This is what the FA Handbook says about ‘Violent conduct’
‘Violent conduct is when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball, or against a team-mate, team official, match official, spectator or any other person, regardless of whether contact is made.’
Mike Dean and Lee Mason take note! How can this apply to one of the nicest guys in football.
TV replays clearly show the 6 foot 4 midfielder attempt to move his arms out of the way after being held by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Normal speed video footage clearly shows no excessive force or brutality was used so it can’t be violent conduct.
Mitrovic who overreacted in De Niro type actor fashion to Soucek’s accidental touching of his face with his elbow told both Mike Dean and Soucek that no malice was intended by the Hammer.
Dean’s decision has been universally condemned by almost everyone in the football industry, and the football authorities will be under immense pressure to overturn Soucek’s red card and possibly sanction Mike Dean and Lee Mason by dropping them to the Championship after two controversial games in less than a week.
Southampton has already said they do not want Dean and Mason to officiate future games and West Ham could also follow suit putting the FA and the Premier League in an untenable position.
I fully agree with most of what you have said, but I fear that having correctly overturned the disgraceful decision to send off the Southampton player in mid-week, the FA will back their ‘men’ this time around for what was an even more disgraceful decision.
The FA rarely get anything right, like carrying on with meaningless International football during a pandemic which has helped to spread the disease between nations. It has also created incredible fixture congestion resulting in injuries to exhausted players as was seen over the weekend.
The Fulham player should get the 3 x match ban this would stop the players play acting to get an oppenent from being sent off