limb - as a powerful disincentive to doing it again!

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

....whoops.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

"In some countries they would just chop off the offending limb - as a powerful disincentive to doing it again"

So are you looking forward to the return of "Stumpy" Dabizas then, Clarky?

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2001

Ho ho! The one at West Ham was even funnier than the one he got away with in the Semi, with the ref scratching his head as to whether or not he should send him off for trying to volley the ball clear with his hand but missing the bloody thing.

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2001

Harte was blasted by Ferguson for supposedly diving towards the end of the first half in an incident which won his side a penalty. But Harte insists United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez should have been sent off after kicking out and claimed Ferguson was "confused" about the incident. "The man never makes mistakes you know. Yet he said Barthez should have gone and now he's obviously changed his mind," Harte told his official website. "I think he's confused himself. I've no idea why he's changed his mind, but it seems obvious to me that he's just looking after his player. "It does seem like there's one rule for one team and another for the rest of us."

touché et deja vu (beacoup de fois)!

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2001