Koscielny Red Card Highlights Inconsistent Refereeing
Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal, with it’s sprinkling of controversial decisions, provided a number of talking points on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. After an interesting match at Anfield from a refereeing perspective, our resident columnist Joe Tompkins – who also happens to be a Level 7 referee, looks at the performance of the man in black.
If there was no stoppage time in football referee Martin Atkinson would have had a fairly comfortable game at Anfield on Sunday, but sending off Liverpool’s Joe Cole in first half injury time and then Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the 94th minute has given everyone some talking points.
The sending off of Joe Cole was certainly a bold decision from Martin Atkinson. At first glance Cole seemed to be trying to block a clearance from the aforementioned Koscielny and jumped in slightly late and caught the defender when following through.
However when you leave the ground and jump towards a player with both feet in the way Joe Cole did it is always possible to be sent off. Positioning is everything for a referee. Had Martin Atkinson been standing on the opposite side of the incident, then perhaps he would of seen how Joe Cole didn’t make much contact and this may have swayed his decision (whether this should be taken into account is another matter), but from the angle he was standing he saw Joe Cole jump into a tackle with both feet off the ground and make contact with Koscielny’s ankle. The tackle was reckless, dangerous and worthy of a red card.
Comments from the Sky Sports pundits seemed to indicate that Joe Cole should be treated leniently however, because ‘he is an honest man’ (Paul Merson) and he ‘would never intend to do that’ (Jamie Redknapp). Frankly, comments like these do little to fill me with confidence that pundits actually read the rules. I won’t waste too much time on these comments but I would hate to think a player’s character would ever have an influence on the laws of the game.
The Laurent Koscielny sending off raises questions about the consistency of referees applying the law correctly. Earlier on in the second half David N’Gog deliberately handled the ball in an attempt to get past a defender. Both the referee and his assistant picked up on it and immediately gave Arsenal a free kick but no yellow card for N’Gog. Under the laws of the game a deliberate handball is a yellow card but there wasn’t one coming, and it is fairly certain the handball was deliberate.
While this law isn’t really open to interpretation, perhaps we’d let Atkinson off if he treated both teams the same. However he gave Koscielny a second yellow card for a handball. Under the letter of the law he is correct if he thinks it is deliberate but that is debatable. The ball was kicked at Koscielny’s already outstretched arm from a matter of inches away so a yellow card seems incredibly harsh, but on the other hand Atkinson may well of been in a poor position. As I said earlier positioning is everything for a referee and he may have not seen the incident clearly, but my argument is more of a matter of consistency. A player committing the same foul should receive the same penalty in a perfect world and when the foul is something relatively simple, like a handball, this should be easy to apply.
This article isn’t meant as a dig at Martin Atkinson as I think he is one of the best referees in England. In fact he is one of just two from England who are on FIFA’s elite list. He controlled the game well and is a quality referee. But I have always thought that referees throughout the league, country and around the world should be consistent with each other. What hope is there when a referee can’t be consistent within one match?
Arsenal, English Premier League, Joe Cole, Laurent Koscielny, Liverpool, Referees and RulesShare This Post!
About Joe Tompkins
I am an FA Level 1 coach and a Level 7 Referee. I wrote about Paraguay during the 2010 World Cup and hope to write about a variety of topics during the next season. Follow me on Twitter @JoeTheRef
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You are definitely a Gunner … Joe Cole’s tackle was reckless Yes ! but not worthy of a red card … that even Wenger wud admit … nd btw Koscielny was up and playin afta tht tackle showin the intensity of the tackle which was low …
The law of the game states that if a player leaves the ground and ‘jumps’ into a tackle then is deemed reckless and from Atkinson’s view it must have looked that way. As Joe said, if the ref had seen the tackle from a different angle he may not have sent him off… The ref has to go by the law of the game which says that when a player jumps in the tackle is reckless hence the card.
