Should overly-aggressive and intentional tackles be criminal offences?

[dinho]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVKSro1aA3s

This had to be the worst tackle seen since Roy Keane on Alfe Inge haaland... If this forearm had ketch him in he temple he couldve easily killed the man.. It was intentional and Ben thatcher has a history of this sort of thing. He even gave a chinese player a collapsed lung after an elbow in a preseason game... And mendes has seizures on the way to hospital

What I want to know is if vulgar tackles like this are under the perview of the law and can be deemed criminal offences...

On the one hand, when you look at that tackle, if i was to hit a man that in de road outside de stadium i could be in prison for felony assault.. Roy Keane recently admitted in his book that his career-ending tackle on Haaland was intentional, he fully meant to take him out, and I for one feel he coulda get at least a lawsuit for that...

But on the other hand, is not like you want policemen waiting on de side of de field to arrest men for bad tackle, and its hard to determine intentional/unintentional.

What do you think?

[Pompey]

In this case, Pedro Mendes will not press charges and I agree with him that, presuming the FA take action, then that should be the end of it.

However, I don't think you should take away the possibility of Police action, as you say, that could have caused serious injury, thugs like that should not be protected because it is on a football pitch.

[andre samuel]

it is one thing to go in hard for a tackle (marvin andrews can attest to that), but it is a completely differently thing to do that thatcher did to mendez.

he should be banned for the rest of the season, and fined severely.

Mendez should also have to right to persue it as a criminal matter.

ah love it!!

[Disgruntled_Trini]

boy he should get ban for bout 2 years for dat

that is when yuh have no sportsmanship and eh care bout nobody

the man cetch ah fit on the gorund all kind ah thing

[Carib-Briton]

Defo A Criminal Offence, Just because you do it on a football pitch doesnt change anything, it was deliberate.
If ben thachter hit your son apart from buss his head what would you want done? oh the usual  give him a 3 match ban, even though hes missing a games I don't think you would be happy, hes gonna spend his saturday afternoons with his family while he could of done something very serious to yours.

[Jefferz]

nah. it was a nasty tackle.

but it would be to shaky trying to convict someone of murder on a football pitch...

I mean look at what Landon Donovan did to Marvin Lee...


I think wether or not the FA deal him an adequate punishment the fact is that they have the power to ban him for long enough for him to very much regret it and aswell defer any other player from trying anything as intense as what this thug tried.

[Blue]

What I want to know is if vulgar tackles like this are under the perview of the law and can be deemed criminal offences...

Yes, in the UK they are.

Duncan Ferguson spent 6 weeks in jail for headbutting a Raith Rovers player in his Rangers days. Which was small ting for him, he has numerous convictions for assault off the pitch as well.

[Pompey]

What I want to know is if vulgar tackles like this are under the perview of the law and can be deemed criminal offences...

Yes, in the UK they are.

Duncan Ferguson spent 6 weeks in jail for headbutting a Raith Rovers player in his Rangers days. Which was small ting for him, he has numerous convictions for assault off the pitch as well.

A head butt or an elbow to the jaw. Neither of these are "Tackles" though.

[Trini]

most definitely.
If u do a man that in the road, you will get arrested and suffer consequences.

Does the law of the land not extend onto the football field?

Hard tackles - love them.
Reckless tackles - hate them.
Predetermined elbows, spit, buts and kicks - assault.

[Mango Chow!]

That was a flat-out ASSAULT!! Ben Thatcher should do some TIME for that move, especially considering he has a history of this type of behaviour.  The actual forearm combined with the collision with the ground and/or billboard could leave a victim seriously injured.  There is no place for this in ANY  sport.

[Daft Trini]

Personally, I hit man nuff tackle, elbow like dat and 2 serious ones on two different men 2 weeks ago. I was red carded on the second offence. Yes it was to settle and old score, and that is what he probably do. Thatcher came in with a raised elbow to the man's face was wreckless and intentional. You don't know his frame of mind on the field and you will never know. Criminal, yes and pressing charges no. Suspension and fine him.

[dinho]

Something interesting to ponder...

Should Zidane have been arrested for the headbutt on Materazzi???

If you think no, what if materazzi's got a heart attack from the blow... is that involuntary manslaughter?

[superoli]

nah zidane should get an award

[Rastaman]

Man City hand Thatcher ban & fine 
www.bbc.co.uk

Manchester City have banned their defender Ben Thatcher for six matches and fined him six weeks' wages for his challenge on Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes.
The internal club punishment is separate from any Football Association sanctions over the incident, which left Mendes unconscious.

City said two matches of the six-game ban would be suspended.

Thatcher was left out of the weekend's Arsenal match, which means he will now sit out a further three games.

Those games will be the 11 September trip to Reading, and the away games at Blackburn on 17 September and Chesterfield three days later.

Manchester City chief executive Alistair Mackintosh said: "As custodians of the club, and football in general, the board and the manager felt it was important to act as soon as possible."

Thatcher, who has written to Mendes to apologise for the challenge, must answer an FA charge of serious foul play by 12 September.

Mendes has said he will not pursue a legal claim against Thatcher but the Portuguese midfielder did urge the FA to "make the right decision on his punishment".