"The assistant referee who told Manchester City players to thank their fans for paying to watch them at the Emirates has been stood down from tonight's FA Cup game between West Brom and QPR." Linkety Link I think it's wrong. Can someone explain to me how that merits punishment? He voiced the opinion of what the whole nation were thinking, it isn't criticising the FA, and it isn't exactly a controversial topic. The only thing I can think of is that Arsenal have complained and taken offence, but that's their fault for charging ridiculously high prices...
I agree with you. I hate it when players just walk off the pitch after a match and don't acknowledge the fans. It's not just the money the fans have paid to get in the ground but the cost of travel and the time expended.
Good point, but surely as a Premier League official, he knows to remain neutral throughout the match. After all, it's only an opinion (which all of England agrees with) on the costs, not the Club itself.
It's not really bias either way. He's just telling overpaid millionaires to thank the ones who made it & paid extortionate prices to watch them. Bloody disgrace .
He should mind his own business anyway, but why tell a Man City player when it was Arsenal doing the fleecing?
He was telling the Manchester City players to show their fans some acknowledgement for paying an extortionate amount of money to support them. They could have easily had very little amount of fans that game.
He's been stood down because of unfair media exposer. Its nothing to do with what he said. Sky have totally missed out the FA's quote to make it into a story.
What seems to be missed out of the media reporting is that he said it in response to the Man City players confronting and arguing with the ref about the Kompany sending off, basically saying stop moaning at us, go say thanks to your fans who've been slipped one in the ar5e by arsenal. When you take this into account I think it removes most if not all hint of bias and makes it less of a story...hence why the media aren't so keen to point that out!
Its a free country (still - just) the game was over and he had every right to say what he did. It is yet again the FA sticking there Odious selves into something they should have just ignored. Talk about pouring more petrol onto the fire that was burning itself out ?
The problem here is TV cameras being shoved right up people's noses the second the game ends. No one would've known what was said if they hadn't scampered on bothering everyone. It was a legitimate comment anyway. This is why football is going ****.
If you read the statement it says it is not a punishment, it is just to stop him being the undue centre of attention by the media in his next game.
it really is like the spitting image sketches when it comes to the media and how they want their snouts in any business to get a story .