I really don’t see how you can sit there and say it was reckless but he shouldn’t have been sent off… Reckless = card
David N’Gog deliberately handled the ball in an attempt to get past a defender – just a foul as there was really nothing at stake.
Laurent Koscielny handball could have had the Liverpool player broke free towards goal. – a goal opportunity.
It is not necessarily a one hat fills all… A bit of common sense must be apply to the decision making process.
not intended as a dig at the ref – just a dig at LFC!
2 feet off the deck? one foot forward, no studs – the player was caught by JC`s trailing leg – I fail to see where Cole could have actually put his leg?? the arsenal player made a total meal of it and his mates crowded the ref to make sure he did the ‘right thing’
contrast that with the Jack Wilshire tackle on Stevie g after he had already been booked (a two footer on Macherano you do not feel warrents a mention) Gerrard gets straight up with no fuss leaving the referee free to exercise discretion – a (justified)second yellow at that point surely gives us the points but the ref fails to act
thats inconsistency mate
I didn’t rate the ref at all. It wasn’t just the two red cards, there were plenty of other poor decisions he made.
What is your opinion about the Jack Wilshere challenge on Mascherano?, jumped in with studs showing and caught Mascherano on the shin, one of those ‘if his foot was planted it would have been a leg breaker’ challenges. Pundits also said ‘he’s only a boy’, again shouldn’t matter.
Hi, i read your article and you talk about consistency with referees yet in your article you fail to see wiltshires tackle on mascherano for which he got a yellow and it was no fifferent from coles.Arsena bias showing maybe.regards Mike.
Joe,
Interesting article, written with Arsenal tinted glasses, as you would expect from an Arsenal fan!
I would be interested to hear your view on Jack Wilshere’s tackle in the centre circle on Mascherano on 40 minutes, which he only got a yellow card for.
Watching the kids eyes he clearly went for the man, not the ball (Cole looked at the ball only).
His studs were showing (again unlike Cole).
It was clearly a reckless and dangerous tackle, which you argue is sufficient reason to issue a red card.
What do you believe is the reason why Cole was sent off whilst Wilshere was left on?
In my opinion the only possible explanations could be:
1. The referees angle of viewing.
2. The Arsenal fans reaction as the Cole tackle was right next to them.
3. The ref was influenced by Koscielny’s screaming, rolling around, and feigning of injury, whereas Mascherano rubbed his leg and stud up like a man.
Looking forward to an unbiased explanation this time.
Atkinson didn’t have a great game.
In the first half Steve Gerrard did a bad tackle from behind and caught Eboue on the foot and ankle. Atkinson gave a free kick but didn’t book the player; a few minutes later the same tackle got Jack Wilshere booked.
Second half Gerrard did another bad tackle which he was booked for. If Atkinson had controlled the game Gerrard would have walked if he had followed the letter of the law and booked Gerrard for the first tackle as the law states.
So Joe Tompkins is an Arsenal fan, big surprise.
There is no need to tell us that, reading this biased article tell’s it all.
Joe,
Have you thought about the tackles made by Jack Wilshere or Tomas Rosicky during the game? I think both merited red cards and the referee was not in a good position to see how the tackles were made where clearly there was no intention to get the ball. Have a look at the replay and tell me what you think.
However, I do agree that Ngog should have been shown the yellow card as there was an intent to move ahead of the player unfairly.
I do think that the referee should have spoken to the other officials before issuing a red card. It looked like a spontaneous decision.
There has always been a lot of misunderstanding in football about “handball”. Firstly, for a free kick to be given the player must have deliberately handled the ball. So if it is not deliberate then even if the player gains control of the ball after it has hit his hand or arm then NO FREE KICK should be given. The instructions to referees then state that;
There are circumstances when a caution for unsporting behaviour is required when a player deliberately handles the ball, e.g. when a player:
• deliberately and blatantly handles the ball to prevent an opponent gaining possession
• attempts to score a goal by deliberately handling the ball
‘This article isn’t meant as a dig at Martin Atkinson’ – but it should be! How else is he going to learn – he gave the poor decisions around the hand ball situations. He needs to be told and admit to it! Supposedly the 2nd best referee – well that is a laugh – one, that it is so high and second, that he is second to another poor official the idiot called Howard Webb.
