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PFA chief Gordon Taylor backs retrospective action

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments108

Callum McManaman's tackle on Massadio Haidara

Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor believes rules on retrospective action should be changed.

The Football Association will study the issue after the anger that followed the decision to take no action against Wigan's Callum McManaman for his tackle on Newcastle United's Massadio Haidara.

No need to change rules - Scudamore

"We are not saying matches should be re-refereed on a Monday morning," said Taylor, the PFA's chief executive.

"But my feeling is there has got to be room to review such incidents."

Premier League chief Richard Scudamore has said the McManaman incident should have been regarded as "exceptional" which would allow retrospective action to be taken.

Taylor agrees, but wants to go further.

He said: "If there is a high-profile incident and the referee has not seen it and the referee's assistant has not seen it clearly then that should be dealt with.

"We could have a review panel made up of experienced people from within the game and it could also look at incidents of simulation, which I feel is another big problem in the game.

"If we are not careful we will get into areas of ambiguity and saying a dangerous tackle is 'not exceptional enough'.

"If there is any doubt for such incidents, for red cards that are being challenged and for simulation there is no reason why they shouldn't be looked at."

McManaman got a slight touch on the ball before following through and catching the defender on the knee and thigh during Wigan's 2-1 Premier League win over Newcastle on 17 March.

Haidara was taken off on a stretcher after the challenge and later said the FA needed to do more to protect players.

He told French newspaper Le Parisien: "This type of tackle cannot be condoned in football.

"You have to take all measures to ban these sorts of things from the game. It spoils the match. The authorities must take action."

The FA said it could not take action as its rules prevented action being taken retrospectively as one of the officials had seen the challenge.

But Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias described the FA's disciplinary process as "not fit for purpose" and Haidara admitted seeing the tackle go unpunished was difficult for him to accept.

He said: "He could have ended my career and ruined my whole life and he will play again before me. Ridiculous."

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108 comments

  • Comment posted by Chris1566, at 16:25 25 Mar 2013

    The whole thing is hypocritical anyway. If someone gets a red card, which by definition an official must have seen in order to give the red card, that card can be rescinded. However, they aren't allowed to go back and give someone like McManaman a red card because that is classed as re-refereeing?

    It's the same principle but backwards. Makes no sense.

  • Comment posted by tobymaxtonesmith, at 15:52 25 Mar 2013

    Let's stop pouring money into technology like Hawkeye and Goalref.

    Instead, let's just have a TV and let yellow/red cards to be given and taken away after the match.

    Same for Goal-line technology. How did we know that Lampard's shot went over the line? We were watching it on the box. And yet FIFA is determined to waste a load of time and money on hiring different companies and their technology.

  • Comment posted by BetterDeadThanRed, at 15:33 25 Mar 2013

    They don't want to be re-refereeing decisions, however they need to make exceptions to the rule for things like McManaman's challenge. It's not going to be overly difficult to look at a challenge like that retrospectively and declare it as dangerous if a referee has missed it or made the wrong decision.

  • Comment posted by Zola is god, at 15:55 25 Mar 2013

    With the technology available it should be dealt with on the day, at a match you have the 3 officials a 4th official and assessor(s), surely that would be enough, if an incident occurs let the 4th official view it and then pull play back.
    Also when are they going to sort the all in wrestling at corners, diving, ball not in corner quadrant, along with players surrounding and haranguing the refs.

  • Comment posted by mitch, at 21:25 25 Mar 2013

    rugby union has the citing system where foul play missed by officials on the day are dealt with by a disciplinary panel. it works perfectly well as does video referals why cant soccer do the same. it seems a no brainer to me.

  • Comment posted by Whiteside of 606, at 16:30 25 Mar 2013

    The rule as it stands leaves referees in a no-win position.
    They only get one chance and there is no room for correction when they get it wrong.

    The good referees will admit that some decisions they made are worth a second look.

    There must be room in the referees' report for them to request review on incidents that they did see but would like a second opinion on after the fact.

