Filed under: Liverpool, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
While Manchester United fans will have, for once, taken Kenny Dalglish to their hearts last weekend, the news the manager has escaped a swearing ban will only fuel the sense of injustice felt at Old Trafford.Dalglish's Liverpool side scored a late penalty at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal to salvage a point and help United inch ever closer to the Premier League title.
However, after the final whistle, Dalglish quite clearly swore in the direction of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger yet his behaviour has not brought sanctions from the Football Association.
This is in stark contrast to United striker Wayne Rooney who was suspended for two matches in recent weeks for swearing into a camera during United's brilliant comeback win against West Ham United on April 2.
Sir Alex Ferguson hit out at that ban, claiming his side were being treated unfairly by the game's governing body and the fact Dalglish has gone unpunished will not help improve Ferguson's relationship with the FA.
The fact that there is no clear-cut ruling on the issue is one of the main problems at the moment. The FA must draw a line in the sand and decide whether or not swearing, when caught by the television cameras, is an offence or not.
The difference between Rooney and Dalglish was that the United striker swore directly into the television camera in a split-second of adrenaline fuelled rage whereas Dalglish's misdemeanour was not intentionally directed towards the cameras and this is what has saved him.
However, the grey area created by the FA in dealing with such incidents needs to be cleared up because at the moment, the ad hoc approach means that the FA are always open to criticisms of bias and favouritism.
The FA's director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking told the Press Association: "The reaction straight into the camera (from Rooney) was the difference. I can understand why the incident at the West Ham match led to action being taken but in this one I don't think there is any comparison.
"Wherever I've been since the West Ham-Manchester United game, I don't think I've met anyone who thought it was anything other than the right decision.
"[But] What we have to do is get all stakeholders - the Premier League, Football League, PFA [Professional Footballers' Association] and LMA [League Managers' Association] - on the same hymnsheet.
"I'd like to feel you can get to a stage where everyone just accepts the decision rather than muddying the waters.
"If anyone is still unsure why the action was taken then we should clarify it so that it's consistent. There has to be a clear understanding. Clarification would help us avoid a continued debate."
In the heat of the battle and the passion of the moment, footballers, managers and even physios will all let the odd swear word slip out from time to time.
While that may be deemed unsavoury in some quarters it is unfortunately a fact of life.
However, what can be avoided is the constant furore and debate once those swear words have been picked up by the television cameras and to do that the FA has to come to a decision - once and for all - on whether swearing caught by television cameras is a punishable offence or not.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/19/premier-league-liverpool-fa-kenny-dalglish-swearing/
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