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The FA in conference today

Blue Tones
That certainly wasn't a 3 game ban and the fellow on the receiving end says he shouldn't have been banned at all. Its about time we got some consistency, Ronaldo seems to get away with it every other week.

Spike
I think they are consistent actually. I don't agree with all this 'if the ref didn't/did see it nonsense, that needs changing, but other than that i think they get it right.
The SWP appeal was a non-starter. I've no problem with the ban whatsoever. If they hadn't banned him they would have set a very dangerous precedent.

City 1894
It's the complete inconsistency that gets me mad.
In the course of a few weeks we've seen Ronaldo do the same thing twice. Once it was seen and no action taken and the other it wasn't seen but no action taken. We saw Bosingwa engage in far more violent conduct than SWP yet it was "seen" therefore no action can be taken. Gerrard went in with studs raised and it wasn't seen but no action. Eboue did the same thing, was seen and got a yellow.
I say inconsistency but remember Ronaldo plays for United, Bosingwa for Chelsea and Gerrard for Liverpool so perhaps I'm being charitable? Eboue plays for Arsenal but they're on the way down so real life is starting to kick in for them.

Bluesky
It's all too much of a coincidence. The F.A. and PL are scared the 'big 4', especially Manyoo, will take their ball home and negotiate a separate T.V. deal. They're totally scared of Ferguson who manipulates them as he wishes.
Look at Rooney routinely effing and blinding referees in domestic competition without getting red carded. Does he do it in European competition? Does he hell. He NEVER throws a wobbly at refs in the Chumps League because he and his manager both know he'd be red carded every time. The pro-red press have always made excuses for Rooney on the grounds that he's passionate, committed and still young. Cobblers. He can control his temper when he has to but he goes off on one, probably with Taggart's blessing, in domestic competition because they know he'll get away with it. I wish refs would have the cojones to send Rooney off for one of his foul mouthed rants but they're scared their decision would be overturned and they'd get demoted to a few League 2 games.

Russ_Bee
The previous posters have covered a lot of the recent cases, there is simply not one good reason why the perpetrators have got away with it, since in some of those cases the match officials did not see the events...
One other point to add, though... When Mark Halsey sent off John Terry earlier this season, Keith Hackett tried to press him into changing his mind... When Halsey stood by his decision, he was demoted for the next weeks matches, presumably on the basis of his 'mistake'... There are plenty of other examples of referees being demoted for not doing their job... Andy D'Urso, Rob Styles etc...
So, if the match officials for Liverpool v Chelsea DID see the incident involving Bosingwa, then where is their punishment? Make no mistake, if anybody watching that and thinking it is acceptable should be removed from duty for a couple of weeks! Has that side of the story been heard? No, of course not...
I agree with you about this saw it/didn't see it problem - it is clearly ridiculous that SWP gets a three match ban for a little flick that didn't even make contact, whereas Bosingwa does a kung fu kick into the players back and gets off scot free...

Shaun kicked out at Rory Delap reacting to a kick he received from the Potters midfielder, but the incident was missed and Wright-Phillips escaped a red card, although City failed to take advantage and lost 1-0 to ten men.
Then Shaun was charged days after the game following the receipt of referee Martin Atkinson's report.
Delap had called for leniency for the former Chelsea man but his plea fell on deaf ears at Soho Square.
Wright-Phillips will now sit out the away matches at Portsmouth, Liverpool and West Ham.
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