Portugese midfielder Pedro Mendes in hospital after horrendous Thatcher assault

[Jome]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/08/24/sfgmac24.xml

Redknapp demands Thatcher penalty

Manchester City (0) 0 Portsmouth (0) 0

Harry Redknapp called on the Football Association to take retrospective disciplinary action against Ben Thatcher after the Manchester City full-back left Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes hospitalised following a sickening forearm smash into the face of the former Porto player.
    
Mendes
Flat-out: Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes is attended to

Thatcher, a player whose crime-sheet is one of the lengthiest in the Premiership's hall of shame, has form for such incidents, having been hit with a two-match ban after catching Sunderland midfielder, Nicky Summerbee, with an elbow to the face during his spell at Wimbledon in Jan 2000.

The former Wales international was punished retrospectively by the FA on that occasion due to the match referee failing to take action against the player, but although Dermot Gallagher inexplicably brandished a yellow card in Thatcher's direction, the FA may yet take stronger action once the incident finds its way onto the nation's television screens.

This uneventful game was brought to life three minutes into the second-half by Thatcher's act of thuggery.

As both players chased after a ball heading out of play, Thatcher collided with Mendes with his right forearm clearly extended into the Portuguese midfielder's face. Mendes appeared to lose consciousness as he fell to the ground before sliding heavily into the advertising hoardings.

The concern of his team-mates was quickly apparent as they summoned the Portsmouth physio to the stricken player, while Thatcher left the scene apparently unconcerned by the yellow card wafted in his direction by referee Gallagher.

Redknapp said: "I know that the referee has taken action by booking Thatcher, but the FA have got to look at the incident. When I saw Thatcher running towards Mendes, I knew exactly what was going to happen five seconds before it did.

"I would have bet my life on it. How can it be a yellow and not be a red card? Do you have to kill somebody these days to get a red card?

"Pedro had a fit on the touchline and had to be given oxygen before he went to hospital, so we still don't know how serious the injury actually is. It was a horrendous challenge."

Claims by City manager Stuart Pearce that Thatcher had "enquired" about Mendes' condition were refuted by Redknapp, but Pearce, who had not had the benefit of seeing the incident again on television attempted to defend his player. He said: "Ben was going at 110mph, running into the corner flag area and he mis-timed his challenge.

"I want my players to play with a high tempo, but I have only seen the incident once and I believe that it was a mis-timed challenge. My opinion is that is was accidental and I hope that is seen to be the case."

Gallagher may yet find himself under the spotlight, along with Thatcher, having opted to book and not dismiss the player, but the incident was the only one of any note in a game that lacked any kind of quality.

The only clear-cut chance fell to Portsmouth's Matt Taylor in the 68th minute when the midfielder found himself with a one-on-one against Nicky Weaver. The City goalkeeper, making his first Premiership appearance at Eastlands, dived low to his right to keep out the effort and seal an unsatisfactory point for both sides.

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Damn. We should really have an official EPL thread, coz there will b about 10 different topics every matchday.

[TheDeli]

Disgraceful tackle by Thatcher on Pedro Mendes

Thatcher must be punished for this 'assault'

[KURUPTION-81]

Was horrendous challenge, in all honesty it wasnt a challenge he just assaulted him. Thatcher desererves everything he gets.

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Is it on youtube yet, i aint seen it?

[Javier]

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

WTF...How is that not a red-card? That's on some Kermit Washington shit...

[Javier]

Main Ref most likely didn't see it, but this is when the other refs should step in and tell the main ref what's up. 

[Mac 10 †]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DTRaS7ffyWg" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/DTRaS7ffyWg</a>

watch this vid and listen to the CRACK noise you hear when he hits him (after 6 seconds)

that noise is 

[Jome]

WTF...How is that not a red-card? That's on some Kermit Washington shit...

Word, peep this:

GALLAGHER RED-CARDED FROM PREMIERSHIP LIST
Posted 25/08/06 09:41

Dermot Gallagher will be demoted from the Premiership's list of referees following his failure to dismiss Ben Thatcher for his horrific challenge on Pedro Mendes.

The Oxfordshire referee inexplicably opted to caution the Manchester Citeh defender for felling the Pompey midfielder with a forearm smash on Wednesday night. By doing so, Gallagher implied that he had seen the challenge but still believed that a yellow card was sufficient despite Mendes being knocked unconscious.

While the decision has prompted widespread incredulity and outrage, it is the

unequivocal refusal of Keith Hackett, the referees' supremo, to defend Gallagher's failure to dismiss Thatcher that spells the end of his Premiership career.

Speaking out in unusually harsh terms against a member of his refereeing team, Hackett told The Daily Mail: "Having looked at the replays I've been disappointed with some refereeing decisions. I've already taken action in terms of selection for forthcoming games. The criteria for top level is that these are made on the basis of performance.

"Everyone wants to get off to a good start in a season and referees are no different. You will always get an error but in some of the opening games there were clear errors I can't defend."

Wednesday's appearance at the City of Manchester Stadium is thus likely to be Gallagher's first and last in the Premiership during his final season as a referee. At 49, he has already passed the cut-off retirement age but was awarded a 12-month extension last year.

The official is no stranger to criticism. Gallagher has twice previously been demoted - for failing to dismiss Arsenal defender Steve Bould for a professional foul in 1998 and only cautioning Robbie Keane in 2001 after he slapped David Beckham - although he escaped censure for red-carding Arsenal's Gilberto Silva at Newcastle last December for two innocuous challenges.

And Thatchers punishment (so far):

City ban Thatcher for six games
By Tom Adams -  Created on 30 Aug 2006

Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher has been suspended by the club for six games after his horror challenge on Pedro Mendes, as well as being fined six weeks' wages.

The City left back has been widely condemned for the forearm smash that sent Mendes to hospital last week, and the Premiership club have now imposed their own punishment on the Wales international.

Thatcher has been handed a six-game ban by Stuart Pearce's side, two of which are suspended, meaning he will miss the upcoming ties against Reading, Blackburn Rovers and Chesterfield after also being left out of the squad for the 1-0 win over Arsenal last Saturday.

As for the fine dished out by City, two weeks of the six will also be suspended, as they look to take a stance against the ugly challenge which was condemned by Pearce following the game.

City chief executive Alistair Mackintosh confirmed that the Eastlands club felt compelled to act with haste after Portsmouth midfielder Mendes suffered a seizure and was left unconscious in the ugly incident.

"As custodians of the club and football in general, the board and the manager felt it was important to act as soon as possible," Mackintosh told City's official website.

Thatcher has also been charged with serious foul play by the Football Association, despite being shown a yellow card at the time of the incident, with Greater Manchester Police also conducting an investigation.