It's a fair Kop, says
Javier, I deserve to be banned.
Javier Mascherano has issued a public apology for his
dissent towards referee Steve Bennett and indicated a willingness
to accept the extended two-match ban and £15,000 fine dished out on
Thursday by the FA. Though Liverpool may yet appeal against the
extent of his additional punishment, the Argentina midfielder was
full of remorse as he reflected on his hearing before a
disciplinary panel, acknowledging that he had been in the
wrong.
Mascherano, who was outstanding once again in Liverpool's 1-1
Champions League draw at Arsenal on Wednesday, will miss the
Barclays Premier League matches against Arsenal on Saturday and
Blackburn, unless Liverpool challenge the ruling.
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail on Thursday night, he
said: 'I apologise to everyone. I made a mistake and I regret this
mistake. It was my fault. 'I am not a dirty player, I do not make a
habit of showing disrespect towards referees, I don't like this and
I can only think the high intensity of the fixture, against
Manchester United, affected my behaviour that day. It was out of
character but I do not use that as an excuse.'
Mascherano is not the sort of player you expect to see chasing
officials. He has an excellent disciplinary record and takes pride
in his sweeping style of tackling. 'It is a bad thing when you let
down your team-mates and leave them to play with 10 men, especially
against Manchester United,' he said. 'They have been supportive and
so have the Liverpool fans, but it didn't take away the pain.
Looking back at that game, I was wrong to approach the referee. I
approached him to talk to him but I understand this was not a good
idea.
'I reacted badly to the red card because I could not believe
what was happening to me. 'I must learn my lesson but move on from
this and forget what has happened. I hope people know that I try to
be fair and that I have no intention to be aggressive. 'I have to
concentrate on the matches I can play in and stay focused on the
Champions League. We have enjoyed a very good result against
Arsenal and I am very much looking forward to the second leg.
'It is time for me to move forward but not to forget the lessons
from the past and the match at Manchester United. 'Off the field it
has been a difficult time for me. My disciplinary record has been
good until now but I have to show that again. I always try to
respect decisions by the referee and this is important.'
Though Mascherano accepted every refereeing decision without
complaint at the Emirates on Wednesday, and appeared keen to draw a
line under his brush with authority, Anfield officials consider an
additional two-match suspension to be excessive in comparison to
similar cases.
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor staged a long protest after
being sent off in last season's Carling Cup Final against Chelsea,
while Watford's John Eustace was just as reluctant to leave the
pitch after being dismissed last month.
Both players had their automatic bans extended by only one match
and Liverpool are unhappy that Mascherano appears to be paying what
they feel is an unfair price for stepping out of line in the midst
of a crackdown on player conduct.
Ashley Cole's show of contempt towards Mike Riley, in turning
his back on the Leeds referee after being booked in Chelsea's 4-4
draw at Tottenham, highlighted the need for greater respect towards
officials.
While firmly in favour of any campaign to curb player dissent,
Liverpool feel Mascherano has been made a scapegoat for the
misdemeanours of others and are contemplating an appeal before
Friday's noon deadline against the second of his two-game ban.
