F.A. Justice for Arsenal

Every Sunday, the News of the World publishes the ‘Foul Play League’, in which all 20 Premiership clubs are graded according to the number of fouls they have committed and the yellow and red cards issued to them. It is the only league in which a club should covet last place and for some considerable time that place has been occupied by Arsenal.

The same paper also publishes its ‘Dirty Dozen’, a self-explanatory order of shame for individual players. There are currently no Arsenal players in that league and there have not been for some time, though significantly two Chelsea players appear there.

These observations may put into perspective the ‘wisdom’ of charges levelled against Arsenal Football Club and some of its players following a flare-up towards the end of the Carling Cup final which was provoked by a blatant piece of shirt pulling by John Obi Mikel, to which Arsenal’s captain Kolo Toure responded with wholly uncharacteristic aggression. The outcome was a disturbance which involved virtually every other member of both sides, but significantly only Arsenal players have been punished, despite the fact that for those blessed with good visual acuity several Chelsea players – including Essien, Drogba and Lampard – were active contributors.

It is ironic that once again Arsenal, who play the most attractive football in the country and who according to reliable statistical evidence are more fouled against than fouling, are singled out by the Football Association for special treatment, whilst others who are more culpable escape any form of sanction.

But it is doubtful whether we can reasonably expect much more from the organisation which chose Steve McClaren to manage the national team.