Something that really bothers me. I watched the game last night with a friend who does'nt watch football at all. Their immediate reaction to the Pepe incedent was laughing at the fact the player had play acted and fell-over. "This is exactly why I dont watch football" they said. However Tyler and Neville's immediate reaction was that it was a fair red card because Pepe should never have shown that aggression. Now let's be honest that 'headbutt' was not violent conduct, it would not have hurt a child, it would'nt have even harmed a butterfly. The reason this nonsense persists is rival fans will defend the decisions that benefit them. And the media dont have the balls to call anyone out. Personally I would love more contact to be allowed in the game, it is supposed to be a 'contact sport' afterall. I dont have a problem with players showing anger and aggression on the pitch. Look at Rugby - things sometimes spill over but on the whole the way players behave and the way the game is officiated is soo superior to football. Cant we just be honest and call a spade a spade. Nobody wants to watch bad acting - we watch football for goals and excitement. It's a common complaint and I feel like football would benefit hugely in terms of popularity should they get a hold of this culture - it needs to be cut. It lessens the validity of results and overall just tarnishes the beautiful game. Players, fans and the media just need to be honest though.
Didn't watch the game or highlights yet but just thought I'd take a look now. Ludicrous decision. If Pepe had fallen over instead of the Leeds pussy then the other guy would have been sent off instead. Red card for the reaction, not the actual act itself. But whatever. We're still ****e. How an attack with some of the most expensive attackers in the world can be so blunt is bewildering. How has it all gone so wrong? Even in the charity shield we played well so it's like it's a new season problem. But regardless, I agree and don't see how it can be that hard to retrospectively punish play-acting. Watch a video. If the play-acting has resulted in any form of decision then ban them for a game. Doesn't matter what the decision was that the play-acting caused to happen, just blanket 1 game ban. 2nd offence 2 games. 3rd offence 3 games. And so on. Done. HOWEVER, if this sort of thing gets brought in then refs need to get far better at giving fouls for fouls when the player doesn't go down. Right now, they don't. Because prem refs are mostly ****e and give most of their decisions based on reactions to fouls rather than fouls themselves. Chicken and egg situation. Both systems need to improve for this to work. Refs need to be much better. Or at least the implementation of VAR.
Agree 100% I do think it all perpeuates because fans and biased pundits defend these decisions. Let's all just be honest and call cheating what it is. Regardless of this incedent though Arsenal were terrible yesterday.
the biggest cheat on the PL is Kane but as he is England captain everyone says he is clever or shrewd by “buying” or “earning” a foul, no one has the balls to say he hasn’t been fouled and is cheating the referee. You can actually see Kane look at players before he jumps in to them and fall over, some times the other player lands badly and Kane’s action will only stop once the Pundits call him a cheat or when the other player gets seriously injured.
Alioski is well know for that, been doing that in the Championship for ages. The referees and VAR should take action against him and anyone else play acting like that! Pepe should have known better though.
Whilst Alioski's reaction was detestable, Pepe shouldn't have risen to the bait and got himself so wound up to the point where he felt it was necessary to lean his head toward Alioski's. What did he think was going to happen when there's cameras everywhere? It didn't look to be provoked by anything sinister, either. Just utterly petulant and totally avoidable. We should be more annoyed at the fact our player lost his cool and put us at a 10-man disadvantage for a must-win game.
Pepe is a hugely paid professional and should be clever enough not to be in that situation... It was a red card because there was intent if he just pushed him it would be yellow but you can't lead with your head in today's football with all the cameras available. Plus it's not a good role model for any young kids that plays football.
First thing i will say is Pepe knew exactly what he had done and just shrugged his shoulders at the red card with no argument. That said, we all know the player wasn't injured in any way at all and played to the ref. Kane needs his antics calling out big style, his habit of backing into a player when going for a header then bending over so the player goes over the top of him is downright dangerous and when i was a lad (proper football with proper tackles ) was deeply frowned upon and often a red card as necks could be broken. Known as "making a back" in the old days and a real **** trick. Carragher has just pointed out somne of Kanes "clever play" on Sky, refs should be all over that **** from now on.
