This tackle (pictured) in only the 3rd minute of the game was greeted by applause from the 40,000+ crowd, not one Newcastle player appealed for a free-kick and play carried on for a few seconds before the referee blew for a City free-kick. Then and only then did attention turn to Ben Arfa, who hadn't moved since the tackle.
After a few minutes of the Newcastle physio being on the pitch it was clear that the situation was worse than first thought. Then the player was administered oxygen and the stretcher was called. The concern around the ground grew. As the player was tied to the stretcher and carried off, the crowd applauded again and the Ben Arfa gave a quick wave of appreciation as he disappeared down the tunnel. The news came through after the game that Ben Arfa suffered from a broken tibula and fibula but at the time, for most in the crowd, the incident was soon forgotten as an action-packed match ended in a fortuitous 2-1 win for the home side.
However, the post match debates didn't focus on a fantastic winning goal from young, English winger Adam Johnson, or two debatable penalty decisions that both went against the away side. Nope, the world was in uproar over the "wild" and "nasty" challenge. So called 'pundits' almost fell over each other trying to jump on the bandwagon; none more so than the angel that is Stan Collymore, who said, "De Jong wrapped his legs around him and broke his leg." Now watch this and tell me where you see what Collymore saw... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b1w5IwhORg
I saw De Jong make a strong tackle, winning the ball and catching Ben Arfa with his trailing leg. It wasn't double footed and the studs weren't raised. Quite within the laws of the game, no? Now we know De Jong has a history of bad tackles; most notably this infamous challenge on Spain's Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final...
There's no doubting this deserved a red card and De Jong wrongly got away with it, but this tackle in front of a watching audience of over 700 million did his already poor reputation no good. Earlier in the year whilst on international duty again, De Jong fractured the leg of USA midfielder Stuart Holden. Yet the facts speak for themselves. De Jong has received just one red card in his entire career- and even that was for two bookable offences- in a UEFA Cup game for Hamburg in 2006.
But the media outcry was just the tip of the iceberg. Astonishingly, Dutch national coach responded to criticism in his and De Jong's homeland by dropping him from the Dutch squad for the Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Moldova and Sweden, adding, "I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit". Not only this, but Newcastle United, then wrote the the FA citing the tackle was "unnecessary and used excessive force" as a reason, even though the referee saw the incident and let play continue.
However, most ludicrously of all was the reaction of Hatem Ben Arfa's parent club, Marseille. They threatened to SUE De Jong. Chairman Jean-Claude Dassier said, "We will file a complaint against De Jong. It's about getting rid of this type of individual from European grounds." Now, when I first heard this revelation, I quite simply could not believe it. They want to sue a football player for a tackle that the referee did not even deem worthy of a free-kick. In the past couple of years, in the Premiership especially, there have been a number of tackles that have been far, far worse. For example, in February, Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross broke the leg of young Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, the result of which was this:
Yes, Ryan Shawcross received a red card for this tackle (and rightly so) but just a few hours later, Fabio Capello decided to include him in the England squad for the first time.
My point is, that after this tackle, not even Arsene Wenger called for Shawcross to be sued. So quite how Marseille can find reason to try and sue De Jong over a tackle that wasn't even worth a free-kick is beyond me.
Accidents happen in football. It's part and parcel of the game- always has been, always will be. Hatem Ben Arfa breaking his leg was nothing more than an accident. Do you think for one minute that De Jong thought to himself, "Right, I'm gonna break his leg," before he went in for that tackle?
The previous week, De Jong received praise from all quarters for his man-of-the-match performance in City's 1-0 win over champions Chelsea. In the opening minutes of that game, De Jong made a strong but fair tackle on Chelsea's midfield power-house Michael Essien. The sole purpose of this tackle was to let Essien know he was in for a tough game, and it did it's job- Essien was quiet throughout. De Jong's tackle on Ben Arfa (Newcastle's danger man) was of the same purpose. Unfortunately, after winning the ball, De Jong's trailing leg caught Ben Arfa's and the result was horrific. But it was an accident.
I can only hope that De Jong does not change his approach to the game for City. His work-rate, never-say-die attitude and tough tackling has endeared him to the fans of the club. Accidents happen in football and this was one of them. I just pray that De Jong knows this.
