Wow – I really didn’t see this coming.
Samir Nasri has escaped suspension for his sneaky step on Richard Garcia’s foot which means he will be free to play on over the Christmas period. Referee Steve Bennett apparently declared that he would only have given Nasri a yellow card for the incident instead of a sending-off.
It’s obviously brilliant news for us and Nasri, who will undoubtedly start against Aston Villa on boxing day, but it does raise an interesting question; if Bennett said he was going to issue a yellow card for that incident and actually gave one for Nasri’s part in the scuffle, doesn’t two yellows make a red?
Your thoughts on this please – and if it’s not too much to ask, your thoughts on the Arsenal FC Blog relaunch as well.
Pretty please.
Have your say on Nasri’s suprising escape by leaving a comment.
There really wasnt much in it – as mentioned in the live commentary.
Garcia went down like a stack of shit and was clearly just trying to get Nasri sent off – an all too common tactic used by lesser teams playing against the big boys. Good to see realistic interpretation of the rules and common sense have prevailed here.
@ Ben G – A Carlton supporter? Heh – that’s great.
I’m looking forward to seeing Fevola in a Lions shirt next season 🙂
Ah, I was ranting on this exact topic earlier – I don’t understand how this could ever be deemed as violent conduct. For me, stepping on someone’s foot is akin to squaring up to them, or goading them – they are acts designed to rile, and are all yellow card offences.
Now, if he’d raised his foot and stamped down, that would be a different story.
On the ‘two yellows’ front, there is actually no way Bennett could have shown two yellows. I did a piece ages ago on the peculiar rules in football, and this is one of them. I’ll try to explain it, because it’s a bit weird!!:
Essentially, it all comes down to the meaning of a yellow card, which is ‘to warn to player as to his future conduct’. A second yellow card is given if the player is deemed to have ignored the warning in a subsequent incident.
What that means is that a referee cannot give a player a second yellow for an offence committed before the first yellow was actually shown. In this case, Bennett could have shown a yellow for the foot treading (if he’d seen it), but couldn’t show a second yellow for anything else in the incident, because Nasri could not have been seen to ignore a warning that he hadn’t actually received yet.
Does that make any sense? It’s a peculiar rule, but I saw an interview with Keith Hackett once, where he explained it. Probably better than I just did.
It does explain something that has always bugged me – player X hacks down player Y, and the two players square up angrily. What tends to happen is both players get booked, which always confused me as surely if player Y got booked for the squaring up, player X should too, leading to a second yellow. But in fact, that’s just the application of the weird rule.
So the motto is, if you are about to be booked, do everything you can that would normally result in a second, because you can’t get one.
Very happy Nasri is available as the absence or Rosicky and Fabregas can be filled still. With Deni, Song, Nasri, Dudu, Arsha, Vela, Walcott, Wilshere, Eboue and Diaby all fit to play Villa, we have a fairly strong attacking line up.
Sweet action. He played quite well last game and has been tearing up in PES for me as well. Long live le petite prince.
@ Pete – Thanks for that, good to hear it clarified. It does make sense. But in another way it’s a little bizarre. Either way, I’m happy Nasri is off.
@ C-Bass – You’re still on PES? Get FIFA10 man – you won’t regret it! I just put Panda Bear’s England to the sword 6-1 with Australia last night. A brilliant preview of the Round of 16 clash in next year’s World Cup methinks…
I watched the match on TV here in the States. The way Garcia went down like he’d been shot in the head was beyond laughable. And his writhing on the ground like he’d had his leg broken was pathetic. Yes, Samir was in the wrong, but it was such a lightweight chip on the foot that, if anything, it was as mentioned above…designed to rile and nothing more. Gamesmanship on Nasri’s part, and it seems to have done the trick for our lads as they sure did show some spirit in the ensuing kerfuffle and afterwards.
I’m really happy Nasri has escaped any further action by the FA on this. These things happen in every match. It’s a bit of pre-Christmas good luck that we need to carry into the Villa match this weekend.
As for the new layout, I like it, Andy. Very clean. The new badge will take some getting used to though. haha I read your comments regarding the origins of the new badge, and I understand all that. Maybe I’m just anti-change on some things and I did rather like the old banner. 😉
@ SKA – Thanks mate, good to hear.