  • Comment posted by User0173240029, at 16:10 25 Mar 2013

    So the man that represents these footballers is saying that there should be legislation by others to deal with the ill-discipline and recklessness of the players he represents? Has he got straw balls? Honestly, you couldn't make it up. Man's a chocolate fire guard.

  • Comment posted by groundhog44, at 18:22 25 Mar 2013

    The FA are still contradicting themselves. What else is rescinding a red card retrospectively if it isn't re-refereeing the game?

  • Comment posted by swan0705, at 15:45 25 Mar 2013

    @2 BetterDeadThanRed

    "They don't want to be re-refereeing decisions, however they need to make exceptions"

    You can't have it both ways - either they are or they aren't!!

    ....and if they did make exceptions, who would decide whether a decision required re-refereeing? And based on what criteria?

  • Comment posted by charlessy, at 15:29 25 Mar 2013

    If retrospective action was allowed could we go back to previous incidents and suspend people?

  • Comment posted by Mark M, at 17:33 25 Mar 2013

    Mr Taylor could perhaps focus on encouraging his members to stop all the fouling, cheating, lying, play acting, shirt pulling, abusive language and abuse of the refs and/or officials.
    Unless they want to watch every single game in its entirety on the Monday. However, this might lead to an interesting fixtue list the following week as every club will have at least 11 suspensions.

  • Comment posted by Purple Broncos, at 16:50 25 Mar 2013

    This is SO simple

    Regardless of ref seeing it or not just stick the incident "on report" like they do in rugby

    At least it can then be looked at and dealt with as necessary

    There is always going to be ambiguity - deal with it! Its not a problem - the problem is how things stand now

  • Comment posted by User0791000814, at 17:04 25 Mar 2013

    It must be a quiet news day when they print something that the meaningless Taylor spouts.

  • Comment posted by D1679571414280, at 18:27 25 Mar 2013

    i can guarantee that if this had been Wayne Rooney who commited this "foul" then it would be classed as "exceptional" and he would have been suspended. It should be so easy to clear these things up, take rugbys lead, and if not sure, put the incident on report and then it can be looked at properly by the officials and then they can give a correct decision. Football is so living in the past.

  • Comment posted by RedZetter7, at 21:20 25 Mar 2013

    Again football way behind other sports, this time for discipline. Perhaps using the rugby league system of putting a player on report when officials are unsure of a particular incident may be a start. After each round of games all disciplinary matters are reviewed and punishment, if any, passed accordingly, ie 1,2, 3 etc match ban or sending off sufficient.
    Lets use technology to help the game

  • Comment posted by User0215492688, at 16:29 25 Mar 2013

    @22 It would still have been dangerous play since his studs were up around his knee and a sending off. It's common sense...

  • Comment posted by User0513348062, at 20:17 25 Mar 2013

    After every game, the officials should be allowed to review the match video and change any 'card' decisions they see fit. This would allow them i) to be able to correct themselves rather than the FA being seen to overrule them ii) to earn 'respect' by being able to admit they were wrong iii) be able to better judge simulation & where ref is crowded by players-players would soon learn to stop both.

  • Comment posted by David Windsor, at 16:33 25 Mar 2013

    It should not be a panel acting later, it should be a panel acting at the moment so the ref. can be instructed to change his decision now; send a guy off, bring him back on; award a goal or whatever. Top level games are far too important to be left to one refs flawed judgement. We need to change the result of games every bit as nuch as discipline and the only way to do that is as it happens.

  • Comment posted by Bod Boddington, at 21:09 25 Mar 2013

    I heard that the "Assistant Lino" DID see the incident. But if he did WHY did he not wave his flag..? It's almost criminal the things and incidents these officials miss. We don't seem to get it in other sports and why is Football so slow in adopting change? Why? It's getting almost boring and tedious. Lets get with it..!

  • Comment posted by User0041648961, at 16:32 25 Mar 2013

    Official Linemen stated it wasn't bookable offence I do hope he wasn't the same lineman missed the handball, Should make appointment with "SpecSavers" & call it a day been official.

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