Mane’s Red Card Ends 50/50 Challenges In Football

Football is becoming less and less of a contact sport, and in my opinion the decision by referee Jon Moss to send off Sade Mane in Liverpool’s 5-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday was the wrong decision.

The red card has caused a very big debate with opinions divided, but I was incensed and enraged at the time by the referee’s decision to show Mane a red card resulting in me throwing my TV remote control and smashing it into pieces in a fit of rage.

I couldn’t believe it and I still think its a ridiculous decision despite all the debates I’ve listened to.

I can understand that in theory by the letter of the law, Jon Moss made the correct decision, but a referee has to look at the incident and not just make a decision based on his book of law or every time a player raises their foot they will be sent off.

The overhead kick could be a thing of the past.

Mane’s sending off sparked a need for consistency in football after a series of similar incidents in one weekend alone that resulted in players not being punished as severely as the Liverpool player.

Winston Reid’s last night, Matt Ritchie’s challenge on Swansea’s Alfie Mawson were two incidents highlighted, and just two minutes before Mane’s sending off, he was also the victim of a high challenge, when Jesus appeared to kick him in the head as he tried to head the ball clear resulting in Jon Moss giving Liverpool a free-kick without showing a card for the incident.

Mane’s challenge on Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was a 50/50 challenge with the City goalkeeper getting to the ball a fraction before Mane unfortunately resulting in a nasty injury for the keeper.

But the ball was there to go for and be won, many people are saying Mane was going in dangerously with his feet high, but wasn’t Ederson going in dangerously too? Racing out from his goal at great pace head first, recklessly? Personally I’d say he was being very brave to come and challenge, resulting in the keeper sustaining a sore one was just an unfortunate collision that can happen in a contact sport when two players are going for a ball.

You know by the reaction of a crowd and players if they feel a sending off should occur after a serious incident, and in Mane’s case nobody was expecting to see a red, but after all the slow-motions replays and stills of the incident more people have decided to back the referee’s decision to send off Mane, but you can make most challenges look nasty if you analyse them in the same way.

You can analyse every challenge to death but a referee gets one look at an incident and has to make a decision and although I respect the decision made by Jon Moss I still think it was wrong and I reckon 9 times out of 10 a similar challenge escapes a red card.

Anyway, on to more serious matters, I’ve had no way of switching on my TV after smashing my remote on Saturday so I’m off to the shops to get a new one before Wednesday’s match with Seville.

But I will be putting my remote well out of reach just in case there’s another dodgy refereeing decision.