What a load of bollocks this is. Liam Roberts, that bellend of a goalkeeper for Millwall, has been handed a six-match ban for his horror challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta. And rightly fucking so, I say!
The tackle heard 'round the world
In the eighth minute of Millwall's 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend, Roberts decided to take fucking liberties with a flying tackle on Mateta. The poor sod was rushed to hospital and given 25 stitches in his ear. 25 fucking stitches! That's a proper piss-take, that is.
The aftermath
Palace chairman Steve Parish called it "the most reckless challenge he'd ever seen", and I couldn't agree more. The Football Association (FA) initially handed Roberts a three-match ban, but they must've been taking the piss. Thankfully, they've doubled it now. Good on ya, FA!
Roberts issued a statement, blabbering on about how devastated he is and how he never meant to hurt anyone. Well, cry me a fucking river, mate. You're a goalkeeper, not a fucking hitman. Keep your tackles to yourself next time.
Millwall fans, being the muppets they are, rallied behind Roberts in the eighth minute of their Championship clash with Bristol City. They clapped and cheered for their fellow mug. Embarrassing, I tell ya. Every bloody club does something similar these days, with their hashtags and prayers. It's all a load of crap.
My take
Look, I'm all for a bit of banter and physicality in the beautiful game, but there's a line. And Roberts crossed it with that tackle. It was reckless, dangerous, and had no place on the pitch. I don't give a toss if he meant it or not. He did it, and now he's paying the price. End of.
Six matches isn't enough, if you ask me. I'd have thrown the book at him and then some. Make an example out of him, show that this kind of shit won't be tolerated. But what do I know? I'm just a pissed-off football fanatic who's sick of seeing players take the piss and get away with it.
