Seeing red over failure to tackle problem

Mar 21 2008 by Ian Carbis, South Wales Echo

ONE of the key elements in the  Football Association’s new National  Game Strategy is more respect for  referees.

It’s a thoroughly laudable and  worthy initiative, but, boy, are they  making it hard to support.

Take this week, for example.

Wigan’s Jason Koumas was  red-carded after just five minutes for  a clumsy tackle on Bolton defender  Gary Cahill, while Cardiff City’s  Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was dismissed for a high challenge on Colchester goalkeeper Dean Gerken.

On other days, both incidents  would have been worthy of yellow  cards, but in the post-Eduardo climate, it seems that referees are more  prone to whip out a red rather than  use a little common sense.

So it seemed until Wednesday, that  is, when Chelsea’s Ashley Cole did  his level best to be sent off, yet was  only booked by official Mike Riley.

Not only did the England left-back  dive in on Tottenham’s Alan Hutton  with his studs showing, he then  displayed a level of dissent that was  worthy of a yellow card on its own.

Two yellows and he should have  been off.

No, he was allowed to stay on the  pitch and Chelsea scrambled a 4-4  draw. Where’s the consistency?

Cole is also free to play in the next  game, which is more than Koumas  and Hasselbaink can do.

Both will sit out the next three  games, which is incidentally the  same punishment handed out to  Martin Taylor, whose tackle put  Eduardo out for a year.

Taylor may claim it wasn’t malicious, but the end result means that  he should have had a bigger ban.

If the FA won’t change that rule,  then the likes of Koumas and Hasselbaink should have less.

At least, the bods at Soho Square  can wash their hands of the City  man’s punishment after the appeal  went to their Welsh counterparts  and it was turned down.

The panel of three may have been  swayed by the pictures of the incident, which made the tackle look  worse than it was, but Gerken and  the Colchester boss Geraint Williams both said it wasn’t a red.

As for Koumas, Wigan manager  Steve Bruce admitted he wouldn’t  appeal  because of the FA’s treatment  of Jeremie Aliadiere.

The Middlesbrough striker had to  sit out four games for tapping Javier  Mascherano’s face – one longer than  Taylor’s ban, mind you – after his   appeal was considered ‘frivolous’.

It’s a big blow for Koumas, who  had just forced his way into Bruce’s  thinking, but probably a bigger blow  to the FA.

To get respect you have to earn it –  and that’s just not happening.

Mexican wave of anger

HE may have been a playing legend, but Mexican football fans seem to had enough of Hugo Sanchez.

The former Real Madrid striker has been in charge of the national side for two years.

But supporters have grown impatient with poor results, culminating in the country’s Under-23 squad failing to qualify for the Olympics.

Even the press has turned against him, with leading sports newspaper Record saying: “Hugo, have some dignity and quit. Don’t bring on any more shame.”

Jena dream ended

THERE was no fairytale ending for Carl Zeiss Jena in the semi-finals of the German Cup.

The club from East Germany, who famously edged Newport County out of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981, now reside in Division Two of the Bundesliga.

The cup run which stirred memories of past glories saw them beat top-flight sides Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Bielefeld.

But they met their match in Borussia Dortmund, who won their semi-final 3-0 before 80,708 people at the Westfalen after Jena had Jan Simak sent off.

Dortmund now face Bayern Munich in the final

Club away with pixels

A FEW weeks ago we told of a Spanish club that had organised a cow pat lottery in a bid to raise money.

The fans at Stockport County are a bit more highbrow than that, and they have launched groundforapound.com to try and inject funds.

Hatters supporters are trying to buy back their Edgeley Park ground with a deposit to raise £1m. In order to collect that they are offering contributors one pixel on a picture of the stadium for every pound donated.

“It’s not about who you support,” says the website. “It’s about a real football club with a history getting back its ground.”

Albertz makes it bonnie Clyde

IT may not be on the scale of David Beckham’s replica shirt world domination, but Clyde are hoping their signing of Rangers legend Jorg Albertz can be profitable.

The former Ibrox man has been lured out of retirement by former team-mates John Brown and Andy Goram, who are now trying to save the ‘Bully Wee’ from relegation to Scottish Division Two.

The 37-year-old, who has been running soccer schools in his native Germany since quitting playing, made his debut in last week’s 1-1 draw at Stirling.

The man whose left foot was revered at Rangers as ‘The Hammer’ was on the scoresheet, and now Clyde officials are bracing themselves for tomorrow’s home clash with Queen of the South.

Director John Ruddy said interest in the defender could double attendances for the remainder of the season.

“Rangers fans have been enquiring about Saturday – even though their side are at home too,” he said.

“And we’ve been shifting loads of Albertz replica shirts too. It’s been something.”

From Whitley senior to Davis junior

THERE aren’t many footballers who can sing for their supper, but former Wrexham star Jim Whitley is proving a hit on stage.

The ex-Northern Ireland international, whose career has been put on hold because of a knee injury, has been belting out the standards, playing Sammy Davis Jnr in a tribute act called The Rat Pack’s Back.

“I’m singing and dancing with singers who have sung in the West End and sometimes I wonder what I am I doing, but I enjoy it,” said the 32-year-old.

Whitley, whose younger brother Jeff played for Cardiff City, was picked to play the Sammy role after impressing as Nat King Cole in a production of Christmas Crooners.

“It’s all a bit bizarre,” he added. “I’ve not been doing it for that long, so at the moment it’s still like a hobby and I’m taking each day as it comes.”

Holy Spirit saves Basso

CARDIFF City had better watch out if they give away a penalty tomorrow – there may be a bigger presence than goalkeeper Adriano Basso between the posts.

The Brazilian has a fine record at stopping spot-kicks and puts it down to his religious faith.

“I ask the Holy Spirit where they’re going to kick,” he said.

“To be honest many people don’t understand or don’t believe.”

Basso told of his formula for success after saving from Watford’s Darius Henderson in a recent top-of-the-table clash.

“I asked the Holy Spirit again and He said ‘left’ and I said ‘thank you’,” the 32-year-old revealed.

“I went to the left side and I saved the ball, so I was very blessed.”

Peruvians are victims of daylight robbery

SOMETIMES it’s a dangerous game playing football in South America, just ask the players of Peruvian club Cienciano.

Squad members of the 2003 Copa Sudamericana winners were robbed by armed men as they were collecting their wages at the club’s HQ in the Andean city of Cusco.

The victims, who were forced to lie on the floor during the raid, included Peru internationals Juan Carlos Bazalar and William Chiroque.

The robbers were reported to have made off with $85,000 (£42,500) in cash as well as the players’ wallets and mobile phones.

“It seems the operation had been planned,” said police official Juan Auccahuaqui. “The place does not have security, anyone can come and go as they please.”

Duo on top table

FORMER England stars Glenn Hoddle and John Barnes proved their competitive fires hadn’t dimmed at the Royal Albert Hall.

The duo took part in a celebrity challenge, in aid of the Greenhouse Schools Project, as part of the Dunlop Masters table tennis event.

They beat triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards and Reading midfielder James Harper, recovering from 6-1 down to win 12-10.