Essien avoids FA disciplinary action

Necronomicon

Sky Sports News are just reporting now that Essien will not face any action over his tackle on Bolton's Ben Haim on saturday.
Apparently it was up to Rob Styles to look at the tackle again on video and decide if it actually warranted a red, but he maintained after seeing it again that it was only a yellow-card offense.
This means that Essien will be available for the next 3 games against Everton, Blackburn and Man United.

Lemlin

Maybe the Special One will stop complaining about the FA hating him and Chelsea for a while now.

Essien definitely should of got a three game ban. If he had been a Blackburn player, I think he would of.

Well done to the FA, yet again they've bottled a key decision.

SpAcEd OuT

try get the facts right mate the ref saw it again and said it was a red card offense however UEFA say the ban cant happen because the ref saw the inciddent at the time and chose to give a yellow.

Necronomicon

Lemlin wrote:

Well done to the FA, yet again they've bottled a key decision.

Wrong, it was Rob Styles' call. Although I do question this method, you won't always find a ref who is willing to hold his hands up and say he was wrong...particularly if that ref is Rob Styles.....

SpAcEd OuT wrote:

try get the facts right mate the ref saw it again and said it was a red card offense however UEFA say the ban cant happen because the ref saw the inciddent at the time and chose to give a yellow.

I don't think so...as far as I know the ref maintained it was simply a yellow card offence.

Edit, actually the above post is correct I think (well, except it was FIFA, not UEFA). Here's something to clear it up:

SkySports wrote:

The FA have confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien will not face any further disciplinary action for his challenge on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim.

The Ghana star received only a yellow card for an ugly lunge on Bolton's Israeli defender during The Blues' 5-1 win at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

However, referee Rob Styles agreed to review the incident after widespread criticism of the challenge.

The official is understood to have informed The FA that he would have dismissed Essien if he had seen the challenge from a different angle at which point they approached Fifa to ascertain whether the caution could be upgraded to a red card.

However, world football's governing body expressed concern at the trend of changing decisions retrospectively and have subsequently asked for referees' decisions not to be changed.

It will be a big relief to Chelsea who would have lost Essien for three games if his punishment had been increased.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho has moved to defend the £24.4 summer signing from Lyon and rubbished suggestions made by Bolton boss Sam Allardyce that he attempted to feign injury to escape being sent off by Styles.

"Essien is a great player," said Mourinho. "He's a fair player and a player with an incredible record on disciplinary issues. He is a very clean player."

When asked whether the player tried to trick Styles, Mourinho responded: "Of course not. You can say that for sure."

www.skysports.com

Pepe LeFrits

Lemlin wrote:

Maybe the Special One will stop complaining about the FA hating him and Chelsea for a while now.

Unlikely, he's said that Essien didn't feign injury and that he's a very clean player. He must be buying sunglasses from the same branch of Specsavers as Wenger.

Kingp35

its a bit ridiculous if you ask me that a referee cant change his decision if its a serious decision such as this one. Essien could have seriously injured Ben Haim and he deserves his 3 match ban. Dont mind what Mourinho says because managers will always defend their players. A really stupid rule if you ask me and Essien is a very lucky boy

Necronomicon

Kingp35 wrote:

Dont mind what Mourinho says because managers will always defend their players.

I understand managers defending their players, but sometimes they just make themselves out to be foolish: When asked whether the player tried to trick Styles, Mourinho responded: "Of course not. You can say that for sure."
Of course not? Come on, Essien went down like a sack of bricks as soon as the ref came running. His poor studs must have been injured by Ben Haim's thigh....

Pepe LeFrits

My mistake, Essien may have bruised his studs.





I can hear all the one-handed clapping for FIFA now...

Davei141

However, world football's governing body expressed concern at the trend of changing decisions retrospectively and have subsequently asked for referees' decisions not to be changed.

Heaven forbid we have a trend of punishing potential leg breaking tackles. :rolleyes:

astrofool

probably because there was a similar incident during a sunday pub league match, but the camcorder missed it, and they didn't want to set a precedent.

I can just see FIFA selling jumpers which can tell if the ball crossed between them for kids

whiskeyman

Just saw him go in two-footed in a tackle in tonights match (around 70th min)... once he realised he committed the foul, he started to roll around as if he was the injured party (deja-vu?).
Mind you, once he realised the ref wasnt giving anything more than a free-kick against him, he quickly brushed himself down and ran to take up position.
I think English refs will be keeping an eye on Micks behaviour from now on...

eirebhoy

http://rapidshare.de/files/6403799/MichaelEssienTackle.wmv.html