The old school pundits love to have a conversation about whether or not certain fouls should be red cards or not but there won't be much debate about Harry Arter's challenge on Joe Allen.
Football has changed in the last few years and what was once not a red card is now an automatic sending off, if your challenge is dangerous whether you win the ball or not.
That baffles some pundits as they come up with lines like "that wasn't a red card in my day" and "well he does make contact with the ball" showing how time has passed them by.
Was it a red or a yellow? Well he might have got the ball...PA Images
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However tonight whoever is on the Match of the Day couch, or whichever programme is discussing today's action, will not be questioning what should have been a red card to Harry Arter.
The Bournemouth player can be seen to take out Stoke's Joe Allen with an awful challenge but he received just a yellow card:
Of course the fact that Arter picked up a yellow means that he will now avoid any more punishment like a retrospective ban.
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The rules of the Premier League mean that as soon as a referee has acknowledge his seen an incident by giving a caution then the player can't get a ban, apart from exceptional circumstances.
This rule basically means that we can never suggest a ref has made a mistake. If he doesn't see it then fine we can ban the player but by seeing it the ref must have got the decision right.
It's an utterly ridiculous policy that this challenge, amongst many decision, proves must be changed!
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Stoke, bournemouth
