Part 3 - English Premier League: Losers of the 7th weekend
De Jong’s actions over the past few months have been hateful in nature but there is still a larger portion of the blame that has to be appropriated to the men in black on the field, men who are supposed to keep a lid on such tackles
and gestures in the game. These men in question are of course the referee’s. In the 7th weekend of the English Premier League, Martin Atkinson was on hand to referee the clash between Manchester City and Newcastle United. In the past, Atkinson has
been blamed for his lack of ability to be decisive in his verdicts during the matches that he has governed.
However, Mr. Atkinson reached a new high in leniency when he didn’t punish Nigel De Jong for his two footed lunge on Ben Arfa at the East Lands stadium. Everyone in the stadium including De Jong himself expected Atkinson to punish
the Dutchman in some way or the other, the away support certainly thought that the challenge deemed a red card whereas the home thought that their midfield terrier would get away with just a booking. Atkinson differed with everyone and went onto continue the
game without brandishing a card.
It should be noted that, such lenient refereeing encourages players to act in the same violent way again and again. When De Jong planted his studs in Alonso’s chest in the 2010 World Cup final, referee Howard Webb, failed to show
De Jong the red card. As a result, the match adopted a characteristically brutal approach from there on in. In Newcastle United’s case, the match was brought a notch down because Ben Arfa suffered a terrible injury. If anything, De Jong should be punished
for violent conduct and Martin Atkinson should be called in by the F.A. The English referee should be informed that he is being suspended from his duties because he failed to act in a manner that was expected of him.
If football is to be preserved as a sport then such punishments must be dished out to those who deserve them. Firstly, Howard Webb’s decision at the World Cup final stage to show some sympathy to De Jong caused the Dutchman to
perceive that such tackles are actually part of the game. When De Jong broke Holden’s leg, in the spring of 2010, he came out and said that such incidents are part of the game. Yes, breaking legs and ending careers is what football is all about. It seems that
De Jong has taken the phrase “break a leg” quite literally.
If this wasn’t enough, he added that if a player gets scared during the match and backs away from a tackle, he is more likely to get injured by the opposition’s players. If De Jong is in opposition, then that certainly holds water,
what one can’t believe is that two days have passed since De Jong’s horrific attack on Ben Arfa’s leg. Given the Manchester City midfielder’s track record, one would expect the Football Association to come out with a statement by now, however all eyes are
on English football’s governing body at the moment as people await justice.
On the much lighter note, another loser that emerged after the 7th weekend of the English Premier League came to a conclusion is Mark Hughes. Last year, Manchester City disposed of Hughes because he was dropping too
many points. He wasn’t losing games but Mark was proving to be a “drawer of a manager” because he was just drawing too many games. His last ten games with City before his removal as their first team manager, Hughes successfully earned a draw on eight occasions.
Now at Fulham, Mark has not let his doubters down as he has once again managed to achieve six draws out of Fulham’s seven league games so far.
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