Matt Le Tissier is a well respected figure in the English game, and has lashed out at the FA with his latest comments…
Sky Sports Pundit and Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has launched a scathing attack on the FA regarding the inconsistencies in their punishments after Jonny Evans and Papiss Cisse were handed six and seven match bans for spitting respectively.
The two were embroiled in some sort of spitting match which was both graphic and disgusting. However, their subsequent punishment has caused much debate, with both the severity and the lack of similar repercussions for more dangerous incidents.
A challenge which could potentially end a player’s career – similar to Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey – gets a standard three match ban, and the debate continues as to why spitting has a more severe punishment under FA’s guidelines.
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“It appears that the FA are confused,” Le Tisser said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.
“I’m sure they have got rules in place when all the controversial incidents come up but it does seem some incidents are getting far harsher punishments than others. Someone could get seriously injured in a certain situation but another incident is going to get a far longer ban.
“I think something needs to be done. There needs to be more clarity. There needs to be a huge sit-down with the whole group of people – the players, managers, referees – to work out some kind of tariff based on every kind of suspension they’ve given out in the past.”
One of the gripes many have with both the FA and referees is the lack of consistency. It seems as though similar incidents over the past few years have been handled differently, which questions the competency of both organisations.
The punishments for Evans and Cisse may spark a transition, because in any logical environment a challenge which seriously endangers the well-being of a person should always be dealt with more severely than a spit.