The FA must take the lead and deal with serious foul play.

The awful tackle by Middlesbrough captain Emanuel Pogatetz on Manchester United’s Rodrigo Possebon raised a number of issues which face the game at this time.

Bad tackles

Firstly, there is a general feeling that the amount of bad tackles in the game is on the increase.

Secondly, manager’s come under ever increasing criticism for their failure to condemn their own players for acts of violence.

Thirdly, the FA is struggling to maintain their well intentioned respect agenda beyond the first few weeks of the season.

Thankfully, Possebon has not broken his leg as was first feared, but he is a very lucky young man indeed.

Terrible tackle

Sir Alex Ferguson voiced his anger Pogatetz after the game. “It was an absolutely terrible tackle. What gets me about challenges like that is that the opponent always claims he has done nothing wrong.”

This tackle follows on from the dreadful foul committed by Newcastle’s Danny Guthrie on Craig Fagan of Hull. In a deliberate foul borne of frustration, Guthrie broke Fagan’s leg and was rightly sent off.

In both of these cases, the referee has done his job quickly and efficiently, producing the red card.

Honesty

After the Pogatetz sending off Sir Alex Ferguson was very unhappy with the reaction of some people on the Middlesbrough bench. However, he did appreciate the honesty of the manager Gareth Southgate.

“Pogatetz should have just walked off the field. Then you get their bench screaming that it wasn’t a sending off and there is nothing wrong with our player. At least Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was very good about it. He apologised and understood the gravity.”

Southgate conceded Pogatetz deserved to be sent off.

“We can have no complaints about the decision. It is difficult to know why it happened. It was an unusual aberration for him because his discipline has improved in the last two years. A couple of lads on our bench did not have the same view as I did but that is dealt with now. We can only hope the lad recovers.”

Lost his temper

In the Guthrie case, temporary Newcastle manager Chris Hughton, who was and is, in an impossible position, spoke out to say that the emotion of the day had got to the player and he had lost his temper. He did not in any way condone the actions his player had taken.

So, in both of these cases the managers have acted and spoken responsibly.

What then, is the FA doing to back up the good actions of others? The answer is, absolutely nothing. They have hidden behind the fact that the rules (their own rules) do not allow them to get involved if a red card has been given.

Even Gordon Taylor of the PFA spoke out against Guthrie and the climate was such that the FA could have extended his ban and sent a very strong message to all players. Almost nobody would have been against such an action and it would have served a good purpose.

Respect

There has been much written and spoken about players shouting at referees and showing them no respect. I can understand why these actions upset people but whilst I have no time for the foul mouthed verbal assaults directed at officials by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, I also don’t join in the ‘holier than thou’ condemnation of players who show a little bit of passion and aggression. (OK, I do sometimes.)

You can be sure that if I was a player or manager at Watford I would have been booked or sent off after that ridiculous goal was given to Reading the other day. Often, the reaction of immediate anger is not possible to contain. It isn’t nice, but let’s not get too wrapped up in the mealy mouthed criticism of these players.

Career threatening

What we all need to join together and rally against are the dangerous career threatening and injury causing tackles that blight the game. To get the same punishment for telling a referee he is a ‘c***’ as Pogatetz will get for nearly ending the career of a nineteen year old player is quite simply ridiculous.

With the FA ducking the issues with regard to serious foul play and refusing to support referees in decisions they make such as the John Terry red card at Manchester City, it is beginning to look as though they themselves are going to be the most likely reason for the respect agenda to have little impact.

The players, managers and referees have to do their bit, but without total support from the FA, they cannot achieve anything at all. The FA must step up and be prepared to make decisions that might upset some people. They must be prepared to lead the game for a change.