Some time ago I remember attending a lecture for one of my law classes. In this lecture the 'floodgate principle' was introduced and as interesting as it was to see how this principle was applied to law it did seem somewhat obvious: if there is a chance that a case shows signs of being repeated then a precedent must be set in order to prevent the floodgates being opened. Simple? You'd have thought so, but the Football Association appear to be completely oblivious to this principle or the very concept of floodgates.
Over a month ago at Oakwell, the home of Barnsley Football Club, an incident occurred that left a player fighting for his life after having his skull fractured as a result of an elbow. Iain Hume, the Barnsley midfielder, was reported to have asked the referee for more protection prior to the incident which clearly shows the concerns he had of his own safety on the pitch. Chris Morgan, the perpetrator of this ugly scene, clearly elbowed Hume in the side of the head as both players were both preparing to contest a header. You'd be hard pushed to see an aerial challenge without some flailing arms or a stray elbow yet this is because of the need to create the upward momentum to challenge rather than the need to damage an opponent. However what makes this more deplorable is the fact that there was no 'upward momentum' from Morgan, instead just two firmly placed feet which suggests two things that he had no intention of aerially challenging for the ball and that he knew what he was doing - the sideways glance at Hume prior to the elbow would certainly support this. Or so you'd think.
Morgan is no stranger to controversy or Oakwell for that matter, having joined Sheffield United from Barnsley in 2003. Morgan has been sent off 12 times in 11 seasons and was the player who, on December 30, 2006, punched Robin van Persie, of Arsenal, in the ribs on his blind side and, after video evidence was used, was banned for three matches. So why in this instance was retrospective refereeing used instead of the recent elbow to Iain Hume's head? The answer, as far as The FA are concerned, simple; the punch to Van Persie was not seen at all by the referee whereas Morgan actually received a booking for his elbow to Hume.
Much is said of players' reputations going before them and in some cases it is evident but Morgan seems to have escaped this, in what is potentially one of the most regrettable decisions the bigwigs at Soho will ever make. Had this match been played between two Premier League sides and the same scenario had been played out it would be hard to imagine such a derisory riposte from The FA. Take for instance Manchester United and England international Wayne Rooney who, by all accounts, has shown a marked improvement in his temperament, was accused of stamping on an Aalborg midfielder during his sides 2-2 Champions League draw. This incident was ignored by the referee yet there was an immediate review and the outcome of UEFA's review is awaited, yet note how that took a matter of days from the final whistle of the match for it to reach UEFA HQ.
Add to this Rooney's United team-mate, Patrice Evra, who was handed a four-match ban following the aptly named 'Battle at the Bridge' when, in contrast to the Morgan and Hume atrocity, a slap on the wrist would have been suffice.
If only Iain Hume were playing in a league higher where, it appears, justice and policy decisions carry far more importance. One hopes that they won't regret their inability to do what any logical thinking person would do and see a repeat incident fall on equally deaf ears but The FA have not only done Hume and Barnsley a huge mis-justice but they've opened the floodgates to further potentially career-threatening injuries as a result of their blindness and incompetence. Chris Morgan and Sheffield United are the only winners in this sorry state of affairs.
Over a month ago at Oakwell, the home of Barnsley Football Club, an incident occurred that left a player fighting for his life after having his skull fractured as a result of an elbow. Iain Hume, the Barnsley midfielder, was reported to have asked the referee for more protection prior to the incident which clearly shows the concerns he had of his own safety on the pitch. Chris Morgan, the perpetrator of this ugly scene, clearly elbowed Hume in the side of the head as both players were both preparing to contest a header. You'd be hard pushed to see an aerial challenge without some flailing arms or a stray elbow yet this is because of the need to create the upward momentum to challenge rather than the need to damage an opponent. However what makes this more deplorable is the fact that there was no 'upward momentum' from Morgan, instead just two firmly placed feet which suggests two things that he had no intention of aerially challenging for the ball and that he knew what he was doing - the sideways glance at Hume prior to the elbow would certainly support this. Or so you'd think.
Morgan is no stranger to controversy or Oakwell for that matter, having joined Sheffield United from Barnsley in 2003. Morgan has been sent off 12 times in 11 seasons and was the player who, on December 30, 2006, punched Robin van Persie, of Arsenal, in the ribs on his blind side and, after video evidence was used, was banned for three matches. So why in this instance was retrospective refereeing used instead of the recent elbow to Iain Hume's head? The answer, as far as The FA are concerned, simple; the punch to Van Persie was not seen at all by the referee whereas Morgan actually received a booking for his elbow to Hume.
Much is said of players' reputations going before them and in some cases it is evident but Morgan seems to have escaped this, in what is potentially one of the most regrettable decisions the bigwigs at Soho will ever make. Had this match been played between two Premier League sides and the same scenario had been played out it would be hard to imagine such a derisory riposte from The FA. Take for instance Manchester United and England international Wayne Rooney who, by all accounts, has shown a marked improvement in his temperament, was accused of stamping on an Aalborg midfielder during his sides 2-2 Champions League draw. This incident was ignored by the referee yet there was an immediate review and the outcome of UEFA's review is awaited, yet note how that took a matter of days from the final whistle of the match for it to reach UEFA HQ.
Add to this Rooney's United team-mate, Patrice Evra, who was handed a four-match ban following the aptly named 'Battle at the Bridge' when, in contrast to the Morgan and Hume atrocity, a slap on the wrist would have been suffice.
If only Iain Hume were playing in a league higher where, it appears, justice and policy decisions carry far more importance. One hopes that they won't regret their inability to do what any logical thinking person would do and see a repeat incident fall on equally deaf ears but The FA have not only done Hume and Barnsley a huge mis-justice but they've opened the floodgates to further potentially career-threatening injuries as a result of their blindness and incompetence. Chris Morgan and Sheffield United are the only winners in this sorry state of affairs.
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