Disciplinary disputes: the Adebayor/Eduardo debates, 15/09/09

From Malouda's desperate last-minute winner to Defoe's opening-minute acrobatics at White Hart Lane, last weekend's round of Premiership matches produced some great football, interesting results, and added intrigue to both the top and bottom of the league table. It is sad then that discussions in recent days have centred around issues of controversy, namely the disciplinary issues currently faced by Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo Da Silva.

Emmanuel Adebayor's behaviour against Arsenal at Eastlands on Saturday was quite frankly abhorrent. The Togolese forward was today charged with violent conduct, for his blatant stamp on Van Persie, and improper conduct, following his 90-yard celebratory dash which was deemed to have incited the Arsenal-supporting spectators. The FA must learn from the Eduardo/UEFA debacle however, and stick to the book in banning Adebayor. Anything more than a 3-4 game ban, and they will be making an example out of the striker, and bowing the the excessive criticism that he has faced which, as disgraceful as his behaviour on Saturday was, would be wrong.

Mark Hughes' intentions may be correct in displaying a certain amount of loyalty to his player, but City must be careful in defending such behaviour. It is bad enough that Adebayor's moody and withdrawn performances for Arsenal last term have been rewarded by City with a big money move. Adebayor has always been somewhat enigmatic, and certainly temperamental, yet if they can keep him fit, free of bans and most importantly happy at the club, he could be City's ticket to a top four finish.

Arsenal meanwhile have (or should I now say had?) disciplinary issues of their own, with the controversy surrounding Eduardo's 2-game European ban for diving. Diving has certainly become the ugly side of the modern game, and if the mishandling of the Eduardo situation proves anything, it is that now is the time for both FIFA and UEFA to clearly outline plans of the ways they intend to tackle (excuse the pun), referee and discipline the problem of diving.

I do not condone diving at all, but Eduardo should never have been banned. Although it was clear that Artur Boruc never brought the forward down, a 2-game ban was overly harsh when players all over Europe do the same thing week in, week out and escape the same punishment. The situation was grossly mishandled by UEFA, who bowed to external pressures in punishing the player, and then sent the wrong message out to players in overturning the decision.

Tonight the first group stage of the Champions League kicks off, with every player now knowing that they can cheat and go unpunished. Eradicating cheats from the game is something that can be achieved, but only through UEFA and FIFA working together to take firm, hard-line decisions in order to tackle the diving culture that continues to engulf the game.