A wee bit angry

[faceless]

Football's gnash of the day
By PAT SHEEHAN
OCTOBER 23, 2006

SPURS star Jermain Defoe prepares to clamp his jaws on a rival yesterday in one of the most amazing scenes witnessed in English soccer. Striker Defoe, 24, bit the arm of Javier Mascherano after being brought down by the West Ham midfielder. Defoe?s face was contorted with anger as he put the bite on. Fans were stunned. But last night Tottenham Hotspur coach Martin Jol insisted it was only a NIBBLE, adding: ?It is part of the game.?

Referee Steve Bennett stepped in to separate the pair ? who were both on the ground ? amid amazing scenes at White Hart Lane. A 20-man brawl erupted as opposing players squared up. It took several minutes to restore order. Ex-West Ham player Defoe ? an England striker ? was given a yellow card, as was Argentinian Mascherano. Spurs boss Jol, whose team won 1-0, insisted the bite was a joke. He said: ?Defoe was nibbling ? you know the word ?nibbling? ? nibbling his arm. But if you ask Mascherano to show you any marks on it he will not be able to. Mascherano had kicked Jermain three times from behind in ten minutes and Defoe wanted to show his frustration in a nice, comical way.?

The Sun?s Richard Pelham, who took our Page One picture, said: ?They were both on the floor then all of a sudden Mascherano is rolling around and screaming in agony. Whether it was a vicious bite or just a nibble, you don?t expect to see a player of Defoe?s calibre involved in something like that.? Steve Midwinton, of West Ham Supporters? Club, said: ?It?s an assault. Players should not be allowed to get away with this.?

Sports Minister Richard Caborn called for the FA to examine photo evidence and act accordingly. He said: ?Players have a great responsibility to set a good example.? Police said: ?No allegation of a crime has been made.?

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Could he not have just waited for a bit and broke that guy's ankle in a crunching tackle like anyone else?!

[Skylace]

I never realized that "nibbling" was a part of the game. Of course, I've never really kept up with the rules of any sport!

[IRiSHMaFIA]

That's clearly unacceptable. I suppose knocking his teeth out would be fair game as well to get the ejit off your arm?

He should have been put in a cage on the side of the pitch so he couldn't bite anyone else

[faceless]

Masch: Chew brute, Jermain
By GARY PAYNE and IAN McGARRY
October 24, 2006

JAVIER MASCHERANO has laid into Jermain Defoe for biting him ? accusing the Tottenham striker of an ?unexpected and outrageous? attack. Defoe sank his teeth into the West Ham star?s left arm following an ugly clash on Sunday, prompting a 20-man brawl at White Hart Lane. Now Mascherano has angrily hit back at Defoe, insisting the England hitman should have been sent off. The Argie said: ?To receive a bite was the worst thing that?s happened to me since I came to England. Things weren?t going well for me but this was unexpected and outrageous. The strangest thing of the match was that the referee didn?t send him off. He was beside me and yet he didn?t take out the red card.?

Amazingly, Defoe will escape any further punishment. The FA are powerless to take action even though they would like to. Ref Steve Bennett booked both men. And FIFA rules prevent Soho Square from applying retrospective punishment to a player who has already been dealt with by the match official.

Defoe?s action, described as a ?comical nibble? by Spurs boss Martin Jol, caused widespread condemnation. The player yesterday admitted he had not set a good example but claimed the incident had been blown out of proportion. Arguments have been made that Manchester City?s Ben Thatcher received an extra suspension after his horror challenge on Portsmouth?s Pedro Mendes earlier this season. But the circumstances were different. In cases where a player has been the victim of violence and there is proof to that effect, it is possible to make an exception. But West Ham confirmed yesterday that Mascherano does not even have a mark on his arm where Defoe bit him.

The FA were rapped for taking retrospective action when they downgraded a red card shown to Jermaine Jenas when he played for Newcastle against Arsenal two seasons ago.

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[maycm]

By gum! I nice piece of incisor-tful writing there.

....I'll get my coat.