So a couple of weeks ago the league made it clear when it dropped a 10 game suspension and $5K fine on Brian Mullan for “that” tackle of Steve Zakuani that reckless challenges were going to get hit hard.
Last week there was another hard “playing the player” tackle by Marcos Mondani of Chivas USA on Javier Morales. Morales is one of the most skillful players in the league and has been at the center of everything that RSL has done. He’s out indefinitely with a broken ankle and torn ligament, probably a season ending tackle. Looking at the replay the real difference is there was not the intent that seemed to be present in the Mullan tackle, but the tackle itself made little attempt to cleanly play the ball.
The league announced a 4 game suspension and $1500 fine for Mondani. The message of protecting the skillful players from the hard tacklers by imposing a 10 game suspension has been diluted by the same group of people. As a fan I want, more than anything else, consistency from the officials. It does not matter if they are in the league office or the referee in the middle of the game, I want it to be consistent first. Secondly I want the skillful players protected, but without a consistent message that’s not going to happen.
The league can do better than this, I’m not asking for superstar-calls from referees, I’m asking basic protection from over the top tackles.
1 Comment
I won’t say you’re wrong, but I have to say you’re not quite right. I played soccer “rough”… I never seriously injured anyone, but I do know that sometimes one tackles the more skilled player rather roughly not with intent to injure, but simply because we are grown men moving at high speed and the resulting contact is part of the game and can be violent.
I will agree with you wholeheartedly that retaliation is very bad as is intent to injure and both should be strongly penalized by the league.
However, protecting the highly skilled from the journeyman is a level of subjectivity which I can’t support.
I look forward to debating this on your deck over numerous beverages as soon as you are able!