The worst booking of the weekend: Didier Drogba after taking a kicking from Jonny Evans
Monday, November 9th, 2009
For all of Sir Alex’s moaning this Monday, arguably the worst decision during Sunday’s Chelsea-Manchester United match saw Didier Drogba incredibly booked after receiving a ninja kick in the ribs from Jonny Evans.
The incident occurred as Drogba attempted to chase down a long bouncing ball forward on the edge of the United box. Sadly for the Ivorian, Evans managed to reach the ball first and clear the imminent danger, but in doing so the defender followed through with a ninja-style kick on the Chelsea striker that left the forward pole-axed on the turf. Drogba, clearly in a lot of pain from the impact of having studs thrust into his chest, was left looking as if he was convulsing on the grass.
Amazingly though, rather than book Evans for dangerous play, it was Drogba who received the yellow card from the match official Martin Atkinson.
A shocking and virtually inexplicable decision from the man in black.
The Evans-Drogba incident can be seen here.
23 Responses to “The worst booking of the weekend: Didier Drogba after taking a kicking from Jonny Evans”
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November 9th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I think he was booked for taking too long to leave the pitch actually.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Or for all those previous times the diving malcontent got away with over acting and portraying somebody shot by a sniper…
November 9th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Well, the ref might not be exactly in a position to see the clear picture of the event, but where was the linesman, the third match official?
November 9th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
yes of course, he was wasting time despite the game being 0-0…………………………………..
I wonder if rooney would have been treated the same?
November 9th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Even as a Man Utd fan I find that ridiculous. Not only should Drogba have not been booked, Evans should have received at least a yellow.
Contact was unavoidable but a karate style kick in the chest? With studs up? Maybe even a red.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Drogba should have got a straight red the problem was when he was on the floor he was faking a convulsion.
Basically he must have given the physios a fright because if a person ever has a seizure the implications on the brain can be drastic.
I guess it was easier to tell if he was having a seizure or not from closer up as he wasn’t unconcious but you never fake anything like a seizure in any regard it is no laughing matter.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Obviously its not the way it should be done because there was clear contact from evans, but drogba for all the talent he has still feels he has to go down like a little girl. Hes about 6′3 and strong when he wants to be, but when he wants a free-kick he will go down when most players would stay up.
Its about time that he actually got hit hard and felt what its like to be hurt. The booking was for taking too long to leave the pitch and probably general boredom of seeing a player of that size and ability falling over all over the place.
Evans should really have recieved some sort of punishment, it will be interesting to see if it is followed up by the FA.
The referee and his assistants didnt exactly shine, with three pretty clear reasons for the goal not standing. No foul by fletcher, a foul on wes brown and drogba being offside.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
It may look bad in retrospect, but IMHO the referee got it right. Evans was playing the ball, and Drogba ran into him late, low and nowhere near the ball. Leading a jump with foot and knee is not atypical.
Had Drogba been near enough to play the ball, he would have already been in the air, and the contact would have been normal.
November 9th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Tom J,
Yeh you’re right, it was so inconsiderate of Drogba to chest poor Evans’ boot studs like that. I hope Evans is ok. At least he can take some consolation from the fact Drogba got booked. (note the sarcasm)
November 9th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
drogba was booked because he was running at evans in an attempt to upend him. if evans doesnt protect himself he goes flipping face first into the ground while drogba walks away unscathed. and if drogba was in such excruciating pain why is he back to running around just like normal in a matter of a couple of minutes?
November 9th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
TO Jack Sparrow:
Stay off the bottle and get back to your pirating…your confused opinions on football are not wanted.
Also, please let me kick you Ninja-Bruce-lee-style on the chest and maybe then we’ll see if you ‘fake a convulsion’ or not.
You are a grade-A baffoon, an absolute moron.
Not only was Drogba fouled, he was assaulted as he was clean through on goal, which means Jacky boy, that your boy Evan should’ve been sent off. But of course, old red-nose will not mention that.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
TO Jam:
You obviously have very little football knowledge. I’m guessing you’re one of these ever increasing armchair nerds who don’t actually play the game. Anyone with an ounce of football sense can see that Drogba realised at the last second that he couldn’t make the ball and decided to jump into Evans. He should have pulled out of the challenge and allowed Evans to head away, it’s not as if he was running full pelt and didn’t have time to pull out. Evans is running side on and like all good centre half used his legs to project himself upwards, therefore his leg makes contact with Drogba’s chest. Usually players jump around the same height and therefore there legs collide together or as is more common they clash heads. If you look at the replay Evans eyes are solely on the ball, it’s hard enough timing a header jumping at that height never mind simultaneously trying to kick an opponent in the chest.
Having said all of this I don’t believe Drogba should have been booked for the challenge However he definitely should have been booked for his bizarre fake seizure which reminded me of Heurelho Gomes in his early spurs days every time he flapped at a cross, him and Drogba appear to be slightly mentally unstable.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Sorry Jam, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Drogba was not through on goal, seeing as when he kicked him he had already headed the ball away.
