Written by Jonathan Chong on Monday, August 31, 2009

What a week it's been for football in general, especially for Arsenal fans. We've had a media circus surrounding an incident with striker Eduardo da Silva, and we've also had our manager sent off in a high-profile match against our biggest rivals. With the media headlines once again focusing on our club, is it any surprise that as Arsenal fans we're just wondering if there is a certain amount of bias in the industry against us?

Is there a specific reason, for example, that the media have chosen to focus on Eduardo and not this? Surely violence in football is of a much greater concern than "diving"? Hooliganism, it would seem, has been the winner this week.

Speaking to BBC Five Live, Football Association Chief Executive Ian Watmore has said that the incident between West Ham United and Millwall should be viewed with perspective. I completely agree, but one cannot help but wonder if a quiet word has been uttered into the ears of newspaper editors nationwide. Words accompanied, for emphasis, with four numbers. 2018. Violent clashes between fans and riot police at Upton Park filled the front and back pages on Wednesday, but that was the last we had heard of it. Did someone say, "Give this any more coverage and you endanger our chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup."

Arsenal will be charged by the FA for "failing to control their players in a match", as a result of their six bookings against Manchester United. I may be wrong, but I have yet to see fines being imposed on both West Ham and Millwall for failing to control their fans, for failing to provide adequate safety and protection to spectators. The term "brushed under the carpet", comes to mind. To the journalists who were crying out for justice for Celtic in midweek, where are your cries for justice on two clubs whose fans have a known history of such violence?

By not putting pressure on the FA (like you've done on UEFA), you've encouraged this incident to be ignored and, as Watmore said, to be viewed as a "one-off". Funnily enough, Watmore also claims that England are viewed as an example when it comes to clamping down on hooliganism and chants at football matches. He said: "FIFA and UEFA and many of the associations around the world do come to us for a lead on combating violence and hooliganism, racism and other forms of chanting, and we have to remain the best in the world at combating that and remain at the top of our game." Why then, has there been no action taken against Man United for failing to stamp out that song about our manager? The one that says (and it absolutely disgusts me to write this) that he has a certain fondness for little children.

And to subject him to further abuse by sending him off for a nothing incident, is something else that the Football Association should look at.

Ironically, United 'fans' bay for blood when a certain degree of respect is not shown towards their Munich dead, but when a chant like that is part of a Man United fan's songbook, or even as a CD (this has now been taken down by Play.com but still available on Amazon), is it so hard to wonder why you do not get that moment of respect? Have you afforded the same degree of respect towards Liverpool's dead, when it comes to remembering Hillsborough?

To the media and Mr Watmore, if England really are the world's best at combating hooliganism and stamping out racism and other forms of chanting, then let's see some action taken on a club that has done nothing to eradicate this form of abuse directed at a man with a daughter old enough to understand what the word means. How will he answer, when she asks, "Why are they calling him that?"

And where are the cries of justice for Arsenal, who were once again undone by a "dive" by England's darling, Wayne Rooney. It is not the first time that Rooney has sought to "deceive" a match official in order to gain an advantage for him and his team. It's incredulous how so many "deceptions" by one player go unpunished, culminating in the most recent one against Arsenal, where his left leg begins to give way even before Manuel Almunia touches him. "Clever play, good thing he's English," is what most English pundits would say. The same thing they said when Michael Own dived to win that penalty against Argentina during the World Cup.

Here are some examples, four too many, of England's darling deceiving match officials, but receiving no retribution for it.

If the Football Association (and UEFA) are serious about stamping out cheats from the game, then let's make an example of the spearhead of England's attack. Make an example of Wayne Rooney.

Before we forget, let's divert our attentions to Sky and the BBC's penchant for replaying incidents that involve fouls by Arsenal players, and then for their match pundits to analyse and overanalyse said incidents. Why are these two media giants not replaying the incident below, and again putting pressure (like they did on UEFA) on the FA and referees' association to evaluate the performance of Mike Dean and his assistants? As then Wimbledon-owner Sam Hammam said in 1995, "I have to hand it to Manchester United. They have the best players ... and the best referees."

The tackle and subsequent handball should have been a red card for Fletcher. As it wasn't dealt by the referee, it's perfectly possible for the FA to step-in and review the incident post-match, unlike the incident with Eduardo, which was actually dealt with, contrary to what UEFA Chief Executive David Taylor has said: "We only look at matters of a serious nature that the referee did not see. The regulations allow for this type of action but they are only used sparingly."

No, Mr Taylor. The referee did see the incident [involving Eduardo], and he awarded the penalty to Arsenal. That should have been the end of it, but what you and your Scottish colleagues have done is introduce new precedent where an incident can be re-refereed by a video panel (whether this panel is independent or non-Scottish is up for debate). I am glad that this precedent has been set, because it should be turned into legislation for FIFA to impose on the national leagues. Then, maybe, the English FA will provide the same treatment to other clubs as they do Arsenal. Unless of course, there is a World Cup bid at stake.

I look forward to football's governing bodies, the media, Messrs Taylor and Watmore, proving me wrong.

A printed copy of this article has been forwarded to the English Football Association, UEFA, major British newspapers and the Referees Association of England.

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