Worthy of a life time ban?

[bradw]

*Before I start I'd just like to mention I'm an Aussie and the incident I'm about to refer to happened in Australia

Recently, I was playing a game of soccer in my local league. The team we were playing were getting very physical, aggressive and eventually violent. My team mates and I thought they were merely playing with passion and we thought nothing of it. That is, until one of our players was punched from behind. A member of the opposition team run behind one of my team mates, lined him up and punched him in the back/side of the head. The blow knocked out my team mate and he hit the ground in a state of unconsciousness.
The player who was punched suffered from severe concussion for 7 days. The player pressed charges and the opposition player was charged with assault and received a 5 match ban.

I want to know if you think that the player should have received a life-time ban from playing soccer in our league.

To put this in perspective, a very similar incident occurred in a Football (Aussie rules) match in a small metropolitan league and the offender received a life-time ban from playing Aussie rules in all leagues in Australia.

So, what do you think?

 

[sandorski]

You came to the right place. ATOT has a global Soccer/Football rules arbitration reputation!!



I dunno, a 5 match ban seems alright to me.

 

[mulletgut]

Mate I don't understand the way the system works with soccer in Australia. A mate of mine got 6 weeks for swearing at another player but would have only got 3 weeks if had given him one on the chin.
Without knowing the background and all the circumstances, it's hard to be able to make a call on this.
It wasn't the Malita/Parramatta Eagles was it?

 

[George P Burdell]

Lifetime? No.

 

[Double Trouble]

Someone who is willing to potentially inflict serious injury on someone else over an amateur game (something where all the participants are there for the fun, not the money) is a danger to others and should never be allowed to play in that league again. In fact, the person should be charged and prosecuted in court and face potential jail time......

 

[Skacer]

I don't know what kind of punishment he should have gotten, but I will say that attacks from behind are one of the dumbest and more dangerous things someone can do and should be dealt with in that respect.

 

[paulxcook]

Kick him out for good, getting in a fight and throwing punches is not the same as running up behind a player and punching him in the back of the head.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: tagej
Someone who is willing to potentially inflict serious injury on someone else over an amateur game (something where all the participants are there for the fun, not the money) is a danger to others and should never be allowed to play in that league again. In fact, the person should be charged and prosecuted in court and face potential jail time......

I gradually tend to agree. Though for some reason in sports, it is more prominent to have violence because adrenaline is rushing and competition flairs tempers. Something is bound to happen. It's like putting a mouse into a snake pit. Self-control is a lot harder under those circumstances which is why more than half the time they get away with it in Hockey.

 

[KMFJD]

Ban him for a year...

/Aussie Rules FTW

 

[bradw]

Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: bradw
Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

This wasn't a brawl, it was (as you've presented it) an unprovoked attack from behind. Big difference.

 

[FallenHero]

i voted yes. There is no reason to do that at all...and that is coming from a person who has been in a fight during a soccer match.

 

[DangerAardvark]

Dispense some Aussie justice in the parking lot after the game.

 

[Cuda1447]

As someone else mentioned, a shot from behind is a hell of a lot different than a mutual fight. This was against someone who was defenseless. I don't know if I'd say lifetime ban, but at least a year. I have no problem with fighting in sports, but at least square off with the other guy. Don't cheap shot him in the back of the head.

 

[edro]

Hell yes kick him out.

There are many other leagues.

 

[Chiller2]

What no jail time?

 

[bradw]

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: bradw
Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

This wasn't a brawl, it was (as you've presented it) an unprovoked attack from behind. Big difference.

That's the point I'm making. Brawls are practically accepted in sports, but this was a cowardly attack on an unsuspecting player.

 

[biff 24 2000]

suspend him for the rest of the season, life ban seems a little harsh but i wasnt there to see it.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

It's one thing to go face to face... but a cheap shot from behind is another thing altogether.

I'm assuming this is rec league soccer? I don't know about a lifetime ban but the rest of the season seems reasonable.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Originally posted by: bradw

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: bradw
Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

This wasn't a brawl, it was (as you've presented it) an unprovoked attack from behind. Big difference.

That's the point I'm making. Brawls are practically accepted in sports, but this was a cowardly attack on an unsuspecting player.

What sport accepts brawls?

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: ch33zw1z

Originally posted by: bradw

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: bradw
Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

This wasn't a brawl, it was (as you've presented it) an unprovoked attack from behind. Big difference.

That's the point I'm making. Brawls are practically accepted in sports, but this was a cowardly attack on an unsuspecting player.

What sport accepts brawls?

Hockey.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: ch33zw1z

Originally posted by: bradw

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: bradw
Hmmm some good points raised. The league is known for being very short with punishments.
Might I also say that I've seen a lot of brawls, but this incident was sickening.

This wasn't a brawl, it was (as you've presented it) an unprovoked attack from behind. Big difference.

That's the point I'm making. Brawls are practically accepted in sports, but this was a cowardly attack on an unsuspecting player.

What sport accepts brawls?

Hockey.

What you don't see is that players are fined for fights. There are clean hits (aka, body checks) and dirty hits. Dirty hits send you to the penalty box. American Football is twice (if not much more) more violent than hockey actually is.