MLS chief Don Garber condemns De Jong tackle: 'There's no place for that'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- MLS Commissioner Don Garber made his first public comments about the tackle from LA Galaxy midfielder Nigel de Jong that injured Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, and took aim at comments made by Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, calling them "absurd and irresponsible."
Nagbe was injured in the second half of Sunday's 1-1 tie between the two teams, with many fans and media taking the position that De Jong -- who only received a yellow card for the foul -- should incur supplemental discipline.
Garber, speaking to reporters following an event hosted by USL side and expansion hopeful the Sacramento Republic, agreed. ...
See the whole article here, courtesy of ESPN.
Kicking Back Comments: I agree with the decision and appreciated that the referee was left out of the mix on this one. Not too much has been made about only a caution being served up in this case.
That said, there was a comment that did catch my eye:
Reminds me of the old NASL ... and why the league went bankrupt.
I think MLS has a plan for that, but sorry to say I agree with the position of European geriatrics. Damn fine players, but certainly past their "sell by" date.
Correct me if I am wrong not only was there the Stuart Holden tackle a few years ago, but wasn't De Jong the same player of the famous "Karate Kick" of the 2010 World Cup Final? If memory serves, the referee (Howard Webb) also only gave a Yellow Card.
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 words for that kind of behavior on the field: Persistent Infringement.
For my money, 10 games is a minimum.
Sadly reality is MLS is the proverbial pasture where these old studs are sent to. And the league needs the exposure; good or bad.
Elie
Spot on in all account in my estimation sir.
DeleteThanks for reading!
PK