Kompany and the Referee Cock-up of the Weekend
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a Premier League referee making a dubious decision on a Saturday afternoon.
This week it was at the King Power, where high-flying Manchester City looked to extend their lead at the top of the table by seeking retribution against a Leicester side who got the better of them in a 4-2 win last season.
Unfortunately for the Foxes, football’s answer to the Harlem Globetrotters were a far cry from the shambolic outfit we saw last year. This time around, Pep’s players oozed confidence; Sane, Sterling and Silva testing Leicester’s fullbacks with a swagger that we readily associate with Barcelona’s style of play. In fact, so good were City that when the irrepressible Kevin De Bruyne hammered the ball into the opposition’s net from a second-half counterattack – just seconds after Harry Maguire had thumped the post – the home crowd acquiesced with a smattering of applause. I should know, I was one of them.
The ref bottled it big TIME !!! Kompany WAS a red card !! Vardy clear through. BIG decision. Ref got it WRONG !!
— 100% LCFC (@100Lcfc) November 18, 2017
This is a team who never look like giving the ball away, and when they do, win it back with an intensity that is almost exhausting to watch. Even the ever-questionable Mangala – having come on to replace an injured John Stones after 31 minutes – looked like a world beater, effortlessly slotting into City’s backline and thwarting any chance of a Foxes’ goal. Well drilled and oh-so-brilliant to watch, Pep’s side might as well already have their name inscribed on the championship trophy. They’re just that good.
But while I could sit here all day and laud yet another effervescent Manchester City performance, I want to talk about an incident that took place in the opening two minutes of the game.
Making his first start in more than two months, Vincent Kompany hacked down Jamie Vardy after a delicately weighted pass from Vicente Iborra put Leicester’s talisman through on goal. As Vardy fell to the floor, fans who had managed to make it to their seats in time looked on anxiously to see which colour card Graham Scott would pull out from his top pocket.
It had to be red, surely?
For me no doubt, Kompany should been sent off. Poor refereeing?
— Peter Schmeichel (@Pschmeichel1) November 18, 2017
After a few moments of deliberation, the referee took the cowardice decision to show just a yellow card, which resulted in a torrent of abuse from the home fans and Kompany returning to the defensive line in need of a new set of undies.
Why wasn’t it red?
Putting my bias to one side, I’m flabbergasted that we have yet another example of a referee dismissing the rules of the game because the match is still in its infancy. I mean, how many times have we seen it? A player makes a rash challenge early on in the game, only for the ref to wave it away. Yet when the same challenge goes in 40-50 minutes later, the tackle is deemed worthy of a yellow or red card.
I can assure you that had Kompany clattered into Vardy in the 60th or 70th minute, the referee would have shown red. But why should it make a difference?
The more replays I see of Kompany’s tackle, the more I’m convinced it’s a red.
Stones is never catching him. Ball heading straight towards goal, in Vardy’s stride.
Referee doesn’t get replays but he’s in a good position to see. Stones not even in shot. pic.twitter.com/ivVIdSpHxt
— James Sharpe (@TheSharpeEnd) November 18, 2017
The referee’s decision should come down to whether Kompany’s challenge denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, regardless of what minute of the game it happened in. If it did – which it definitely fucking did – the ref should have sent Vinny packing.
As Puel said after the game:
“Had Vardy not been hacked down, he definitely would have scored. If you think John Stones had him covered, you’re madder than a box of fucking frogs. The guy is slower than a sack of shit moving down a runway.”
Okay, okay, that’s not quite what he said. But Leicester’s new gaffer did make his views clear, albeit not quite as elegantly as I would have:
“It was a fantastic first move between Iborra and Jamie. I think it should have been a red card.
“All this can change the game. It was the first incident against us.
“I think Jamie is through on goal and the other defender can’t get back to him, because he is in the centre and Jamie is quick.
“Of course, some different incidents can change the game. Without these incidents against us we can stay competitive against them.
The ball was played right into Vardy’s stride. Whether you rate England’s number 9 as a first-class striker or not, no one can seriously argue that he wouldn’t have had a definite scoring opportunity had he not been taken down by the defender. There was far too much room between Vardy and John Stones, and the former’s pace is on another level.
If you subscribe to this school of thought, then you will perhaps agree that this match could have been very, very different had Kompany left the pitch. One can only fantasise…
Vincent Kompany very very fortunate not to get a red card. Vardy hacked down when through on goal.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 18, 2017
In Graham Scott’s defence
While Scott was in a good position of Kompany’s tackle on Vardy, he was not straight in line with the direction of the ball. This could have possibly made Stones appear closer to Vardy than he actually was, thus making a case for the Manchester City defender having the Foxes’ forward covered. This would have been reaffirmed by Stones continuing his run as Vardy fell to the floor, creating the illusion that the England defender was quick enough to warrant his £50 million price tag.
Alas, Scott is only human. And until we have video referees which can readily assist us with more diligent decision making, we will have to make do with our current collection of idiotic, ill-advised buffoons.
Still, I’m not bitter…
