Referees to Get Tough at Euro 2008

The Euro 2008 referees were last week handed their instructions for Swissaustria. And the instructions were “get tough.”

The men in the middle have been told to “act firmly (red card) against challenges involving excessive force…including the illegal use of arms and elbows.” They’ve also been told to clamp down on dissent. “Referees can accept a spontaneous expression of frustration from players,” the instructions state, “but will firmly sanction players who show dissent to the referees by word or action.”

I’m sure Javier Mascherano will be glad to hear that Euro 2008 players will be receiving the same harsh treatment he got from Steve Bennett not so long ago. And it’s a shame Ashley Cole won’t be there with England, because we’d all love to see him try and treat the Euro refs the way he did Mike Riley.

So, yes, there’ll probably be an avalanche of cards at Euro 2008, at least until players adjust. And there’ll be at least one controversial sending off. But, unlike Mascherano, the players at Euro 2008 can’t say they haven’t been warned.