by Roberto Alvarez-Galloso

Created on: April 22, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

After reading about the dangerous football [soccer] tackles in the BBC Sports Website and after seeing the Website of Victoria Derbyshire with her interview with FIFA President Sepp Blatter, I have decided that there should be tougher penalties for dangerous football [soccer] tackles. While football [soccer] is a contact sport like most sports are and we can only protect ourselves to an extent, there has to be a rule by FIFA and other governing bodies of football [soccer] which prohibits violent tackling or tackling on purpose. We must also be sure that the laws concerning violent football [soccer] tackling are consistent and reflects the individual offence.

If there is a violent tackle in which the person receives a fracture of his bones in any part of the body or is knocked unconscious, the penalty should be a lifetime unless there was evidence that such a tackle was not done on purpose. This punishment would serve as a deterrent to those who think that they could use any methods possible in order to win for their team. Another penalty that I propose would apply to the team. If a Football [Soccer] team condoned the conduct of the player who committed the violent tackle resulting in injury or death, the penalty should be demotion of ten to twenty points in the League or Association. If the case warrants it, an expulsion would suffice. England in its past had these problems with violent tackles and hooliganism and was punished with suspension from the European Games.

It is necessary to have these tough measures for dangerous football [soccer] tackles in order to set a precedence that unwarranted violence will no longer function in football [soccer]. The impunity with which a player could get away with a violent tackle also needs to be addressed regardless whether the player is a minor or major figure in the football [soccer] world. When will the Football [Soccer] Associations of the World introduce tougher penalties and enforce them? Will that day come when a death occurs during a game? Will that day occur when the player who was the victim of the violent dangerous football [soccer] tackle end up in a coma? I personally hope that it is not too late to impose stiffer penalties such as fines, suspensions, expulsions, and even bans of a provisional or a lifetime basis in a consistent manner.

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