Should players be jailed for pre meditated/ dangerous tackles?

[stew]

Keane: Blatter would have put me in prison

Sunderland manager Roy Keane admits he would have gone to prison had Sepp Blatter's demand for some tackles to be made a criminal offence come into force while he was a player.


FIFA president Blatter wants those who deliberately make dangerous challenges to face legal action.


Keane was one of the finest midfield tacklers of his generation but there were occasions when the former Manchester United captain went over the top.

Most infamous was a knee-high lunge on Alf Inge Haaland during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in 2001, which Keane later revealed in his autobiography was a pre-meditated revenge attack for a spat that began four years earlier.

Speaking ahead of his side's Barclays Premier League game against Everton on Sunday, Keane said: 'I have to be careful with this subject. I would have been doing a bit of `porridge' myself!

'People in the media have been saying some of the tackles have been horrendous.

'I've heard before that if it happened in the street then you might be charged with assault.

'I know there's been one or two court cases over the years. You're opening a can of worms there - I think you'd have to be very careful.' 

I was wondering what you lot thought of Blatters plans. For me if it was pre meditated I would say then yes, it should be treated as asault an the decision should be to go to court, if not I think the courts should stay out of it although it might be hard to prove one way or another if it was a deliberate attack or not.

[The Real Laoislad]

He would have fitted in well in prison

[stew]

He would have fitted in well in prison

He might have Laois, however I am more interested in Blatters plans going forward and what people think about his ideas?

[Minder]

keanes was pre-meditated assault on haaland so he should have done an 8-10 stretch

[ExiledGael]

I don't think I've ever agreed with anything Blatter has said. Just a mouthpiece, who has his say on everything and seems miles out of touch with the game. Did he ever play the game?
All his suggestions seem to contravene either basic human rights/employment rights/basic law or common sense.
Nothing he says is worth listening too.

[Puckoon]

Where do you determine intention to hurt?

Considering they get the offside wrong enough times, how can you realistically send someone to prison for your interpretation of their tackle?

Assault within a game however (.i.e. being punched) should be considered the same as assault on the street.

[Square Ball]

proving this would be the same as trying to differentiate between murder and manslaughter,was it premeditated would be a hell of a thing to prove

[Lar Naparka]

"Nothing he says is worth listening too."
The fact that Blatter says something doesn't make it false.
A statement like that has to be judged on its own merits, regardless of who made it.
Going by stew's account in the starter post here, Blatter is talking of those making dangerous challenges during a game to be charged with a criminal offence.
Being charged with a criminal offense is not the same as being found guilty.
At least the accused would have the right to maintain innocence and the prosecution would have to make a sustainable case before the alleged wrongdoer would be convicted.

[Rav67]

There is a long-standing exception (in UK and Irish law anyway) to assault for sporting activites, manly horseplay and a few other things so it would be up to the courts to set a precedent and modify these execptions.  So Blatter's views are irrelevant.

[feetofflames]

Would anybody else take a broken leg for 9 months at a hundred grand a week.  Itd soon pay for a few strippers to man the side of the bed as you recover and you would still have change for the PiZZA takaway.  Lads soccor is no longer any more respectable than American football / wrestling in my eyes, gone to the money.  The greatest game on the earth is the biggest myth on earth.