Football: Miko ban from UEFA numpties doesn't fit the crime

Sep 23 2007 ANDY WALKER

CAN anyone explain to me how UEFA go about their business?

When SFA chief executive Gordon Smith put forward a dangerous proposal to introduce retrospective yellow cards for "cheats and divers" in the SPL, FIFA immediately insisted it would be unworkable and contravene the rules of the game.

Smith's idea was for referees to watch a match they had just officiated all over again and decide if any acts of simulation merited a yellow card.

Maybe I'm wrong but the FIFA rulebook states that if a ref has seen an incident and decided it wasn't a dive he then can't change his mind after the game.

So how can Saulius Mikoliunas possibly be given a two-game ban by UEFA for what everyone recognises as a bookable offence?

If it was me I would be inclined to lodge an appeal, not against the offence but the severity of the punishment.

With any luck the Lithuanian might get to play against France. Scotland would benefit from him causing the French problems. It doesn't do us any favours now he's banned.

Everyone has been quick to condemn "cheating and diving" Miko who won his team a penalty against Scotland at Hampden.

It's as if all Scottish players are angels and would never consider such a thing.

If I'm not mistaken the Hearts winger was guilty of seeking to gain an advantage.

But I was at the game and in the early part of a nervous occasion Garry O'Connor was also guilty of exactly the same thing. The ref chose not to give him a yellow card meaning no punishment or ban.

Even if he had booked the striker it's a far better option than a two-game ban.

But is there a witch-hunt against O'Connor? Of course not.

First of all he's Scottish but he didn't get the foul he was looking for so there's no outcry. The offence is the same but there couldn't be a more diverse reaction from Scottish fans.

The whole idea of refereeing a game for a second time is nonsense anyway.

How many times have we seen replays that still don't prove a decision?

For Miko's offence the camera angle was perfect and the truth is no contact was made by Darren Fletcher.

Rest assured that won't always be the case. Depending on who you support can have an influence on which side you come down on.

FIFA's rulebook made perfect sense to me. What referee has the time or inclination to go over 90 minutes of action to possibly highlight to everyone any mistakes he has made?

Believe me, the last thing a whistler wants to admit is they got it wrong.

I find it absurd we continually congratulate referees for admitting to errors on the ridiculous Whistleblower SFA website. We should be asking them to get it right more often.

I think part of the reason for so many high-profile howlers so far this season is the refs' mindset that all players are out to make them look foolish.

My experience is they're not and I honestly think players still respect good, strong refs who know the game.

I happen to think Gordon Smith is a decent man who should do a good job at the SFA. But I disagree with him on this one.

He says diving is a growing problem in the SPL and I just can't see it. I'm at a game every weekend and can count on one hand the number of such incidents I've seen over the past few seasons.

When Smith says he was moved to act after seeing Thierry Henry fake injury during last year's World Cup then by all means ask for action to be taken at FIFA's showpiece occasion.

But don't hold your breath for a strong stance. Like Mikoliunas and O'Connor, it very much depends on who's charged with an offence.

I shudder with embarrassment when I recall the disgraceful antics of Rivaldo at the 2002 World Cup. He fell to the ground clutching his face when the ball had clearly struck his knee.

The ref got it badly wrong by sending the Turkish player off. FIFA were asked to look at it again and shamefully chose to fine the Brazilian a few thousand dollars.

When there was a chance to send a strong message to the rest of the world that Rivaldo's behaviour was completely unacceptable, they were weak.

The fact he was in the running for World Player of the Year and Brazil were heading for the final had nothing to do with it of course.

Similarly, at last year's World Cup, Zinedine Zidane had a poor tournament and despite scoring in the final let himself down by head-butting Marco Materazzi and being sent off.

Yet FIFA still awarded him the man of the tournament accolade! Laughable.

I'll say it again, to pursue a charter against cheats and divers is a recipe for disaster and will lack consistency.

Unless, like Mikoliunas, you happen to come from Lithuania.