All too cluttered over two-footed (From York Press)

All too cluttered over two-footed

7:20am Saturday 14th January 2012 in TKO Tony Kelly By Tony Kelly, Deputy sports editor

THE eternal – some in black may say infernal – question of who’d be a referee is pondered in football almost every week, but since last Sunday it flared more distinctly than a flash of red.

What kicked it all off was the crimson card brandished by referee Chris Foy to Manchester City’s key defender Vincent Kompany barely a quarter of the way through an epic FA Cup third round encounter against bolshie neighbours Manchester United.

Kompany’s departure was signalled for a two-footed tackle on United winger Nani, that Portuguese man o’war (not).

The upshot was that City were reduced to ten men, yielding a clear advantage to their rivals, who between the Dutch international’s exit and half-time widened their lead from a single goal to 3-0.

Only thanks to astute tactical tinkering from manager Roberto Mancini were City able to staunch the flow of goals, and also initiate a feisty second-half comeback before ultimately losing 3-2.

But the damage had been done by the dismissal of skipper Kompany, arguably City’s key performer in an already power-play campaign.

Fast forward just over three days back to City’s Etihad Stadium, and within 20 yards of Kompany’s offence, Liverpool defender Glen Johnson launched into a sliding lunge that was even more two-footed in its execution yet went by without even a foul being awarded.

Cue much moaning from the Man City manager and it was hard not to sympathise with the Italian.

Forgiving his verdict of “worst” – he can speak two languages unlike the majority of us arrogant English-folk – on the Johnson tackle in comparison to the challenge by Kompany, Mancini had a more than valid case.

First off, the Kompany challenge, while two-footed – it was more of a scissor-kick – was neither malicious nor excessive in force, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s claims that Nani could have been badly injured.

I much more accepted Roy Keane’s withering verdict that Nani was hardly going to go into a 50-50 challenge.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s challenge, in which both legs looked almost missile-like, again was not malevolent and looked a genuine attempt to win the ball. It was only while witnessing the slow-motion replays that it could be deemed two-footed and perhaps dangerous.

The punishment for one – Kompany was subsequently banned for four games – and none for the other – Johnson did not even have a free-kick awarded against him – was enough to have riled Mancini.

Some have argued referees have no option but to send off “offenders” because they have been told to adhere to strict rules over such challenges. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

When pundits and fans ask for commonsense to be shown, the stock answer is that refs are not allowed to display such an eminent virtue as they are hidebound and hamstrung by blinkered interpretation of hard and fast rules.

If that is the case, then that’s a load of bo…okings. And, again if that is the case, then let’s change, if not the system, then at least the appeal system.

Bizarrely, Kompany’s appeal against his subsequent four-game suspension was dismissed even though the all-round opinion and the television replay evidence was that his challenge barely merited a foul, let alone a straight red card. The decision surely should have been overturned.

Everyone in football wants to see spiteful two-footed challenges outlawed as they do those other lunges that go wildly over the top and threaten bone breakages.

But unless we go down the route whereby tackling is banned entirely – and that would be a case for all mighty regret – then football remains a game of physical contact.

Currently, the game has a dubious goals panel which determines who to award a goal to when there is any dispute as to whether player A or B or C should be credited with the strike.

So why not a dubious tackles panel? Those who play football know that the Kompany challenge was neither dangerous, nor excessive. It was hardly reckless either, despite Wayne Rooney’s eye-bulging, arm-waving appeal. It would not detract from referee Foy – his decision has to be made in split seconds without the benefit of a myriad of camera viewpoints.

And it would not alter the fact that Man City were robbed of their captain and star player for the bulk of a match, which predictably went against them.

But at least it could have prevented the defender serving a four-match ban and that would have been some kind of justice for player, club and the game.