You are suggesting that had Evans not kicked Drogba he would be one on one with the keeper, even though the ball was behind him?
And what is the difference between this, and say Terrys elbow on Valencia when he headed the ball? And if this should’ve been a red card, then surely Ivanovic’s knee high studs up challenge on Giggs’ knee should’ve been a red too?
But of course, you would not mention that.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Not taking either side here as I feel both players were in the wrong, but for those of you defending Evans, please watch the video again and notice Evans clearly taking his eyes off the ball and look at Drogba (as if taking aim) and then watch his body movement to make sure his foot connects. Yes, players can lead with their legs to get better height with their jump, but Evans was already at the apex of his jump and there is no other reason for the particular movement of his body and his leg that he made, other than to kick Drogba.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:34 am
I think Drogba was booked for faking near death only to be resurrected like Jesus Christ within 2 minutes.
He is one of the most dispicable cheats with constant feigning injury, nearly always with face contorted in agony, always looking to con referees, get players booked or sent-off, and constantly arguing every decision with referees, even when he is the furthest player from any incident.
He ruins every game I have seen Chelsea play with his boring and childish antics, and this season we have already seen Terry tell him during the Liverpool game to get up and stop the play-acting.
Whenever he goes down, have a look and see how many Chelsea players go up and see if he is ok - answer, ALWAYS - 0. They all know how he cons.
Shouldn’t have been booked on this occasion, but past 4,574 offences of play-acting probably taken into consideration.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:24 am
Drogba was nowhere near Evans. That’s why Evans had to stab out his leg to reach him.
He stabbed out his leg in order to deliberately stud Drogba in the chest. It’s not just a foul by Evans. It’s not just a red card for Evans. It’s a matter for the police.
As we learned over the weekend, an event that leads to ABH is not a matter that can be left to a police caution. It has to come to court. Evans should be jailed - no ifs or buts. Criminal assault is like that.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:54 am
Of course! Chelsea had to be the bad guys. United are the heroes is int it? What a shame? First of people saying the goal was off side. Please note that Drogba did not get the touch. So the goal stands. And by the way has anyone noticed what rooney said about the ref? When Drogba did this it became a very big issue and was banned for 3 matches. What about Rooney? Let off with a warning. For all those morons saying that drogba faked the kick, please let me kick you in the ribs like that and say you are faking it. Get up and get on with it asshole!
November 10th, 2009 at 7:35 am
drogba took the kick and still he stood up.he acted a bit but
had it been evans,he would have left the field on stretcher…..
November 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Drogba was pathetic, and that’s coming from a Chelsea fan. The reaction was far too extreme, and Evans, for a second, might’ve ended up panicking that he’d killed him!
That said, Evans had to reach his foot out, and even if Drogba was trying to upend him, a kick in the chest (which could’ve been face, for a shorter man) is a completely unacceptable “defence”. It’s like the Gerrard “I punched him cause I felt threatened”. Overreaction to the incident.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
drogba got what he deserved. hope all prem defenders watch this video. it is this easy to stop drogba.
kick him in the chest with your studs every time!
November 10th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Yep,
Kick Drogba square in the chest every time is the only way to stop him, and get his heart to stop ala Ewan Chatfield, Bravo!!. ( At least Willis came down the pitch and enquired of his next of kin)
Get real, if that had happened in the street, the culprit is looking at a jail sentence, if spooted on CCTV, never mind ablind eye being turned with millions looking in.
Evans even followed up with another crack whilst Drogba fell..unbelievable. it was serious foul play..straight red under the current rules.Those moaning that Drogba may have been offside later on, have lost the plot, if four officilas cannot see a serious assualt, then how the bloo blazes can they spot whether Drogbas studs may have made conatct with terry’s fine header??
People seem so blinkered (media led mongs) and feel that as it is a Chelsea player, it is deserved. Had that been Terry on Rooney, it would have been on SSN morning, noon and nite with calls for Terry to be sent to the Tower.
They did the same with Joe Cole in MoscoW eith ferdinand salmost decpapitating the winger, and it hardly merited a mention, such is the clear bias of agenda.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Shame, that Sky didn’t show the mirth on Andy Gray’s face and laffin boy Vidic’s a few seconds after Terry’s legitimate goal stood:)
November 10th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
i agree with you Lorna. how could they have seen that drogba did not touch the ball to warrant the goal an offside one when they did not see that mercenary evans plant his stud on drogba’s chest? the manures have been having things going their way that they forgot other teams in the EPL are entitled to win against them! the red nosed old man must have instructed his mercenaries to do all that is possible to stop drogba. well, we can all see just how drogba sends shivers down the spine of these guys! they even risk going to jail but to ensure they stop someone they can’t clearly stop.
About the ref, kindly tell us guys, how much, how much did you guys-manures- pay him to stay blind?
now we know how christiano’s money is being used! ha!