Tomas Soucek has sent out a message declaring how pleased he is his red card has been overturned.
Such was the outrage that one of the game’s genuine nice guys was sent off at Fulham, the Czech ambassador to London tweeted that this was a serious and honest sportsman who had been badly treated.
The whole game came behind the Hammers defensive midfielder and today justice was finally done and whilst everybody else was having their say, the man himself stayed until making his own short personal statement.
It’s worth remembering how hurtful Mike Dean’s actions were to a man who has never been sent off and that had the card been allowed to stand it would have been a serious blot on his career.
Now the engine room of the Hammers team is free to play his part at Old Trafford tomorrow night with his reputation restored and hopefully some more goals in his locker.
He said: “I am glad my red card against Fulham has been overturned. I’ve checked it, I’ve gone over 200 games without a single red card. My entire career.
“I am looking forward to helping the team in the important games this week! Thanks for your support! #westham #whu #COYI.”
Ridiculous that he had to endure this drama.
I try not to dump on referees, but this was over the top.
Move on and hope we don’t have Dean again this season.
I think it’s well overdue for the simulation rules to be made more robust and enforced. Every few years they issue a statement about it. the strict enforcement lasts about a couple of weeks and then it’s business as normal.
It must be from FIFA and UEFA downwards. Simulation is a curse on the game that eventually will ruin it.
We have managers encouraging players to go down at first contact, “If they don’t go down they get no advantage” or “you can’t blame them for going down if they think they’re about to get clattered”.
We have Ref’s ignoring it usually,(unless your names Lanzini).
We have pundits saying “he’s been very clever there” and “you don’t get anything if you stay on your feet.
If the ref’s did their bit, managers would soon get fed up with players getting suspended and themselves try to stop it. Between this and the condoning of the “professional foul” by the “he took one for the team” brigade, it’s really getting trying. We’re watching teams like Man City, who’s go to tactic, as soon as they lose the ball, is to pull back or trip their opponent, give away the free kick and get everyone back and organised. By doing this they are usually preventing their opponents from gaining anything from their good play whilst risking nothing but the odd yellow card because after so many incidents the ref feels compelled to finally do something.
Idon’t know about the rest of you but I’m becoming very disillusioned about our once beautiful game.
This is the problem if we get Mr Dean again this season he will be all over us like a rash the same with Lee Mason its human nature that they dont like to be made to look like the idiots that they are imo and will seek revenge
The whole game behind him EXCEPT Chris Sutton!!
However, former Blackburn forward Chris Sutton, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “I don’t think Mike Dean is left with any choice. What does he do if he doesn’t send him off?
“I think it was accidental, but whether or not it was accidental it was dangerous.
“Mitrovic did get caught. Can we have a go at Mitrovic for going down? I think Soucek caught him fairly strongly. I think the red card will stick.”
I think you must of been watching a different game Macca, and it wasn’t dangerous. Recinded btw.
I think you may have misinterpreted Macca’s comment Mark.
I don’t think he’s suggesting it was a sending off, but pointing out that the walking personality vacuum that is Chris Sutton was.
Yep apologies Macca.
The red card against Soucek may be the straw that broke the camels back, this entire season so far has seen ridiculous decisions by refs & their counterparts in the VAR room, refs allowing themselves to be influenced by certain players “playacting”, how many times have we seen players falling to the ground off the ball just to stop an opponents attack & the refs obliging with the whistle, too many games have been subltley influenced by officials this season, flags waved when they shouldn’t not waved when they should, offside has become as big a farce as penalty decisions, overlong extra minutes added at the end of a match for no other reason than to give the dominating team a helping hand to score the one goal they need, a team may benefit one game then be penalised the next, until all fans, all managers say enough is enough, stop meddling, this will continue, now officials want sympathy from the fans for their on pitch dodgy behaviour & questionable decision making, ridiculous.
Surprising Souchek hasn’t been sent off at least once in his career though isn’t it. He doesn’t hold back in his challenges and tackles either does he. Gets quite a few yellows. Maybe it’s his nice innocent looking demeanour. Referees look at him and go no he couldn’t have done that deliberately. I do think he gets away with some challenges. Not to say he was elbowing mitrovic deliberately though, because what everyone misses about the incident is that mitrovic shoves Souchek with both hands and Souchek elbow is a self protective response to that.
What a top man Tomas is!! Great player, genuine and honest man. It was the equivalent of sending off Bobby Charlton in his heyday – ridiculous!! It’s like calling Bobby Moore ‘chopper!’ outrageous!!!