by Tim Harry

Created on: August 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

FIFA has already set down the laws of the game, and have set the penalties to be issued by referees when a dangerous tackle is made. This penalty is either a free kick or a penalty, a yellow card or red card. With a straight red card there is also an additional punishment of a suspension from the game. I beleive that these sanctions are sufficient, and in general a three match ban for commiting a foul worthy of a straight red is an apt punishment.

In the world of football there is a huge difference between a tackle and a foul. Football is a contact sport, and tackling is a part of the game. There is nothing worse in my opinion to see a defender making a great tackle on an attacking player, winning the ball cleanly and yet penalised because the tackle came from behind or because the attacker fell over the legs of the defender after the ball was cleared.

At the same time there is nothing better than seeing a last ditch tackle being made to save a certain goal. The FA Cup from the 2007-2008 season showed when Distin tackled Carrick on the line. Look back thirty years to the time of Norman Hunter, Tommy Smith or "Chopper" Harris, in today's game they would have been suspended for more games than they played, and yet in essence they were hard men but they knew how to tackle.

In the whole history of the game I can think of only a couple of times when I think a tackler has gone in with the deliberate intention of hurting the opposing player. When this happens it is fairly obvious as the tackler will have little thought for the ball and his eyes will be on the man. One of these occurrences happened in the Portsmouth-Man City game from a couple of seasons ago. These tackles should be dealt with through an extended ban, longer than the normal three-game suspension for a red card.

These occurrences though are the exception; most players will know that a bad tackle can cause the end of a career, and that they could easily be on the end of such a tackle. As such if a bad foul is made then the referee on the pitch should deal with it, be it a yellow card or red. If the referee misses it then it should be left to video replays to deal with the offence.

I know that players get injured when they are fouled, and yet players also get injured in some of the most innocuous of challenges. Eduardo suffered a broken leg after a foul by Martin Taylor, and there were calls from certain circles to ban Taylor for life, and yet it wasn't even the worst tackle in the game. Yes it was worthy of a red card, and that was what Taylor received, and deserved nothing more.

There are many worse things in the modern game than a bad foul, I would much rather see tackles being made with the occasional foul rather than see players diving in an attempt to get an opposing player sent off, or to feign injury. As such tackles should remain, and dangerous fouls should be dealt with in the manner they are at the moment, a ban from playing is enough of a punishment, and extended bans should only be given out for those players who on rare occurrences set out to injury an opponent.

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