Where's The Fuss Over Chelsea Stamp?

Following United’s progression through to the next round of the Champions League, top of the group, all of the talk about was our ‘thug’ Wayne Rooney.

Replays has shown as supposedly intentional stamp on Aalborg player Risgard. Slow motion, like usual, made the incident look worse than it was, but in normal time, it just appeared to be a full-bodied clash.

Now, you would imagine if a player believed another had purposefully stamped on their chest, they would be seeking revenge and an appropriate punishment for their attacker, right? Well Risgard made an appeal on behalf of Rooney, asking UEFA not to hand out a ban to our striker, claiming the replays on television were making a mountain out of a molehill.

Regardless, when UEFA came back with their decision not to suspend Rooney, the papers will full of headlines about Rooney being ‘let off’ and ‘escaping’ punishment. The fact that the player, Risgard, who should have been complaining more than any other was on Rooney’s side, seemed to pass everyone by. The fact that UEFA, who take great pleasure in knocking English clubs down a peg or two, decided not to punish him, again strengthens Rooney’s case, but again, this was ignored by the press.

Now, following a great few days of football for United, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all dropping points, whilst United are crowned ‘Champions of the World’, I wonder if the FA will react to Alex’s stamping on Tim Cahill last night. Following the red card of John Terry, the Chelsea players continued to show their well-famed indiscipline, with want-away defender, Alex, stamping on Cahill as he lay on the floor.

Unsurprisingly, the headlines don’t revolve Alex’s violent stamp, rather Chelsea’s fury over what they perceive to be an unfair sending off for their captain (who knew that two feet off the floor, studs showing, late tackles deserved red cards these days?). No Alex the Thug? No talk of petulance? Violence?

I wonder, why is it a United players gets labelled a thug after what was just a suspected intentional stamp, whilst a Chelsea player plants his studs in to a man on the deck, no two ways about it, and totally slips under the net?

The FA may review this stamp, meaning if John Terry appeals his sending off, Chelsea could be without the pair of them for our match in the new year. I would show you footage of the incident for you to make your mind up, but unlike with Rooney, there aren’t slow motion replay videos all over the internet this morning!