According to Sky Sports the FA have decided to charge this individual with violent conduct for the alledged stamp on Scott Parker’s face. A four match ban is likely. Well, if I stamped on someones face in public I think that I would spend quite a long time on her majesties pleasure! A four game ban in my opinion doesn’t even touch the sides. Scott Parker was very lucky not to be disfigured for life. Also, the referee was only a few feet away. he seemed to look at the incident and dismiss it. Even Graham Souness shuddered. Where was the fourth official? Did he not see anything? What is the point of a fourth official? Can someone please tell me? He seems a complete and utter waste of time in my opinion. Through television “the world and his wife” saw the incident so again why didn’t someone do something at the time. Look at the TV cameras. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY. It wouldn’t have taken more than a few seconds. To me a season long ban would be appropriate. SBL
A prison sentence would seem more appropriate. Nothing in it for the team offended against, it cost Spurs the game and possibly the title. Points deduction for City? No chance of that. The fourth official should watch the game on TV like they do in Cricket and Rugby. Balotelli, just a thug in a football shirt who thinks because he gets paid a lot is licensed to do what he likes both on and off the pitch like many more of his ilk, is there any wonder I don’t like PROFESSIONAL football anymore.
WHS.
I’m a United fan but love watching Balotelli, but that was a nasty, indefensible one. Unless you’re Lee Dixon, who defended it.
Ideally, the game should be replayed with City having 10 men, the morning of the derby. It’s the only fair way to resolve this.
Well it wasnt a stamp for starters it was a petulant kick back - probably at the player, I have seen much worse than that as well so it was a red card yes and deserves a standard 3 match ban which he will get, dont get hooked into the media spin and go over the top, and as predicted now down to a 2 horse race and i will still take City to win with there resources although utd remain dangerous because of history.
it probably was an intentional action,though no way would it be proven in a court.(too much of an element of doubt)seems to me that the likes of rooney,keane,ronaldo for example have all got away with similar incidents with no retrospective punishments.maybe someone is trying to tip the odds in utds favour?
Cant remember any of them getting away with incidents like that. Rooney “got away” with an elbow against Wigan last season, similar to Lescott last weekend.
Not bothered about the football result, the incident is just another example of what is wrong with football, petulant idiots allowed to get away with FAR too much. Ban the horrible b…s for life as it is a terrible example to any youngster watching. Being talented does not excuse what Rooney, Balotelli, Ronaldo, Terry etc get up to.
WHS.
quite agree,i think what most fans want above all is consistency.unfortunatly this dosnt happen,roony got away with two elbows in consecutive games last season, one against stoke,cant remember the other team.
Dont remember the one against Stoke. There was one against Wigan but the ref saw it and didnt deem it a red card. Whatever you think of that decision, because the ref saw it the FA couldn’t punish him retrospectively.
Controversial rule I guess but it upholds the principle that the referee’s decision is final. If the FA can overrule the ref whenever they want they begin to lose whatever authority they’ve got left.
[quote=“Mookie Blaylock” post=41382] Unless you’re Lee Dixon, who defended it.
[/quote]
Wouldn’t expect anything else from Dixon. Whilst I generally like him as a pundit, getting a Man City fan who played for Arsenal to comment fairly on an incident such as this was always going to result in something like that.
Sorry CJ got to strongly disagree with you on this one. Scott Parker could have been disfigured for life from that incident. My real point was about the officials. We had four officials running that game. A referee, two linesman and a fourth official and no one saw the incident. Amazing. Lets get TV replays asap. Its not rocket science. Probably over twenty million folk saw the incident and quickly made their mind up so why why why didn’t 1 of the four officials??? SBL
Why didn’t the 10 other Spurs players either then? Because from first glance NOBODY would have realised exactly what happened.
3 of us sat on my sofa needed 4 replays from different angles and at different speeds to make a unanimous decision. The ref got one half-look from one angle at one speed. To send Balotelli off he would have to be 100% sure of what happened.
There was little reaction from Parker. If he and his team mates had thought that Balotelli 100% did it on purpose they would have been infuriated. That they weren’t only goes to show how tough it was for the referee to award a red card for this.
The issue here is that it was the same player who then went on to win the match.
But let’s be honest; had Bale been able to pick out Defoe moments earlier, Spurs would have won and this discussion wouldn’t be taking place.
It’s football. And this is why it’s so exciting.
The Balotelli incident would still have been discussed regardless of the result. People like him have no place on a football field.
WHS.
And now Harrys too " bunged up " to talk about it ! 
[quote=“WHS” post=41392]The Balotelli incident would still have been discussed regardless of the result. People like him have no place on a football field.
WHS.[/quote]
On the plus side, it’s a nice break from hearing you obsessing over Vics…
:huh:
Obsessed! Moi!!! I just HATE THEM!!
WHS.