The Premier League Owl
I remember tweeting during yesterday’s game, after Manchester City were already two goals ahead, that all City needed to be wary of was giving Mike Dean the opportunity to ‘even-up’ the contest.
Not only was the decision to send off Laurent Koscielny absolutely correct, but it was also refreshing to see such a blatant penalty-box transgression actually punished for once – the grappling and wrestling that now routinely occur and go unpunished are great frustrations in the contemporary game.
The legitimacy of that red card doesn’t matter though, Dean – like so many referees in England – was always going to look for an opportunity to balance his own performance. Be it a soft penalty or a red card, if City gave him the opportunity to award something ‘big’ against them, then he was going to take that chance.
That’s why he sent off Vincent Kompany.
There are plenty of fans and pundits who are insisting that his tackle warranted dismissal, but that seems to be as much to do with the foul being committed on national treasure Jack Wilshere as much as the severity of the challenge itself. Watch Dean in the aftermath; he cannot get the red card out quick enough, and it wreaks of “look, look, I’m sending one of their players off too.”
There’s an amateur streak which runs through English refereeing, and this was that at its worst. This was a Premier League game, not an U12s match where ‘you have to be fair to both sides.’
There is neither excessive force or recklessness exhibited in the tackle, and Kompany should without question have stayed on the pitch – but that doesn’t mean that the red card will be rescinded. Unless video evidence overwhelmingly contradicts the original decision, or the referee admits to an error, The FA’s disciplinary panel won’t quash Kompany’s ban.
While their victory yesterday will preclude City from attracting much sympathy, they absolutely should – they are now going to be without their captain and defensive lynchpin for three games, at a time when they’re already battling the absence of both Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure. That could have a profound effect on the destination of the title and the outcome of their season, regardless of the result in North London.
A horrible injustice borne out of spinelessness, and compounded by The FA’s inevitable failure to correct it.
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