Wenger Favors Retroactive Punishment

By: Trent | October 2nd, 2007

Last Saturday, West Ham man Mark Noble did his best to reduce Aleksandr Hleb’s working joints by one with a over-the-top tackle during Arsenal’s 1-0 away win. The Belarussian’s knee was knocked, and he was stretchered off of the pitch.

For his troubles, Noble received only a yellow card on what looked to many observers like a straight red offense. You may not be surprised to learn that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. But interestingly, he doesn’t blame the referee.

Instead, Wenger wants to expand the FA’s ability to increase punishments retroactively, particularly in situations where the referee was not in a position to see the alleged offense.

Sez the Professor:

“I have seen it again and it was a straight red for Noble, without a doubt. I can understand the referee could not see it, because you could only see it well from one angle on television. That angle is really bad for Noble. I do not blame the referee because he could not see what happened. He saw it was a foul but it certainly did not notice how bad the foul was at the time. There is a case to charge some players after that because sometimes the referee cannot see.”

I suggest going one step further, and encourage the FA to adopt its own pre-crime unit, to card players prior to matches. This will save time and reduce the incidence of bad injuries. Also, by keeping Tom Cruise busy, it may give Katie Holmes a chance to escape.

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