Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has voiced his concerns over the state of the disciplinary standards in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old, who has had a four-match ban withheld by the Football Association following an appeal, believes that his controversial tackle on Nani during the side's 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United was justified.
"I appealed because I obviously completely disagreed with the interpretation of the officials on the day but that happens in football and we move on," Kompany wrote on his Facebook page. "I wonder though if we are now going to see an unprecedented wave of red cards on match days because we sanction "if's" and "maybe's"?
"Are we going to look back at video evidence for every single challenge that goes unnoticed by the officials, look at different scenarios and potential outcomes of what could have been considered a good tackle and then sanction it? Players and managers are starting to expect more sending offs from referees and I think it's for the wrong reasons.
"My understanding is that English football prides itself on the hardness, the fairness and the tradition of its game. That is why hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch Premier League football and English referees have always been a key factor to that success in my opinion."
While the Belgium defender refuses to criticise referees, he believes that there is a lack of "common sense" when some decisions are made.
"Hopefully common sense will prevail again in the future and I for one hope not to see consistency in sending offs and suspensions when the intent of a player is to win the ball," he added.
Kompany will miss both Carling Cup semi-final legs against Liverpool as well as Premier League clashes with Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic.
Danielle Joynson
