Source: Daily_Mail
GRAHAM POLL: Branding Darren Fletcher a cheat was a terrible slur
Darren Fletcher is one of the most decent players in the game and tosee him cautioned for diving on Tuesday evening was a slur on thishonest professional footballer.[LNB] To argue that he deserved some payback for his combative style isnonsensical. Yes, he escaped a yellow card which he should havecollected against Arsenal when he made seven foul challenges withoutbeing punished, but what does that have to do with a different game anddifferent circumstances?[LNB] Fall guy: Darren Fletcher is felled in the box by Aleksei Berezutsky but is booked for diving.[LNB] [LNB]If you book a player for simulation, you are branding him a cheat, which is why all referees should show caution before punishing a player in this way.[LNB] Champions League referees should know UEFA's attitude towards simulation, given the publicity surrounding the Eduardo case after Arsenal's game versus Celtic. If there is ANY contact between the players then a caution should not be issued. Whether or not we agree with that approach is irrelevant - Fletcher's yellow was incorrect and an honest player has had his reputation tarnished.[LNB] However, despite the injustice, there is no possibility of an appeal to have the card overturned - as UEFA confirmed to Sportsmail yesterday. Like the FA, there is no right of appeal for any yellow card, unless there is a clear case of mistaken identity, and even then the card is merely transferred to the correct player. So there is no way back for Scotland's combative captain.[LNB] Some years ago yellow cards could be appealed in England, but that option was removed when the tariff for suspensions went up from three to five cards, the argument being that, if one card in five was wrong, a player still had four more chances before being suspended.[LNB] Now, the disciplinary system is not right and neither is the way in which referees are dealing with simulation.[LNB] We all want to see it removed from the modern game but referees must err on the side of caution and give players the benefit of the doubt, or else we end up with a player like Fletcher branded a cheat.[LNB] An alternative would be to allow video reviews to be used to cite players who are clearly guilty of simulation which is not detected on the field.[LNB] The result of the game would, of course, remain unaffected but the player would then be punished with a three-match ban.[LNB] Some players might feel that the ban was worth taking in return for three points or a cup win but we must hope that professional footballers share Fabio Capello's view that he would hate to win the World Cup with a dive.[LNB] The real answer to the diving issue still lies with the players but referees must play their part and not caution honest footballers. [LNB] GRAHAM POLL: Record nine red cards show inconsistency in refereeing... just ask Liverpool and Aston VillaGraham Poll: The official line - it is clear referee Alan Wiley is fit for the job[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Fabio Capello, Darren Fletcher, Graham PollPlaces:Scotland, United Kingdom
