The English FA has become one of the biggest jokes in modern football. They are repeatedly failing at being accountable, consistent and equal. They have the ability to bring together all of England, the teams, coaches, players, fans, and the media. They could work together with all parties, to create a fair playing and viewing environment, and ensure that England thrives as the most popular venue for football. However, they constantly act as one of the forces working against the improvement of football. The only thing consistent about the organization is that they consistently make mistakes in their rulings and undermine English football.
Their decisions are almost always inconsistent and their punishments have created chaos amongst the BPL. It has created a situation where managers cannot discuss the match without getting fined, and when they choose not to comment about the events, they get fined for not speaking at press conferences. This is blatant censorship of comments by managers, and instead of doing it discretely, they throw it in the face of England.
Moving onto their retrospective decisions, there is no organization in the world that is more unsuccessful at using video replay to accurately handle incidents that are not seen by the referees. In recent months, as Chelsea fans, we can show a bias towards being infuriated with the FA. Most recently, the incident in between Ashley Barnes and Nemanja Matic. Barnes was clearly caught on camera sliding studs up into a tackle with Matic. It could have easily broken Matic’s leg. It then provoked a tough reaction from Matic who pushed him over and saw red. No action was taken against Barnes for the incident. As fans, our thought process should be the following: “Okay, I am sure Atkinson didn’t see the initial tackle and only Matic’s response. Surely the FA will review the play, and take further action against Barnes. Maybe as a bonus they will understand Matic’s reaction and lessen his sentence. That would be fair!” Except, the FA is an unjust organization. So instead, they responded by clarifying that retrospective action is only used when the referee has not seen the foul and therefore they cannot take any further action. So what they have done is not only been inconsistent in regard to past decisions and bannings, most recently Costa’s challenge on Emre Can, in which they were more than happy to ban Costa, although the entire incident took place 5 yards from the fourth official, who should have clearly saw the incident. Then they went further and claimed that the tackle did not justify Matic’s actions and only reduced his ban a game. Now the FA is just completely out of line. By not retrospectively punishing Barnes and making Matic serve a two game ban, they are allowing the victim of a season ending tackle, sit out two games while the person responsible receives no action whatsoever.
Additionally, Chelsea are correct in trying to amend the FA’s rule that retrospective action can only be taken if the referee hasn’t seen the incident. It has been widely accepted that Barnes tackle was deserving of punishment and because the referee “saw it” yet chose not to act is an action that puts players in danger and sets a dangerous precedent. The FA should be able to retrospectively punish any action they deem dangerous, regardless of whether the referee saw the incident. If the FA won’t protect its players and the referees are failing to do so as well, English Football is in danger of transforming from a competitive, physical league to a dirty and dangerous league.
What makes the English game so enticing is the physicality and hunger that players display week in and week out. While players should be applauded for their drive to win games, some step over the line. This is when the FA should be intervening in order to uphold the league’s fairness and overall quality of play. The FA should be acting in unity with its teams, managers and players in order to work for the greater good in improving the game. They should be transparent, consistent and most of all fair. These are three words that are not currently associated with the FA. The FA is at a tipping point. They can either start to make smarter consistent decisions, or run the risk of losing all respect of everyone involved and the in the international community as well. For years the Premier League has attracted top foreign talent, who dazzle fans each and every weekend. But players will not flock to England if they do not feel they will be protected by referees and the FA. There has to be a higher accountability for this governing body. A system of checks and balances to keep things smooth. Otherwise, Nemanja Matic won’t be the only person in trouble as a result of the FA.