Gerrard waved a card at Atkinson to get Koscielny sent off and he was the one who should have been booked when Rosicky instead got the card for protecting himself against the same old lunge Gerrard has been getting away with for 10 years.
You also state: ‘I would hate to think a player’s character would ever have an influence on the laws of the game’ – how long have you been watching football? – Terry, Gerrard, Scholes, Rooney, Keene, Shearer they all get (or got) away with ridiculous challenges and behaviour. O course referees are influenced by a player’s character.
Agreed. Inconsistency is highly irritating. Yellow card for the handball was wrong same as Wiltshire not getting red for same challenge as Joe cole. 2 completely different outcomes for the same incidents.
Laurent Koscielny’s second booking may have been for two instances, one the hand ball and secondly after the foul being given he kicked the ball away.
Had a feeling me being an Arsenal fan would cause a bit of controversy
. I will try and answer each and every question you guys have raised.
Nachi- In my opinion the intensity of the tackle shouldn’t matter, and Koscielny was stretchered off anyway and needed treatment throughout half time. If the referee thinks a tackle is worthy of a red card the player should be sent off even if there is no contact
Steve- Admittedly common sense would be good, but the point I was trying to make was the law as it stands doesn’t allow for common sense. A deliberate handball is a yellow card whether we like it or not.
Everyone who mentioned the Wilshere tackle- Yes Wilshere, could of easily been sent off for that challenge and I think the distinction the referee made was that Wilshere didn’t leave the ground. And again I think the referee wasn’t in the best position to see the tackle. The Wilshere and Cole challenge were slightly different in my opinion but I would completely understand if Wilshere got a red and Cole only got a yellow.
Jan- I read through it again afterwards to try and make sure it was as unbiased as possible but ibvously I didnt do well enough
Faisal- You raise a good point about communication between the officials. I think this is the major improvement referees need to make. The assistant on that side would of had a decent view down the line and he may have had a better view. They all have microphones but I don’t see them using it too often.
TC- I take your point and I’m sure Atkinson would of been given feedback after the match. There is an assessor at each Premiership match as far as I know and each referee does get a chance to review the incidents of each match and he will be able to see for himself if he has got a decision wrong. And I do wish referees wouldn’t take into account a player’s character and I’m sure they do on occasion but what I was trying to say is that the laws shouldn’t allow them to, which they currently don’t.
Steve 2- I didn’t look at the players eyes during the replay but if you are correct then that is very interesting. As I mentioned earlier Wilshere could well of been sent off on another day with another referee and I think the referee’s position played a big part in the two decisions. The Arsenal fans probably did influence the referee in some way. I read about an interesting study where 2 groups of referees were asked to watch a football match, one group with the sound turned off and one group with the crowd noise. The group with the crowd noise give 7 or 8 more fouls to the home team on average and 2 fewer fouls to the away team so it does have an effect. And I think in the Cole incident the referee showed the card too quick to really be influenced by Koscielny’s rolling around (whether he did feign inury is another matter because I’m sure most would jump up straight away once the red card is shown) but Mascherano standing straight up may have influenced him but I think the positioning is the big reason
I had no idea this game was packed with this many incidents…wow. Sounds like real drama…ah the Premier League is truly back, we love it!
Hi Joe,
As someone who has refereed a couple of different sports its nice to hear someone intelligently make the point about positioning. What do you think about the option of a second on-field referee? It works in basketball and many other sports where spotting the gaps is critical to making the correct decision. For me this is a much better solution than the TV replay suggestions that keep getting bandied around.
