City Sentinel: Respect? FA must set the standard
Sentinel sports editor Keith Wales has his say on events at Stoke City
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The FA must set the standard
HOW can the FA expect players, managers and fans to sign up to their Respect campaign when they undermine it so completely themselves?
Stoke skipper Andy Griffin was on stage when the initiative was launched to such fanfare just before the start of the current season.
Yet the FA proved this week they hold City players in contempt when they refused to charge Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger over his claim that Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap had deliberately set out to injure his players during the Gunners' 2-1 defeat at the Brit.
For years, the FA have used the accusation of 'bringing the game into disrepute' to effectively gag players and managers not prepared to be landed with a substantial fine.
To do such a thing in the real world would have human rights lawyers rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of a routine victory in the courts, yet the football authorities get away with it. But what can be more disreputable than a manager effectively calling the players of an opposing team cheats?
I'd have thought the FA had got Wenger bang to rights, as they say, yet they took no action after studying his comments.
Just for the record, Wenger said: "Do you think Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled (Theo) Walcott? Or that Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled (Emmanuel) Adebayor off the pitch? The players have been injured deliberately."
It's unequivocal. Nothing could be more black and white, but the FA seem more intent on snuffing out criticism of referees than protecting the integrity of players.
The basic flaw in the FA's Respect campaign is the fact respect has to be earned.
Managers are not going to respect referees they regard as incompetent, however much they are told to do so. And few Stoke fans are going to respect an organisation that allows a high-profile manager to call their players cheats and then turn a deaf ear to his comments just as effectively as Wenger has done to his own players' disciplinary failings over the years.
Because of this, there will be the suspicion in some quarters that the FA were never going to act against a senior figure in the game when the club in question is a Premier League gatecrasher.
In truth, the fact neither Stoke, nor the players in question were prepared to take the issue further probably influenced the FA.
But there are times when the people who supposedly run the game have to take a lead. This was one of them.
5 Comments
by john, North Wales
Friday, November 14 2008, 5:06PM
“Re Paul or is it Boppy Double H,Approx 10 days ago I posted an item on the Arsenal match followed by your comments of when is this going to be put to bed,it seems old son as though this is stuck under your skin,is it not time you gave it a rest ,after all as you state the game of football is all about opinions,lets all realise that these pages are for supporters to vent there frustrations and feelings don"t keep knocking one another we all support or should the same team with hopefully the same outcome. If you Stoke supporters want to express your comments tune into ITV analogue text page 414 footy chat and give Les from Wednesbury some rightfull stick,he has a total dislike for Stoke,I do wonder if he is a Baggie fan!,Good luck Stoke at Man Utd tomorrow how about 1-1,P.S Boppy how is John Sanders my old time buddie”
by Paul R Moston, Trentham
Friday, November 14 2008, 2:31PM
“Trev, you are entitled to your opinion, thats what football is all about. Few facts for you though, I watch the game on the box because I was reffin a game. I fear from reading your comments that I could put forward the most balanced point of view but because someone has said, or done something against Stoke (who by the way I am also a fan, all be it not a blinded one) I may as well be talking to mesen!”
by Stoney, Stoke
Friday, November 14 2008, 12:56PM
“Trevor, I think you might have to get your facts right before you post a comment. You state 'Both tackles were punished and that's concludes both issue's' where in fact Shawcross walked away from the tackle and didn't receive a booking.”
by trevor, scholar green
Friday, November 14 2008, 12:47PM
“for delap's tackle, your answer is no, the answer actually was a tired mis-timed tackle. the tackle by Ryan was on the pitch and was intentionally on the ball. If you'd have played the game and not just watched MOTD you may have a better opinion. Both tackles were punished and that's concludes both issue's. Get your facts right before you come out of your high tower mr. 30years sunday morning.. Arsenal and Stoke had players rightly booked and sent-off, but there was only one manager who called the opposition 'cowards'. As for referee's, your opinion says it all. No wonder remote-control referee's get no respect, with your ill informed biased decisions!!!”
by Paul R Moston, Trentham
Friday, November 14 2008, 11:43AM
“Two comments on this and two answers 'Do you think Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Theo?' Answer 'NO' and 'Do you think Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Emmanuel, off the pitch?' Answer NO. Anyone can see that they didn't, its part of the game though, when is this going to be put to bed. I have been a referee for 30 years, up to non league standard. The FA have tried to bring in a respect campaign, not only cut down on the abuse of ref's on a Saturday, but this filters all the way down to grass roots on a Sunday or kids football. Soon, and if any of you play on a Sunday you will have had a time when there has been no ref, there will be no ref's to officiate games. This is because people watch referee's getting abuse on the the TV and then go and do it on a weekend. There i a dirth now of ref's in the game, how many reading this would go out on a Sunday morning and ref a game?”