You can imagine the conversation, held against the backdrop of 35,000 Chelsea fans baying for a penalty.:
AM: "What's all the fuss about? I didn't see anything. Corner Chelsea?"
Assistant Ref:: "No Andre, it's a deliberate handball. Penalty Chelsea and Red to defender.
AM: OK thanks for spotting it. Which player is it? Oxlade-Chamberlain?"
AR: "Er...No, it's Gibbs."
AM: "OK, Thanks"
Without knowing all the detail, we're left to speculate on what happened yesterday when Andre Marriner mistook one Arsenal player for another and ended up wrongly sending off Kieran Gibbs.
From what I saw on television, I suspect Marriner did not see the handball when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dived to his left and pushed the ball wide of the goal with his outstretched hand. That's no great crime. The offence was carried out artfully, with his hand concealed behind his head until the last moment.
When the ball went out of play, Marriner appeared to suspect something was amiss and bought himself a few crucial seconds by walking quite slowly from his excellent position behind Hazard at the corner of the penalty area towards a position that would be ideal either for a corner or a penalty kick.
After five or six seconds he pointed to the spot and gave the penalty, the correct decision. So how did he reach that decision? I suspect it was his assistant who saw the handball and told Marriner over their headsets, Excellent team work from the officials so far.
I also suspect Marriner was unable to identify the offender having not immediately suspected an offence and thus not bothering to identify the offender. It was only when the officials realised the gravity of the offence that they knew they needed to identify Oxlade-Chamberlain. This is when the mistake was made, either by Marriner or the assistant.
Marriner has, quite rightly, taken the blame for the incident and will not blame the assistant even if it was his mistake. Just as he benefitted from the assistant's identification of the handball offence, so he has to share the blame for the mistaken identity.
Let's look on the positive side for the moment. The core decision was correct. There was an offence and a penalty was given.
Whether or not it was a red card offence is a red herring, in my opinion. The ball was heading in the general direction of the goal. Hazard's shots frequently curve inwards and even now - with the benefit of replays - it's impossible to state categorically that the ball was not goal-bound.
The offence was a cynical attempt to prevent a goal with a handball. A red card every day as far as I'm concerned.
As for Oxlade-Chamberlain confessing to Marriner that he had handled the ball, I don't know. I'm no lip-reader and I can't tell what he's saying on replays. That said, I can be proven wrong, but I suspect Marriner could have quickly swapped cards if the decision was reversed quickly. By the time Gibbs is walking off the pitch, it's probably too late.
In general, referees do not believe players when they claim they've made mistake. In general, players will say black is white and a dog is a cow if it gives them the chance of a decision.
Reactions have been varied, but I find it somewhat ridiculous that the BBC has gone for sensation and dragged 77-year-old Clive Thomas out of his retirement for a somewhat ridiculous and extreme reaction.
Marriner and his team of officials need to have a good talk about the incident and how it happened, trying to avoid the possibility of a repeat.
The traditional lesson may be for the Assistant who spotted the foul to realise he needs to keep concentrating and identify the offender rather than immediately switching his focus to a conversation with the referee.
I expect the FA will now rescind Gibbs' red card and transfer the offence to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who will receive the standard one-match suspension.
As for Marriner, it's a clear mistake and I don't see any point to dropping him from the elite panel. He's an excellent referee and needs to get straight back into action, as do his assistants.
No comments:
Post a Comment