The FA continues to show itself as a complete and utter laughing stock by not suspending Fernando Torres, completely contradicting itself based on cases of the past which included Luis Suarez biting Branislav Ivanovic and Mario Balotelli stamping on Scott Parker.
The idiotic rule of letting an offense go if an official saw it and decided to react compassionately or not make any note of it at all has no place in the modern age of football. Cameras aren’t deciding outcomes of matches during them, but there’s nothing wrong with administering justice, even if it means taking some of the decision making out of the hands of referees.
Acting like referee judgement is something sacred continues to be a blemish on the sport, and an indiciation of the backwards thinking of certain football associations, busy making easy and frightened decisions instead of doing what’s good for the game.
Howard Webb saw Mario Balotelli stamp on Parker’s head when Manchester City played Tottenham almost two years ago. He didn’t want to send the Italian off because he was already booked, and didn’t clearly see just how severe Balotelli’s stomp was.
Kevin Friend saw Luis Suarez biting Branislav Ivanovic, but rightfully so didn’t make much of it. The FA do not like the Uruguayan striker, so decided to make an example out of him. Against their own set of rules, the FA ignored the fact that biting someone’s arm might be bizarre, but is much less severe than any two-footed challenge we see in almost every match, as some players deliberately try and injure their opponent.
Fernando Torres didn’t do something too malicious, but the fact that the referee saw it and made the wrong decision doesn’t mean it should help the Spanish forward and Chelsea get away with it.
