Rafael

Well, maybe not right in his face then, but he's shouting at him from close and then swears as you say on approach and leaving. You just can't do that.

Yeah and every bloody player who does that gets charged with improper conduct eh? Infact the only player who would have been charged in the PL for what Rafael did yesterday was, Joey Barton
 

I've never seen it and I've seen a lot of card waving. Surely it would have to come under dissent and without some sort of directive from Fifa which I can't find I'm not sure it can be interpreted as dissent as sarcastically applauding can. Its more like suggestion/instruction.

At the time Rafa waved the card he had no idea what the decision was going to be, so he couldn't be dissenting it.
 
you are wrong buddy.

you play by the rules...end off.

Dean is an idiot. The FA has an agenda.

nothing to justify.

do you think Fergie will agree with you?

SAF does agree with me, and so does the Spurs manager.

I wonder if Dean will get a few games punishment for incompetence.
 
What's unbelievable is that Gerrard got sent off last year vs Wigan, showed the ref the "V" sign before going off and got no FA charge. This is just mind bogglingly ridiculous. Don't want to talk about conspiracy theories but honestly this sort of crap only happens with United.
 
Couldn't tell, as the footage I found was replaying the challenge when Webb produced the red.

We can see that the commentator said "It's red!" at :32, and Gerrard walked off at :38, and he was still talking as he did. Looked like "feck off" at the end there, so, basically the same: 6 seconds of arguing, probably not in the politest of terms, and that's it.


I might be being pessimistic, but it looks to me like he was trying to gain favouritism from the ref by adjusting his armband, like "hey im the captain mate please don't book me" :lol:

Two wrongs dont make a right, he shouldn't have gotten a yellow, but then players can be booked for card waving (or clapping) so he was lucky to be on the pitch anyway. Cant act like he did whether he deserved to be sent off or not.

I think the same should be applied to overcelebrating a penalty decision. If you can get booked for kicking a ball away or taking your jersey off then surely you can get a yelllow for cheering a foul inside the box?
 
He may agree he did not deserve to be sent off but he would not agree United as a club should not abide by the rules...as stupid as they may seem sometimes.

What rules did Rafael break?

Players swearing at referees is as common as a round ball.
 
What rules did Rafael break?

Players swearing at referees is as common as a round ball.

just because it is common does not mean it is abiding by the rules does ot?

Yes. most may get away with it. But why tempt fate.

Besides in this case, Rafael was havin a right go at him. I was wondering even then, if he was going to get into trouble for it. And now he has.

I am certain with maturity he will learn control.

Any sport is a discipline. You lose that focus, you will...lose ? ;)
 
just because it is common does not mean it is abiding by the rules does ot?

Yes. most may get away with it. But why tempt fate.

Besides in this case, Rafael was havin a right go at him. I was wondering even then, if he was going to get into trouble for it. And now he has.


I am certain with maturity he will learn control.

Any sport is a discipline. You lose that focus, you will...lose ? ;)

Gerrard showed a ref the finger last season at Wigan and the FA did not charge him.
 
Having a quick google still can only find one precedent which comes from this article, and without seeing the incident its impossible to tell how aggressive he was. Surely you must agree you've seen a lot more card waving go unpunished than you have ever seen punished.

When Saturday Comes - The Half Decent Football Magazine - Card-waving is no worse than tactical fouling

Zabaletta last season.

Gamecast: Chelsea v Manchester City - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

Obefemi Martens a few seasons back.

Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 0: Martins prospers in Owen's absence | Mail Online

Seen it happen all over Europe. Has been a directive for World Cup referees for a while now.
 
Zabaletta last season.

Gamecast: Chelsea v Manchester City - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

Obefemi Martens a few seasons back.

Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 0: Martins prospers in Owen's absence | Mail Online

Seen it happen all over Europe. Has been a directive for World Cup referees for a while now.

