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Brama suspension for horror tackle – too lenient or fair judgement?

Wout Brama of the Mariners. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
Roar Pro
30th January, 2018
23

Brisbane Roar substitute Corey Gameiro was left in excruciating pain which reduced the forward to tears after Central Coast Mariners substitute Wout Brama performed a crunching tackle on the 24-year-old in his side’s 2-1 loss to the Roar on Saturday night.

On Monday, the independent disciplinary and ethics committee sealed the midfielder’s fate and after reviewing the situation, the committee only issued the 31-year-old a two-match ban.

This sanction issued by the committee is an absolute disgrace given the fact it was a gruesome studs-up tackle that can be judged to end careers.

Of course, the referee at the time could not assess just how bad the tackle was at the time and only did the right thing by giving the Dutchman his marching orders. The major talking point surrounding this tragic issue is whether the suspension delivered by the committee was far too lenient or seen as a fair judgement.

It is fair to say the majority of those covering and watching the sport in this country have labelled the tackle as disgusting and those feelings are completely justified.

How the committee can extensively review the horrible situation that unfolded at the Central Coast Stadium and conclude proceedings with only a two-match ban is simply outrageous.

There is no doubt the Dutchman has been easily let off by the committee and although he apologised for his actions, there is no excuse for a vicious challenge of that nature that could have ultimately ruined your opponents profession.

At the very least the former FC Utrecht player should have received four to six matches, and the public outrage has even called upon the A-League to appeal the original verdict.

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Gameiro took to Instagram to confirm that the injury was not as bad as first feared, which is a relief for not only the Roar but for the A-League competition as a whole. However, this instance has affected the image of the A-League and sent out a very bad message.

In November last year, Brisbane centre-back Avraam Papadopoulos received a seven-match suspension after spitting on Sydney FC striker Matt Simon.

When you compare spitting and vicious intentional tackles in football games, both should face similar, if not the same, lengthy ban and the pair should not be tolerated in the game under any circumstances.

Handing down a seven-match ban for spitting and only two for a tackle that has been labelled one of the worst in A-League history is a disaster and the committee must take full responsibility and take a long hard look at themselves.

This lack of judgement affects the league’s positive image and even though the competition is only in its 13th season, it is important for the committee to deal with players that commit comparable unlawful acts accordingly and the right decision is made.

It would be unfortunate if the league had to deal with another case over the course of the season, but if it does, the committee better hope they deal with the matter a lot better than the latest catastrophe and dish out a suspension that is deemed fair, and more importantly, will not receive such widespread criticism from around the country.

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