JEDDAH, 18 March 2008 — Local football stakeholders supported FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s call for lifetime bans on players who commit dangerous challenges that could result in an horrific injury.
Blatter made the call in the wake of the injury to Arsenal’s Eduardo da Silva, who was left with a fractured fibula add dislocated ankle following a hard tackle by Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor, according to a report in the British newspaper Daily Telegraph. Saudi national team manager Fahad Al-Misebeih agreed with Blatter’s position, saying, “It is welcome news and serves us very well.”
Al-Misebeih said this act of tackling is harmful for both the one who is committing it and the one who is falling for it.
“Football coaches must educate their players on the danger of these acts in their early years. These children grow up simply doing what they were brought up doing,” he said.
Ittihad football player Mohammed Ameen, explaining the flip side of the tackle, said, “Sometimes it adds more excitement to the game for as long as it is not intended to hurt the other player.”
On banning footballers for life, Ameen said, “I certainly encourage it,” adding, “this act is fortunately not widespread in Saudi Arabia but still it would be a good opportunity to set these rules and prevent the athletes from doing it and from getting any yellow or red cards.”
For his part, sports physiotherapist Waleed Al-Shemimary said the ban would help in eliminating the number of injured athletes. “Even if the harm was not fatal, it at least will force the athlete to stop playing for a week or two.”
The harm may extend to the one causing it too, he explained. “A wrong kind of tackling may lead to other body injures to the one commiting it so it would be for the best of both to stop doing it.”
Blatter believes that the issue needs to be immediately addressed. He insisted that lifetime ban cannot be ruled out.
“Dangerous tackling is one of the most important issues in football at the moment,” he was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. “Players who do this kind of thing intentionally should be banned from the game.”
He also said criminal proceedings could be launched in the future. “Attacking somebody is criminal,” he said. “Whether it happens on a football pitch or elsewhere. It is a crime and should be treated as such.”