Fair enough, but you must admit that it then seems to be a very rare ocurrance, while imaginary card waving is anything but. Perhaps those who have been booked have said something out of turn with it, while it was clear that Rafael was simply waving the card.

If something like that is to be implemented it has to be made clear to players and fans alike, and this has not been done.
 
Fair enough, but you must admit that it then seems to be a very rare ocurrance, while imaginary card waving is anything but. Perhaps those who have been booked have said something out of turn with it, while it was clear that Rafael was simply waving the card.

If something like that is to be implemented it has to be made clear to players and fans alike, and this has not been done.

It very often goes unpunished I agree. Just letting you know it does get punished occasionally.

Ironically the ref who booked Zabaleta for waving the card is the same moron who sent Rafael off yesterday.
 
They're absolutely killing the game. If they keep sanitising it the way they are there'll be nothing left. Do we want players telling to 'feck off'? No. But once it doesn't go into the realm of calling the ref a cheat then they should be able to see it for what it is; harmless venting.
 
They're absolutely killing the game. If they' keep sanitising it the way they are there'll be nothing left. Do we want players telling to 'feck off'? No. But once it doesn't go into the realm of calling the ref a cheat then they should be able to see it for what it is; harmless venting.
I disagree. You're correct in complaining about the sanitisation of the game in terms of ridiculous things like booking players for taking their shirt off or celebrating with the crowd, but in fairness to referees, they have one look at high-speed to make a decision and they get enormous flak for any borderline decision. In this instance, Rafael is right up in his face, screaming and swearing, which can't have been pleasant for Dean, who is trying to do his job to the best of his abilities. I'm not saying ban every player who shouts about a decision, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, and I would say that the lad probably crossed it.
 
Let him play with his brothers shirt, who the feck would know any different.
 
So what's the punishment for improper conduct anyway?

Anyone remember what happened in the aftermath of that Arsenal-Chelsea game when they all had a mass tantrum?

Or what about Mascherano when he acted the cock after getting sent off against us? Was his ban extended?

Anyone? :confused:
 
I can't be the only one to think imaginary card waving, of all the things to crack down, is pretty low on the list.

It is no different, surely, to saying, "He fouled me" or "Book him"? And gestures that suggest the player dived or that you touched the ball or were being tugged don't warrant a booking do they?

It just seems such a random, arbitrary thing to give a booking for. Like if you angrily shout, "book him, book him" that would be OK, but silently gesture and that gets you booked?
 
I can't be the only one to think imaginary card waving, of all the things to crack down, is pretty low on the list.

It is no different, surely, to saying, "He fouled me" or "Book him"? And gestures that suggest the player dived or that you touched the ball or were being tugged don't warrant a booking do they?

It just seems such a random, arbitrary thing to give a booking for. Like if you angrily shout, "book him, book him" that would be OK, but silently gesture and that gets you booked?

Yeah, not a nice thing to see but low on the list of priorities. I know I said earlier I would be in favour of bookings but perhaps a clip round the ear from a senior players as Rio did to Rafa is the best way to deal with it.
 
I can't be the only one to think imaginary card waving, of all the things to crack down, is pretty low on the list.

It is no different, surely, to saying, "He fouled me" or "Book him"? And gestures that suggest the player dived or that you touched the ball or were being tugged don't warrant a booking do they?

It just seems such a random, arbitrary thing to give a booking for. Like if you angrily shout, "book him, book him" that would be OK, but silently gesture and that gets you booked?

It does seem inherently biased against foreign players.

Gerrard can whine in the referee's ear all day about "that's a card, la" but god forbid a young south American kid opts to use sign language to make the same point.
 
Yeah, not a nice thing to see but low on the list of priorities. I know I said earlier I would be in favour of bookings but perhaps a clip round the ear from a senior players as Rio did to Rafa is the best way to deal with it.

