Ryan Donk gave away a second penalty in a week on Saturday, tugging Jason Roberts’ shirt in the box (see the link in the previous post for highlights).
This reignited a debate that I feel quite passionate about. It was a minor tug – it didn’t stop Roberts or cost him momentum, and most referees wouldn’t have given it. Jason Roberts himself said “I thought that he [the ref] had given a free kick against me… You don’t usually get them and to be honest, I didn’t expect to get it”. Tony Mowbray said, quite simply “I didn’t think it was a penalty”. The referee, Mike Jones, was roundly lambasted for a soft decision, one that cost West Brom (let’s ignore the later decision against Benni McCarthy and look at this in isolation).
Paul Ince said “Its not a game for women”. Mowbray elaborated “I couldn’t see a penalty even if there was a pull… This PC stuff about ‘Oh, he’s tugged his shirt’… its a load of – you don’t get penalties for that”.
I completely disagree with all of that. I think it was an excellent, courageous decision from a referee doing his job properly.
Opinions such as Mowbray’s, and indeed Ince’s, are the problem. Having rules but allowing them to be broken encourages cheating. By expecting referees to not stick to the letter of the law, you foster inconsitency, and create uncertainty. Shirt pulling is cheating. Its breaking the rules, and should be penalised. If its in the box, its a penalty. Yes it was minor – but a minor handball or minor foul would face sanction and so should a minor shirt pull.
I find it staggering that managers and players moan about refereeing inconsistency but pillory them when they stick to their instructions.
I am not defending referees in general; I am saying they should all be like Mike Jones. Shirt pulling is cheating, pure and simple. Its dirty and its sly and its unfair and its cheating. It should be prevented – and the only way to do that is to come down like a ton of bricks on anyone who does. Mike Jones’ decision is a great step in the right direction.
Cheating is a malaise steadily infecting the beautiful game. Just watching the pushing, jostling – nay wrestling – in the prelude to a corner or free kick is depressing. Fouls should also be given out for this – that would stop the Terrys and the Dunnes from clambering over, holding and generally preventing attackers from a clean jump or run. Its just cheating. Diving is the same (although more difficult to identify) – book anyone who dives. Straight up.
Penalising these insidious devils, the shirt pullers, the tactile defenders, the divers – is the only way to prevent it.
And I personally applaud Mike Jones. If only all refs were more like him.
[...] Read this if you haven’t done so already – its my take on the shirt pulling debate. If you can’t be bothered, my basic tenet is that to cut out widespread cheating you have to clamp down on the little things, and refs who penalise minor examples of offences are right to do so. [...]
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