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FIFA said today they had decided not to seek any further sanctions against Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor over the tackle that left Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva with a broken leg.
World soccer’s governing body sent out a news statement on Thursday suggesting Taylor’s case would be discussed at a meeting between FIFA and the English FA, but FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren later said that was not the case.
“The statement was imprecise,” Herren said. “There will be a meeting next month with the FA but it will be an exchange of views on disciplinary matters in general.
“It will not be related to the Taylor case per se because that has now been dealt with. The FA have pointed out to us the considerations they took in determining his sanction and the case is not going to be pursued by FIFA.
“Both sides felt however that a general discussion would be beneficial, and we hope the meeting can help us get a broader picture of the issues involved.”
FIFA president Sepp Blatter told reporters this month that world soccer’s governing body was aiming to crack down on tackles that caused serious injuries.
“We are considering a number of options,” Blatter said. “But one we could consider is if a player is out injured for nine months, then the player who has caused him that injury also cannot play again until his victim has recovered.”
The FA argued it could not impose a heavier sanction on Taylor without proof that he intended to harm Eduardo during the Premier League match at St Andrew’s on Feb. 23.
The Croatian, who will miss Euro 2008 as a result of his injuries, has since accepted Taylor’s apology and most observers felt the tackle was clumsy rather than malicious.
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