Jenas' red card rescinded
NEWCASTLE, England (AP) - The Football Association downgraded
Jermaine Jenas' red card to a yellow Monday after referee Steve
Bennett reviewed his decision to send off the Newcastle
midfielder.
Jenas was shown a red card after 32 minutes by Bennett on Sunday
when he tackled Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva at Highbury.
Arsenal won 2-0.
Bennett said at the time that Jenas had used excessive force.
Newcastle manager Graeme Souness was so angry he refused to conduct
any post-match interviews and also banned his players from doing
so.
Bennett wrote to Newcastle on Monday to apologize for an "error of
judgment."
Newcastle said in a statement: "He has requested that the Football
Association downgrade the dismissal to a yellow card and this has
been confirmed by the FA."
The FA said a disciplinary commission had agreed with Bennett's
request to downgrade the red card to a caution.
"Fair play to the referee for having another look at the incident
and making this decision," Souness said. "We have to be happy that
he has made it.
"I said after the game that it was never a sending-off offence.
There was no doubt in my mind that the tackle from JJ didn't
deserve a red card."
Earlier Monday, Souness blamed himself for Jenas' sending
off.
"I blame myself to be honest," Souness said. "About 10 seconds
before the sending-off, I was standing on the touchline shouting to
Jermaine to be stronger in the tackle.
"He was strong in the tackle, and that happens to him. He is very
down about it, and he has every right to be because it was a wrong
decision."
Souness, who has been punished in the past by the Football
Association for criticizing referees, said he wasn't going to make
the same mistake.
"If you speak your mind, you end up in trouble, so I'm not going to
speak about him and the same goes for my players," Souness
said.
Souness said the sending off changed the match
"I'm certain that with 11 men on the field we would have got
something from the match," Souness said. "We defended well with 10
men, we were frustrating them, and I believed we were going to get
something." -
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2005/08/15/1174245-ap.html