Actually Nasri did nothing in the melee other than get pushed and grabbed, so he should not have got a yellow for anything other than the cheeky toe squasher
Bennett had such a poor game (de rigeur) on Saturday. If they were going to do Nasri, they would have to do Garcia for play acting like a cunt, Barmby for raising his hands, ditto Song and Hunt for being a pikey cunt. Glad sense reigned for once, it was hardly a free for all was it? As for those journos who persisted in calling it a “stamp”, fuck off. Seen worse in rush hour, ya cunts!
spot on pete. i was about to rationalise base on similar arguement. 2nd yellow card was only the consequences of the stamping incident. steve bennet said he “would” only given nasri a yellow card instead of getting nasri off the pitch. Should that happenned in the first place, there won’t be any 2nd yellow card at all.
@ tg – Yep, not a stamp. Although ‘step’ sounds a little lame…
Any New York City Gooners? I’m going to living there for two months from mid January and will want to watch the games!
@andrew, step do sound lame, but the right word to describe it I think…
and I totally sure that Nasri do it on purpose… :D, we need one or two bad a** in our team, don’t you think ?
as for Garcia, he need to get a good lesson for falling and rolling to have a player send off
anyway glad to hear Nasri is free, nice christmas present
@ Darragh – New York City Cops, I mean, Gooners.
Arseblog reports rumours that Shay Given would quit Man City (despite that sounding a bit unlikely!).
Would love it if he came to Emirates.My favourite keeper!
Beautiful designs, logo well thought out. Well done Andy.
Your blog looks cool, it’s good to see my country’s flag. Nigeria………… lol
How the heck that this happen? Nasri was fucking stupid to stamp on Richard Garcia’s foot! I saw it clearly on the replay that Nasri stamp on Richard Garcia’s foot! I am an Arsenal fan but Nasri deserved the suspension. Sorry Arsenal fans…
thats good news to hear but he shouldnt do that again….otherwise l still insist that nasri is a world class player and not an ordinary one
Bennett is a proven idiot .He’s the one that should be suspended.
As for Nasri, he plays on!!
It’s about time FIFA realised that they are 30 years behind!!
When will they accept the inevitable and bring in Videotech refereeing!
They should also incorporate ALL of Wenger’s suggestions concerning
So-called International football games.
I agree with the decision not to punisch Nasri afterwards, too, because it was a small provocation, and he was booked in precaution ’cause the referee couldn’t judge it really,
the new outfit is o.k., the banner is a bit too simple or technically I would say, such big letters, and I miss the indication of the time in the comments, I liked it to read when the different posts are send of, so long gunners……..driving home for Christmas 😉 have a lovely and peaceful ‘Saint Evening’
Nasri is certainly the next Zidane. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love the new look.
David Villa shows an interest in joining EPL via Socerent. Would AW buy him?
Let the speculation begin!
where is the breaking news coloumn?
I used to live close to Hull. It seems to me the bad attitude of some of the people who live there has rubbed off onto their players. The photo you chose to publish sums them up totally.
As for the new layout, I liike it. Has a professional look and feel to it. Keep up the good work!
PS, How do you choose your own avatar?
@ Steve-O – I’m going to post instructions on how to do that soon.
The short answer is to go to http://en.gravatar.com/ and follow the instructions.
that’s good news for us.
COME ON ARSENAL……..
am feeling happyfor the news of Nasri,
but tell him to be care . were Happy !
i loved this web layout and thanks a s always. its an interesting news as we need now and if he scape the ban i think we’re lucky.
so good to have nasri…………….be warned.play safe
Like i said yesterday it’s just paper talk and all Nasri did was to walk onto his foot. No more no less. It actually shocked me how so many so called Gooners didn’t have Nasri’s back. Rocking what you said was shocking did you have your head in a stockin for Nasri wasn,t nocking or jocking he even had his cockin while he was walking onto Garcia’s foot. U should be suspended.
Andy@arsenal, still not sure of the new design, a little pastlee. I was on the Arsenal offical website and i read about Theo being the new holder of the 40mtrs dash. He had just taken the record off the great, one and only, master of disaster T. Henrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy. I would have thought he would be spending more time concentrating on his technique rather than trying to break the land speed record. Congrats anyway Theo, Also i read that Wenger reckons the last 4 years at arsenal has been his most productive and sucessful out of the last 13 even without silverware. He believes that the team has mintained its high standards set by the previous players.
it was a wrong move 4 nasri,we were lucky otherwise it could have earned our club a red c..these players should get serius.
I doubt it.
About Nasri stompor stamp what ever you call it,it was only a little tap to say hello iam here no yellow card it was very hard to see it.Your new Blog looks great Merry Christmas to you and all Gunners fans everwhere and lets hope the rest of the Season goes well for us.