Premier League must avoid NFL punishments but Everton booking raises questions

Tim Robinson booked Iliman Ndiaye aft the Everton midfielder flapped his arms successful beforehand of Brighton fans pursuing his winning punishment astatine the Amex Stadium past weekend

Michael Oliver’s reddish paper for Myles Lewis-Skelly was not the lone arguable refereeing determination of past play - different came astatine the Amex Stadium wherever Tim Robinson booked Iliman Ndiaye for a solemnisation that featured the Everton midfielder imitating a seagull. And I americium lone half-joking.

I americium nary instrumentality of seagulls myself but is that truly immoderate benignant of provocative offence? Booking players for what they bash successful solemnisation is, by its precise nature, a killjoy act, though Robinson would nary uncertainty reason that - arsenic Ndiaye besides cupped his receptor - the Everton subordinate was inciting the location fans.

But adjacent so, however tin a subordinate beryllium sanctioned for flapping his arms successful the benignant of a vertebrate portion others spell unsanctioned for pretending to unload rounds of instrumentality weapon fire? Those others intelligibly bash not mean immoderate offence and astir radical would astir apt see it over-sensitive but, considering what is happening successful the satellite and considering the occupation of weapon transgression connected the streets of truthful galore countries, it would beryllium perfectly understandable if shot authorities outlawed celebrations that marque ocular notation to firearms.

After all, that is what they person done successful the NFL successful the United States, for a agelong time. The Joshua Zirkzee instrumentality weapon solemnisation would bring swift punishment successful American football, arsenic would the sniper solemnisation that Phil Foden dusted down aft scoring a mates against Ipswich Town recently.

Xavier Worthy volition play successful Super Bowl LIX connected Sunday week but the wide receiver has been fined doubly this play for gun-related celebrations. And, connected the field, his squad were punished, being made to instrumentality the extra-point effort 15 yards further from the posts than is standard.

After Drake London had been penalised for making a shooting motion aft scoring against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver said: “There is simply a batch of worldly going astir successful the satellite with weapon unit that I don’t deliberation I should person done that.”

Footballers would constituent retired to the information that guns are often glamorised successful movies, connected television, and sometimes successful the media. And, against Bodo/Glimt earlier this season, Rasmus Hojlund marked a uncommon treble with a throat-slitting motion which helium explained was a notation to a quality successful the movie Gladiator 2.

That would not person washed successful the NFL, wherever the throat-slitting motion was deemed a punishable offence backmost successful the 1990s. The NFL besides tries to clamp down connected celebrations that taunt opponents.

Indeed, their galore behavioural policies saw the NFL go known, amongst galore players and fans, arsenic the No Fun League. No-one wants the Premier League - or, indeed, the EFL oregon immoderate shot league - to go a No Fun League.

Which is wherefore the booking of Ndiaye seemed peculiarly harsh, which is wherefore the removal of a jersey being a yellowish paper offence still, aft each these years, seems peculiarly harsh. But if authorities truly bash privation to marque definite celebrations bash not transverse immoderate benignant of line, archer players to chopped retired the weapon stuff. They mean nary harm but, successful this time and age, it’s truly not appropriate.

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