I'm glad he didn't get booked as: - 1. It must mean the ref missed it rather than being completely incompetent. 2. The player can now be banned retrospectively. As for laying hands on a player, pushing and shoving goes on all the time without reds being given out. I think it was only because the player's back was turned and he went to ground that a red was given IMO. He didn't strike him in the face or intend to hurt him.
I know what you mean...Barnes was completely unhurt and it was just a shove....but thats football these days. You lay hands on a player, push, shove, meet heads (not a headbutt), or whatever and you risk a red card, been like that for a few years now, the game has become more and more emasculated. As soon as he pushed him I said "right, he's getting at least a yellow, probably a red" and pulled this face: please log in to view this image
I absolutely agree that laying you hand on a player risks a red, but this is where some common sense or at the very least some consistency is required. Costa pushed Luiz in the champions league game on Tuesday and didn't even get a booking and Eurpoean refs are meant to be less lenient with physicality than P.L refs. I can only think Atkinson having now seen the incident properly from the front angle realises why Matic reacted the way he did. Given his chance again, I'd hope the ref sends off no mark and books Matic for reacting. Instead no mark gets to go on kicking people this weekend and Matic misses a Wembley final. Justice?
Completely agree on Barnes going unpunished! Thats ****ed up. Having seen it over and over now, you can actually see Matics leg bend when he makes contact, it was over the ball, studs showing...... It's a red card no question.
Awful tackle from Barnes, and shocking he's not getting a ban but Matic deserved his red card. I feel for him, because I understand his reaction but it was a violent reaction. Pushing someone that hard to the floor is definitely violent conduct and he had to be sent off.
And he didn't just lay his hands on him. He shoved him to the floor. That is violent conduct (I'm a referee). You shove someone with such force they fall over is a stonewall red card.
Yes he should. Provoked or not what he did was violent conduct. Matic's dismissal was the only thing Atkinson got right. I can understand the anger that Barnes escapes without a ban (and rightly so) but Matic lost it, understandably, but lost it all the same and he's going to cop a 3 game ban.
I'm sure your right but I do feel the fa back themselves into corners with their own rules sometimes. In Rugby there is a rule that allows people to take provocation into account when determining bans etc. This would have worked well in this kind of incident. I just can't see there is any fairness or justification in a situation where Barnes gets to play this weekend and Matic misses a cup final. The fa hide behind rules they themselves have created and its embarrassing. I said this would happen after Callum McManaman escaped punishment in an almost identical incident and here we are again.
