Tue 24 Oct 06
Tysonesque
The FA won’t take any action against Jermain Defoe for biting West Ham’s Javier Mascherano this past weekend:
The Football Association last night passed up the chance to take action against Jermain Defoe for biting the arm of Javier Mascherano — even though it could have done so with Fifa’s blessing, The Times can reveal.
Steve Bennett, who refereed the Barclays Premiership match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United on Sunday, is understood not to have mentioned the incident in his report, leaving the FA free to impose any sanction it wished without fear of upsetting the world governing body by issuing a retrospective punishment.
Leading referees are dismayed at the message the FA is sending out by not pursuing the case against the striker, fearing a “trickle-down effect” at the lower levels of the game. One refereeing source professed “amazement” at the FA’s decision.
An FA spokesman said it was “unable to take any action because the referee has already dealt with the incident”, but The Times has learnt that Bennett did not report any bite. He showed Defoe a yellow card but only for “aggressive behaviour”, presumably a reference to the grounded player crawling towards the Argentinian angrily after he had been tripped from behind.
Damian P.
