Tune of the Week 
After umm-ing and ahh-ing for at least 2 weeks longer than necessary, the FA have decided to bite the bullet and suspend Ben Thatcher for 23 matches.
23 matches, in the same way a sentence of 10 years means 10 years - not even close. 15 matches of the ban are suspended - presumably till his next pre-season tour of China.
So he has, in immediate terms, an 8 match ban. Remembering that Man City had already banned him for 6 games, the FA’s public gnashing of teeth came down to a top-up ban of 2 matches.
Was it really worth it? Rooney got a longer ban for having the audacity to jump for a ball against Porto, so according the the FA, hospitalising a fellow professional is no worse than taking your shirt off to celebrate a goal twice in a game.
A few weeks ago, Mendes said “I leave it in the hands of the rulers of the game to act appropriately.” I wonder if he views a 2 game top-up ban as ‘appropriate’ and whether he’s having second thoughts about legal action.
If the FA are incapable of policing the game properly, maybe there is a case for involving the Police in these matters after all.
~ TranceFixed
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