EXCLUSIVE
Graeme Souness: Kai Havertz ‘dive’ was perfect scenario for a blue card – we could eradicate it from the game
Kai Havertz' 'dive' during Arsenal's clash with Brentford was the perfect scenario for a blue card, according to Graeme Souness.
Football rulemakers left the world shocked earlier this year when announcing plans for a blue card to be trialled for dissent and 'anti-football' actions.
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These could include simulation, cheating and abusing referees, with the punishment being a spell in a sin bin before returning to action.
Those plans have since been shelved, even if the idea of a sin bin being introduced is still being explored.
Havertz was a central figure in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brentford after netting a late winner in the game, however Thomas Frank wasn't impressed due to his belief that the German star should have already been sent off.
Having already been booked, Havertz dived in the penalty area as he tried to win a penalty, but due to the decision going to VAR, no second yellow was allowed to be awarded.
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Souness had already spoken about his feeling that Havertz could have been given a blue card for his antics, something that he explained on Monday's White And Jordan.
Asked if he believes that a blue card could have been a worthy punishment for Havertz, Souness said: “100 per cent.
“If you ask 100 people what annoys them most in football they’d say it’s diving or pretending they’re injured so we eradicate it in two weeks if we introduce a sin bin.
“What would happen is that a team goes down to 10 men, in some cases concede a goal and then lose the game and so the managers would be after them.
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“I was working with Micah Richards on Sky one day and he said that Jack Grealish ‘buys fouls’. I asked him to explain and he said ‘he buys fouls, he goes down when he’s hardly been touched’
“So you’re trying to influence the referee and no matter what way you dress it up, you’re cheating and so in two weekends of the Premier League we eradicate it.”
Gabby Agbonlahor believes signing Kai Havertz has cost Mikel Arteta and Arsenal the Premier League title this season
Jim White then explained a scenario where Havertz spends 10 minutes in the sin bin and then comes out to score the winner, to which Souness said: “But maybe Brentford score in that 10 minutes.
“Are you daft? For 10 minutes he’s off the pitch and they’re down to 10 men and that means that Brentford have an enormous chance to score a goal and so maybe they win the game 2-1.”
Simon Jordan added: “Where I agree with Graeme is that if a guy is on a yellow card and simulates, I don’t think he should get a blue card, he should get a red.
“But what Graeme’s saying is that if the player has no offenses on the pitch, no yellow card and so the first instance of him doing that sees him get a yellow card, meaning there’s no effect on the team.
“But if that player gets a blue card and spends 10 minutes off the pitch then it moves into the player being consequenced and the team being consequenced.”
Souness then expanded: “Managers today will encourage their players to go down in the box and if you go down, pretend you’re injured.
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“It’s not something I ever did and it’s not something I encouraged players to do, but managers today will encourage that.
“That’s now part and parcel of our game and everybody does it – does that make it right?
“There’s two ways that the blue cards should be used, that’s one of them.
“The other thing you should use a blue card for is if you abuse a referee then go and sit over there for 10 minutes.
“You’re looking to improve the game. All I can say is that when I’ve spoken to people who play the game and people who have managed in the game, after I say what I’ve just said they start to nod their head.
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“It’s frustrating watching people throw themselves to the ground, simulating and cheating.”
The late winner from Havertz leaves Arsenal top of the Premier League on goal difference, with both Liverpool and Manchester City both within a point of them.
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