Tottenham coach Andre Villas-Boas has labeled the FA’s decision not to punish Fernando Torres for swiping at Jan Vertonghen’s faceduring Spurs’ Premier League clash with Chelsea last Saturday “a disgrace.”
Under the governing body’s new rules, retrospective action can only be taken on incidentsseen by referees and linesman when the officials aren’t in a position to fully assess the incident. While head referee Mike Dean did not see the incident, one of the linesmanonly partially saw it. In the end, the FA decreed that the linesman saw enough of the incident so it decided not to act.
“I think the FA has made a decision almost a joke. It looksincredible. How can you see the images, pretty clear, and come out without punishment, on something which overtakes all professional behavior?” a stunned Villas-Boas asked. “It’s extremely difficultto know where to start. Obviously, it is almost a farcical decision. It doesn’t matter to me which player or club is involved … I think the decision is a disgrace. If the committee can’t solve suchclear images I don’t think it sets out a good first example. I think the FA has lost all opportunity to put some sense into the images everybody saw.”