Blatter urges clampdown on dangerous tackles
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for a major clampdown on players guilty of dangerous tackles – and the managers who encourage them.
Blatter believes reckless challenges are one of the biggest scourges of the modern game and insists there should be harsh penalties for the perpetrators, including criminal charges where necessary.
“Dangerous tackling is one of the most important issues in football at the moment,” Blatter told The Times.
“Players who do this kind of thing intentionally should be banned from the game.”
He added: “Attacking somebody is criminal, whether it happens on a football pitch or elsewhere.
“It is a crime and should be treated as such.”
Blatter, who is to push for tougher refereeing ahead of Euro 2008, insists managers are often as guilty as the players who dive into challenges.
“The mechanism where this happens today is obvious,” he said.
“The pressure on the coach or manager to win is such that he encourages his players to go for victory at any cost.
“There is no microphone in the dressing-room, so he says, ’go, go, go’. Until when? Until the point where the referee intervenes.”
Blatter also reiterated his opposition to the Premier League’s floundering plan for a 39th game, insisting he would not soften his stance.
“It is impossible that they can persuade me of this,” he said. “They cannot do it.
“It is not only me who is against this, it is others, too. I represent the family of football and I will bring this to the Congress of Fifa if necessary.”
