Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Banned by a coin

Apparently it’s a “violent act” if you’re a pro footballer and throw a coin back into the crowd, as Didier Drogba of Chelsea discovered.

I emphasise – he threw the coin BACK into the crowd. Which means that someone in the crowd had thrown the coin at him first. Drogba hadn’t initiated anything, he’d merely retaliated. And yet he was penalised by being
banned from playing in the next three matches.

If the FA considers that a fair punishment, the fan who threw that coin at Drogba in the first place should be tracked down and banned from attending the next three matches played by Chelsea. Chances are, of course, that he won't want/wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the tickets to another match, so the ban won't exactly affect him - but still... in the interests of fair play, he should get a ban too, because he was just as "violent" as Drogba and started the whole thing anyway.

PS. Ok, the probability of Drogba hitting someone in the crowd - someone who hadn't thrown the coin - was more a certainty than a probability, really, being as there was more crowd than there was Drogba... but a three-match ban for that? I still think it was OTT.

PPS. Hmmm... have I argued myself out of the point of this post with the above PS? Well, I'm publishing it anyway!

PPPS. Isn't Didier Drogba a lovely, lovely name? I do love unusual monikers!

* goes off chanting 'Didier Drogba, Didier Drogba' *

2 comments:

meerkat said...

they had a precedent of another footballer, carragher doing the same. he was given a 3 match ban. so drogba could not escape the ban. if they ever catch the fan throwing hte coin, he would probably get a lifetime ban and prevented from attending any football match in the country.

if you like to hear the drogba chant, here is one from his time in marseille.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LsgfL_UizTU&feature=related

great crowd chanting.

meera

Anonymous said...

Meerkat: Thank you! :)