Why there needs to be consistency

If anybody wondered how Arsène Wenger would react to the treatment of Eduardo were he not an Arsenal player, now is the time they may get their answer.

Arsène said he didn't see the incident; Robin van Persie sadly did at all too close a quarter. There would have been time for the manager to see a video before the interview, time to speak to his striker, but none of that would have mattered. Any response that even suggested a press for punishment of Adebayor would be instantly greeted with cries of hypocrite. "Don't review video for my player, but it has to be done for my ex-player." The hypocrite chanters would have a point. Or would they?

Wenger is right that reviewing everything couldn't work. The process would be too long and faith in referees destroyed, but it's also right that diving and stamping need to be eradicated from our game. The question is, how?

The obvious solution would be a referee report system, so successful in rugby league. Sadly, obvious answers isn't a currency that the FA, UEFA or FIFA deal in.

All of which takes us to deciding what to review. Where is the line drawn when choosing who and how to punish in retrospect? One line would be pain inflicted upon another. The damage to van Persie's face would land Adebayor in court had it taken place outside a contact sport. If Eduardo is to be banned for games without actually harming anybody, the logical conclusion for gashing a face centimetres from an eye would be weeks, if not months. UEFA have set a potentially dangerous precedent.

Adebayor's claims that the strike was accidental are undermined by his previous. This is the man who declared his love for Arsenal whilst actions behind the scenes proved otherwise; a man who claimed he apologised to van Persie immediately after the clash, when video evidence clearly proves he didn't. The blade of his boot could easily have removed an eye, and with it a career. One wonders if Adebayor's conscience will ever allow him to come to terms with that.

Arsène's stance of no post match punishment cannot stand; likewise, such injuries cannot be tolerated, or the impact upon impressionable young viewers would be devastating.

There has to be consistency, so far lacking in any organisation ruling football matters. A middle ground must be found by the powers that be or the next victim may not be so lucky, and could well be somebody whose story does not make the papers.

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