I really can’t tell you how incensed I was when Gabriel Tamas’ elbow hurtled into the face of James Vaughan during Sunday’s game between Norwich and West Brom. It was a brutish act of thuggery that is becoming all too common in football these days. I don’t even hold a vested interest in either team but I was literally seething with Tamas’ actions.

Just 24 hours earlier the spineless entity that is Phil Bardsley crashed his studded boot into the back of Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata who was sprawled on the turf – another vicious act of cowardice. It’s the second time already this season that the Sunderland defender has been in hot water after his disgusting tackle on Fabricio Coloccini in the Tyne Wear Derby a few weeks resulted in a deserved red card. Tamas will now be banned for three matches after pleading guilty after the FA charged him with violent conduct whilst Bardsley has been given an extra game due to his previous offence. It seriously infuriates me when players commit these acts and think they can get away with it behind the referees back.  I ask the question as to whether a mere three game ban enough or should firmer punishments be dished out to footballers who commit such offences.

This is something that I’ve debated ardently before and my opinion hasn’t deviated no matter how many people disagree. Stricter disciplining over acts like those committed by Tamas and Bardsley need to be implemented and punishments should go far beyond those already in place. A mistimed tackle and even a rash two-footed lunge aren’t intentional or steeped in malice and occur in the heat of the moment. The penalty for doing something like that is perfectly reasonable. Directed stamps and elbow swings are deliberate and callous and simply deserve more than just a ban or a fine. Tamas caused some serious damage to Vaughan’s face and Mata was lucky not to suffer a nasty back injury after Bardsley’s foot collided with his spine. Is justice served sufficiently by banning them for a few games and making them pay a fine that will be a mere drop in the ocean to them? Nearly always they will come out afterwards and protest their innocence which sends me hurtling to the peak of murderous rage. In fact I doubt that they feel any remorse for their dastardly deeds. Maybe because they know that the punishment coming will be extremely lenient. Violence shouldn’t be tolerated on the field and if it ends up with a player being seriously hurt then a greater degree of punishment needs to be put into practice. I’ve always thought that if a player commits a calculated act of brutality that results in an injury to the unfortunate recipient then slap them with the usual three game ban. But in addition to that make them sit on the sidelines until the player they’ve put in the treatment room is able to play again. Fair?

[ad_pod id='vip-2' align='centre']

I think the best example would be Nigel de Jong’s shocking tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa last season, which resulted in the Newcastle midfielder missing the entire 2010/11 campaign. Whilst I’ve already stated that most slide tackles aren’t intentional this one clearly was. The Man City enforcer smashed into Ben Arfa after only four minutes of the game wrapping his trailing leg around the Frenchman’s limb causing it to snap as went down under the weight of the challenge. Although De Jong probably didn’t intend to cause a break he certainly went in to eliminate Ben Arfa who was arguably the biggest threat in the Newcastle side. Just months earlier he had kung fu kicked Xabi Alonso in the chest during the World Cup final, which saw him go unpunished. Two dangerous tackles that wielded one long-term injury. Is it fair that Ben Arfa had to sit out the season whilst De Jong went on to win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League with Man City? Even acts like Joey Barton’s punch on Morten Gamst Pedersen or Wayne Rooney’s elbow on James McCarthy deserved more than a three game ban.

In my opinion The FA are way too merciful when it comes to punishing players who by my reckoning are engaging in on the field cheating. Anyone who swings an elbow or stamps on a player in an attempt to hurt them should be vilified and made an example of. It’s despicable acts like these that are overshadowing the beautiful aspects of our game and I honestly believe we need to eradicate this sort of behavior by enforcing sterner punishments and making them feel the agony of sitting on the sidelines for months on end whether they cause injury or not. It’s the only fair resolution in my eyes.

[ad_pod id='unruly-2' align='centre']