Seeing red that Capoue escaped ban
THE picture on the front of
The Verdict last Monday really shocked me. To remind you, it is a freeze frame of the moment Etienne Capoue ran his studs down the back of Wilfried Zaha’s achilles. It is one of the worst challenges a footballer can receive. Capoue could potentially have ended Zaha’s season in that moment and I was absolutely amazed the Watford midfielder was not shown a red card. Look at the picture again and you see his eyes aren’t on the ball. Somehow, he escaped a red it up. On the other side, though, I understood why others do, such as Jamie Carragher. He announced his international retirement when we were team-mates at Liverpool. He was in the best form of his career but couldn’t dislodge Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.
He believed that stopping when he did — just short of his 30th birthday — would prolong his Premier League career. There is a school of thought that Carra couldn’t wait to give up on card but, on the other hand, Capoue’s former team-mate Richarlison begins a threematch ban today for the red card he received during Everton’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. By the strict letter of the law, Richarlison cannot complain. That kind of sending off, though, really annoys me. Richarlison never head-butted Adam Smith. If he had actually head-butted him, he would have been rightly vilified and been facing something like a 10-month suspension. There used to be a time when England but, believe me, I know how much thought he gave it.
You will remember the stick he took and how he rang up talkSPORT to defend himself, having heard the criticism that came his way. Emotions run high with these topics and I would expect Jamie Vardy will end up getting some stick in the coming weeks, too.
But he knows his own mind and I have to say the breaks he will now get will be to his benefit. The 10 days you get to recharge when referees would pull players together after one of those little pushes of the head and tell you to behave yourself and stop acting so stupidly — the matter would be dealt with and you’d move on. Now players know how they react can lead to someone getting sent off. I’m not defending Richarlison, as he was naive and we all know the rules. It just doesn’t seem right, however, that he is facing up to the prospect of three games out when Capoue is free to play after such a horrible challenge. you get the wrong side of 30 are a godsend and I’m sure the time he can spend with his family will have a positive effect of his game. It has certainly helped me.
I just hope, however, he hasn’t closed the door permanently. God forbid anything happened to Kane but just imagine if it did. Who would be your first choice if Kane was to get a serious injury? Mine would be Vardy.
It would be such a shame if he ends up with regrets.