Foul Play

OK - as it's Christmas we will play a game.

What am I?

I am dangerous and illegal. Some call me cowardly and vicious.There have been several of me seen recently in high profile circumstances.

Any ideas?

Answer - the two footed tackle.

Crouch (Liverpool), Carvalho (Chelsea), Zokora (Tottenham), Denilson(Arsenal) and Gunnarsson (Reading) are all offenders within the last couple of weeks.

It's not as if the referees are not dealing firmly with it. They are. It seems baffling that even the likes of Peter Crouch, hardly noted for an aggressive style, are succumbing to temptation. His first red card in his Liverpool career.

Here are a few other nasty tackles, (including a grip around the throat of a Leicester player!), just to remind ourselves how dangerous bad play can be.

Apparently, a two footed challenge is much more likely to cause serious injury. A leading sports doctor, Dr Craig Panther, says:

“With two feet you’re accelerating not decelerating. It’s uncontrolled force - with one foot you are far more in control. It doesn’t take much to go over the ball and hit a leg. When a foot is planted on the ground it can’t dissipate the force, so a fracture or other significant injury is more likely”

It is not in anyone's interest for such practices to continue. I even think there could be grounds for a criminal prosecution in some cases.

That would make them sit up and think maybe!