Was good to see Rio doing that. Will have far more affect on him than a booking ever would.
 
fecking seething about this. Once again the FA show what a disgrace they are. And Mike Dean is just a pathetic excuse for a ref. We agree Rafael shouldn't have done the imaginary card thing, but the fact is for his first tackle he got a bit of the ball (admittedly he was rash and can understand the booking). But the second yellow was a joke and now he is facing a potential further ban for something players do week in, week out and don't get charged.

Out of interest, how many fouls did Rafael make during the game?...I can only remember the yellows (not including his too many yards gained for that throw in during the first half).
 
fecking seething about this. Once again the FA show what a disgrace they are. And Mike Dean is just a pathetic excuse for a ref. We agree Rafael shouldn't have done the imaginary card thing, but the fact is for his first tackle he got a bit of the ball (admittedly he was rash and can understand the booking). But the second yellow was a joke and now he is facing a potential further ban for something players do week in, week out and don't get charged.

Out of interest, how many fouls did Rafael make during the game?...I can only remember the yellows (not including his too many yards gained for that throw in during the first half).

According to ESPN he committed 2 fouls. Technical infractions at restarts are not fouls.
 
Both of Rafael's reactions were the result of what he percieved to be unfairness on the part of the referee. Rafael has been sent off before without reacting because he's known that he's fouled someone and so he's accepted the decision against him. This occasion was different.

The imaginary card waving was more or less saying "right, you booked me so book him"....the reaction to his sending off was because he knew he hadn't comiitted a foul and had deliberately tried to avoid having any contact with the Spurs player.

I'm not saying that Rafael was right to react in the way he did but it is understandable and whilst we have inconsistent refereeing and poor peformances from referees we'll carry on seeing players react. It's human nature.

As a ref if you have to regularly report/book players or managers for dissent or improper conduct you know you're not performing fairly or controlling games in the way you should be.

In the past we've had Fergie and Ian Holloway fined for improper conduct towards Mike Dean, not forgetting that he was the one who daftly banished Arsene Wenger to the stands for kicking a water bottle after witnessing another of his dubious decisions. Tony Pulis and Stoke compiled a dossier on him and asked the FA to replace him when he was due to referee one of their matches.

Maybe it's time the FA looked at why so many people react so strongly to some of his decisions on the pitch.
 
Both of Rafael's reactions were the result of what he percieved to be unfairness on the part of the referee. Rafael has been sent off before without reacting because he's known that he's fouled someone and so he's accepted the decision against him. This occasion was different.

The imaginary card waving was more or less saying "right, you booked me so book him"....the reaction to his sending off was because he knew he hadn't comiitted a foul and had deliberately tried to avoid having any contact with the Spurs player.

I'm not saying that Rafael was right to react in the way he did but it is understandable and whilst we have inconsistent refereeing and poor peformances from referees we'll carry on seeing players react. It's human nature.

As a ref if you have to regularly report/book players or managers for dissent or improper conduct you know you're not performing fairly or controlling games in the way you should be.

In the past we've had Fergie and Ian Holloway fined for improper conduct towards Mike Dean, not forgetting that he was the one who daftly banished Arsene Wenger to the stands for kicking a water bottle after witnessing another of his dubious decisions. Tony Pulis and Stoke compiled a dossier on him and asked the FA to replace him when he was due to referee one of their matches.

Maybe it's time the FA looked at why so many people react so strongly to some of his decisions on the pitch.

Was that last year v United? If so, Wenger was pissed off because RvP was offsides and it was a valid call, although Wenger's reaction was quality.
 
Was that last year v United? If so, Wenger was pissed off because RvP was offsides and it was a valid call.
It's not usually one decision that causes a reaction, it's usually a few. Did you see the little kick?

No need to send anyone to the stands either. Such a ridiculous thing to do.

The way Wenger dealt with it made the officials look even more foolish.
 
You can't.

Dermot Gallagher was on talk sport this morning and confirmed as much. It was introduced in England a few years back but FIFA (for whatever reason) ruled that there was no official rule to police this initiative and so the Ref's were told to stop punishing it.

See post #1696

Fair enough if it has since been rescinded.