Australia, who were thrashed by former world champions Germany in their opening match of the World Cup, will be hoping that the ban on their most influential player, Tim Cahill, is reduced to one game instead of two. The decision is expected to come on Thursday. Cahill received a red card against Germany in their Group D encounter at Durban Stadium, which he believed was very harsh and unjust.
Cahill, who in the last edition of the World Cup was the top scorer for Australia, and by far their best player, is a very crucial player for the Socceroos (the Australian football team). The midfielder was given his marching orders by Mexican referee Julian Rodriguez Santiago in the 4 nil drubbing against Germany, when he tackled Bastian Schweinsteiger. Although the challenge was late, but still the football pundits and most of the media agreed with Cahill that the decision was harsh, and a yellow card would have been the just decision.
The man on the receiving end of the tackle, Schweinsteiger, also said that by no stretch of the imagination was it a red card offence, and felt that Cahill was dealt with rather harshly.
In reaction to the card, Football Federation Australia instantly filed a defence to FIFA's disciplinary committee, and the Federation said that that they are confident that the committee will conduct a fair and just hearing.
Looking at the overall performance of the Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, there were no major errors to be pointed out, and there was only that isolated incident of the Cahill dismissal. Therefore, while the suspension cannot be directly challenged, the severity of the punishment can be reconsidered.
Ben Buckley, who is FFA’s Chief Executive, believes that Cahill may have been treated unjustly, and they are doing all they can to give him a fair hearing, and using all their resources to make sure that an unbiased and acceptable decision is reached.
Cahill has been one the most consistent players in the English Premier League for a number of years, where he plays for Merseyside team Everton. However, he will not be able to take part in Australia's next match, which is on Saturday against Ghana, regardless of whatever the outcome of the hearing may be, as he is sure to serve a one match ban. If the decision does not go his way, however, he may not be able to take anymore part in the tournament, as Australia may not be able to make it to the next round if their most influential player is not available. Therefore, the Midfielder may be heading home with the ugly memories of the harsh Red Card.
When Tim Cahill was asked about the incident after the match, he was understandably very heartbroken and disappointed, and the former Millwall star could not hold himself back; tears were flowing from his eyes as he recalled the incident, pleading his case by saying he did not deserve that, and calling it one of the darkest moments of his professional career.
Schweinsteiger told Cahill that he did not agree with the referee, and in light of his support, Cahill said that he is very thankful to Schweinsteiger, and went on to say that dreams are made and broken in matter of minutes, and those few seconds shattered his dreams.
Cahill continued to show his disappointment by saying that it was by far the lowest point of his career, and in football one can become a zero from hero in a matter of seconds, and that is precisely what happened with him.
But let’s hope his ban is reduced to one match, so that he is able to help his team make it to the next round, and Cahill does not go home with the nightmare memory of that red card.
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