A SHAMEFUL ACT OF INDISCIPLINE

JONJO SHELVEY pressed the selfdestruct button for Newcastle by deliberately standing on Dele Alli’s ankle. The fact that he did so in front of Andre Marriner made it even more stupid. There was not much force, so it was not a ‘stamp’. When deciding if an act is deliberate, officials must consider if the contact could have been avoided. If one considers whether the culprit would have stood on a colleague in an identical situation then the conclusion, in this case, is clear. It was without question a sending-off. Shelvey has a poor disciplinary record. Perhaps he has been made captain so he can ‘wise up’. Clearly it hasn’t worked.