What's so different about Rooney?
Every single professional footballer knows that if they are violent towards anyone on the field of play there is only one option for the official to choose and that's a red card and sent off from the field of play.
At least that's what's supposed to happen; it clearly states in the rules of the game that violent conduct is a red card offence.
There isn't a breakdown of what kind of violence; which means any type and you're off for an early bath.
So when Wayne Rooney 'kicked out' at a Cardiff defender, it was an act of violence make no mistake about it, I expected the England forward to be shown the red card.
So when the referee went to his pocket and pulled a yellow one out my jaw bounced off the floor!
The referee was up with play and clearly saw the 'challenge', he also must have known and seen his intent, another reason to give him an early bath.
I just don't understand the yellow card? Was it a warning, 'don't do it again you naughty boy,' because if it was it makes the referee look even more stupid.
So when Manchester United went on to score the first goal it must have made Cardiff fans twice as mad as it was scored by a man who shouldn't have been on the pitch! He also set up the second; so Rooney loses his temper for a moment and Cardiff get punished for it three times! Not exactly fair really.
"The boy (Mutch) runs across his path and there's a bit of a tussle, but I didn't think it deserved any more than a yellow card," Moyes told Sky Sports.
"I don't think it was a lashing-out, I think it was more that he felt hard done-by with the boy running across his path with the ball.
"I didn't think it was a lash out to cause any harm, I think it was more of a disappointment that he lost the ball."
https://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/9041340?
I have written before about using modern technology in football and it appears every week that referees reinforce my view. It would have taken seconds, just seconds, to look at the incident and the referee wouldn't have looked so foolish as he did at the time.
We will never know if Cardiff could had gone on and won the game but we do know if the referee followed the rules then Rooney wouldn't have scored as he'd be in the stands watching the game.
Some might say it's the 'big club syndrome,' if Rooney was a Cardiff player would the colour of the card have been different?
I do believe bigger clubs get decisions but on this incident I think the official just bottled it; and the team that paid the price was the team that was offended against.
Would a ten man United side beat an eleven from Cardiff or vice versa?
Credit has to go to the Cardiff players: they could have gone looking for revenge, which really would have put a great deal of pressure on the ref, but played the game in the right spirit.
Of course the FA should look into this; not because Rooney 'got away with it,' but to hear the referee's version of events.
In every football rule manual and rule book it clearly states that violent behaviour and you're sent from the field of play; so what's so different about Rooney? The answer should be nothing but in South Wales it seems he was fireproof.
Written by Paul Moore, a football fan.