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Blatter calls for tackle action

07 Mar 2008 - 11:27:00

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FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for lifetime bans and criminal prosecutions for players found guilty of making dangerous tackles.

The outspoken head of the game's governing body has called for action on one of the biggest scourges of the modern game ahead of the International Board's weekend meeting at Gleneagles.

Blatter's comments come just days after Martin Taylor's tackle which left Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva fighting for his career after a broken leg and dislocated ankle.

"Dangerous tackling is one of the most important issues in football at the moment," Blatter told The Times.

"Players who do this kind of thing intentionally should be banned from the game.

"Attacking somebody is criminal, whether it happens on a football pitch or elsewhere. It is a crime and should be treated as such."

Blatter also insists managers are often as much to blame as their players for rash challenges.

"The mechanism where this happens today is obvious," he continued.

"The pressure on the coach or manager to win is such that he encourages his players to go for victory at any cost.

"There is no microphone in the dressing-room, so he says, 'go, go, go'. Until when? Until the point where the referee intervenes."