The "Triple Punishment" - Is It Too Severe?

Following the dismissals of Manchester City’s Martin Demichelis and Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny in their respective Champions League matches this week there has been much debate regarding the so-called “triple punishment” of those situations.

The idea behind the triple punishment concept is that it is too severe because there are three separate punishments for the offending team over one incident.

Firstly, there is the penalty the team has conceded which is – more often than not – going to result in a goal for the opposing team.

Next there is the dismissal of your player meaning that you have to play the remainder of that particular game with only ten men.

And finally there is the fact that you will have to play a certain number of games – dictated by how long his suspension is – without that player.

Some feel that this is too harsh and that the referee in both games should have just awarded the penalty instead of also dismissing the players.

First of all I would like to absolve the referees of all blame.

They are merely there to uphold the laws of the game whether that is something as serious as violent conduct or as trivial as a player being cautioned for removing his shirt when celebrating.

They are the enforcers of the law rather than the actual lawmakers.

So in this instance those people who are blaming the referees should be focusing their anger at UEFA or FIFA because they are the ones who decide what the laws should be, not referees.

Then we come to the actual issue of whether the punishment fits the crime.

Personally, I think it does.

Yes, you can argue it ruins the game as a spectacle but this is a competitive sport first and foremost and the punishment handed out was – in my opinion – appropriate.

Look at it from Bayern Munich’s point of view.

Arjen Robben was fouled by the goalkeeper in a situation where he had a clear goalscoring opportunity.

If the referee does not send off the offender in that situation then all Munich are left with is a missed penalty.

That is unfair. 

Wojciech Szczesny knows the rules.

He understood the risk he took in attempting to beat Robben to that ball.

It’s quite simple.

He has to be sent off.