On a random side note, did you see Chelsea’s first goal? Am I imagining it or should this have been off-side as the keeper is off his line and only one defender is behind him whent he final touch is made?
DBP
Having a 2nd referee on pitch is something that I can’t see happening in the near future but it certainly could work. I am sure referees would be happy with some help but it would be interesting if they do disagree. If there are disagreements and referees can’t sort out who is right then the system won’t work. It works in basketball because they have always been there but it could be hard to adapt to football.
And i haven’t seen a great angle of the Chelsea goal but it looks like the player who got the final touch was behind the player who touched it before him in which case it wouldn’t be offside
“and Koscielny was stretchered off anyway and needed treatment throughout half time”
Joe, How close are you to Arsenal that they let you in the dressing room at half time?
Arsene Wenger said Koscielny had a bit of treatment at half time but it was mainly as a precaution as the physio said the tackle could of broken his leg
So what you are really saying is you don’t know if he received any treatment at all because you don’t know.
From your lofty position inside the Arsenal camp can you please explain why the same physio gave the thumbs up to the bench as the strecher made its way back from the incident. I can tell you that happened bacause it happened in front of me.
Never have I said I hold a lofty position within the Arsenal camp
I am getting this from Arsene Wenger’s press conference who I believe does hold a lofty position within the Arsenal camp. And I have no idea why the physio gave the thumbs up, according to the aforementioned Mr. Wenger “He had a big knock on his shin and fortunately his shin pad protected him well. We were scared that it was broken. When they moved him off the pitch the physio told me it could be broken.”
Joe, I’m just winding you up (althougth the thumbs up did happen). My point I suppose is that if Liverpool players would have surrounding the ref and Mascherano would have stayed down I believe that Wilshere would have been sent off for his tackle.
You have a point Martin, I do think referees read too much into players rolling around nowadays but there’s not much you can do apart from giving out cards. And that hasn’t worked for diving so not really sure if that will work here. I don’t think it is the referee’s place to judge if someone is injured or not so I’m not sure if it can really be stopped effectively
Actually there should never be any disagreements between two referees on the same pitch – if one doesn’t see a foul and one does, its because the one that did was in a better position. Because there are two, they get closer to the action and can move more freely for gap selection, meaning they don’t guess – all they call are fouls they definitely see.
This is a fair point and I’m sure professional referees will be fine but if you get a couple that don’t like each other then who knows what could happen?
When I see the wekly tackles by Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and alike, both studs first with at least one onto an ankle – yet no yellow card not even a warning, I can only laugh about the word “consistency”.
Yes, most English referees are very consistent, don’t plug out a card if the player is English and in the national team.
Foorball is a man’s sport so it’s gotta be tough, and its an English game (by origin at least). of course players from the continent or even further away continents, that does not apply. They must see immediately red.
What a Mafia !!
Atkinson has made a big blunder in sending off Joe Cole for a foul that, at most, deserved a yellow card. If, even after seeing the video evidence, if he doesn’t withdraw the red card then it is clear that he is a referee with poor character! Come on Atkinson, be a man to admit that you have made a mistake.
Tompkins, your referee analysis and writing skills are what’s inconsistent. Peter Greenhill straightened you out best. I don’t know what a “level 7″ referee is in England, but what Greenhill said isn’t a finer point, it’s something you need to know to referee youth and amateur matches.
“Would of” is a barbarism, not slang.
You’re making this website look like a joke, guy.
Start over.
Thanks for commenting Mike. I can’t say I’m not disappointed that my article is still creating debate a few months after I posted it. What Peter said is that a free kick should only be given if there is a deliberate handball. I can’t remember what happened with N’Gog’s handball but I think he controlled the ball with his arm to get the ball past the defender, yet didn’t receive a yellow card. This is what my point was. And as far as my barbaric grammar goes, I guess I just type too quickly. I will proof read more thoroughly in future