In brief
Most people agree that Ben Thatcher’s elbow on Pedro Mendes was the worst foul in Premier League history.
Even after watching the video, Thatcher’s choice to withhold a straight red card for the incident is remains puzzling.
Police looked into Thatcher’s activities, but Mendes decided not to file a criminal complaint.
The majority of people would concur that Ben Thatcher’s vicious elbow to Pedro Mendes is the worst foul in Premier League history, while there are a few other contenders. The startling incident happened in August 2006 during a Manchester City vs. Portsmouth Premier League match.
Thatcher poleaxed Mendes when he tried to clear the ball, and he somehow escaped a straight red card from referee Dermot Gallagher. Even if VAR wasn’t around in the middle of the 2000s, watching the video now makes the judgement even more perplexing. Gallagher should have sent Thatcher for an early wash based only on the condition in which Mendes was left. Various times, huh?
Video: The severity of the infraction is demonstrated by Thatcher’s Challenge on Mendes Footage.
Football before VAR
Man City's Ben Thatcher commits GBH on Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes. So bad that Police investigated the matter!
Ref Dermot Gallagher's punishment was disgraceful#MUFC #EPL #MCFC #Pompey
Fun Fact: Man City's stadium was still empty back in 2006 🤣 pic.twitter.com/BSyEldMqfA
— ET Heisenberg (@UtdHeisenberg_) August 31, 2023
Fortunately, there aren’t many fouls worse than that. Thatcher’s actions were nothing short of shameful. Mendes was approached to determine whether he wanted to pursue legal action after Greater Manchester Police received “a number of” public complaints regarding the challenge, which prompted an inquiry.
Redknapp, Harry called Foul “Out of Order” and said, “I like Ben, but that was wrong.”
The Manchester Evening News cited Portsmouth’s manager at the time, Harry Redknapp, as saying: “I knew what was coming as soon as I saw him sprinting into the corner. My life would have depended on it.
“You could not meet a nicer boy off the pitch,” he remarked about Thatcher. Regretfully, he is capable of performing such things on the pitch. It was completely out of sequence and a terrible task. Pedro won’t be with us tonight because he is in the hospital. He had a seizure or a fit of some sort. He wasn’t feeling well when he left the stadium, so we had to give him oxygen. We’ll check on him tomorrow.
Matt Taylor, a midfielder for Portsmouth, stated in his post-game interview:
“How could that not be a farewell? Do you have to murder someone? The FA must examine it. It is visible to everyone. Although I appreciate Ben as a man, that was incorrect.
Thatcher’s First Remark and Man City
Thatcher was fined and suspended by the city.
In a statement, City wished Mendes well and stated that manager Stuart Pearce had “dealt with” the situation internally. Thatcher added, apologising: “I attempted to find out how Pedro was right after the game. I apologised for what happened in a letter I wrote to him today. In response to the event, City fined Thatcher two weeks’ salary and suspended him indefinitely.
Stuart Pearce Didn’t Want Police Involved
But Man City boss admitted foul was ‘indefensible
“What happened on Wednesday was indefensible,” Pearce said. Discipline of any kind will be discussed at the board level, kept confidential, and then handled accordingly. I can guarantee that the gamer has been severely impacted by this. He lacks a sense of boldness. After returning home, he watched the challenge on TV. It gets worse the more you watch it.
“Ben is upset, but maybe he will grow from it. Although he is an aggressive player, occasionally he walks over the mark due to the red mist. I encourage my squad to play hard but fairly, but it’s my responsibility to make sure I lead them appropriately when they cross the line.
“This might be a huge wake-up call for Ben, in my opinion. That was a terrible challenge, and we are unable to defend it. Since this situation was so unacceptable, maybe it won’t happen again. Whether or not I want the cops to get involved is up in the air. Although other individuals could have other notions, football has its own laws and regulations to handle situations like this.
Luckily for Thatcher, the police stopped their inquiry after Mendes decided not to file a criminal complaint.
The professional history of Ben Thatcher
1992–1996
The Millwall
1996–2000
Wimbledon
From 2000 to 2003
Tottenham Hotspur
2003–2004
City of Leicester
2004–2007
City of Manchester
2007–2008
Charlton Sports
2008–2010
Town of Ipswich
Mendes said that the incident was a terrible one, calling it “the worst thing that happened in my career.”
Later, the Portuguese midfielder thought, “It was a horrible time. I don’t recall anything following the incident until I was in the hospital. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my professional life.
“At first, I was rather concerned about the incident’s potential aftereffects, but the doctors are certain that I will recover. Although the tackle was completely unwarranted, I am not the referee, therefore going forward, the decision is not dependent on me.”
“I wish I could erase that moment from my life,” Thatcher says in regret over the incident.
Regarding Thatcher, the former Wales player was pleased to acknowledge in 2014:
“That’s one moment in my life I wish I could erase.”
“What were you thinking?” my dad asked me the next day, he said. In all honesty, I was unable to inform you. Sincerely, I’m not sure if I struck him with my head, arm, or elbow. Just now, I ran at him. It wasn’t until their center-half Linvoy Primus told me to go meet him and apologise to him after the game that I realised how serious it was. “Is it that bad?” I asked. “Yeah, it was bad,” he said.
“After an evening game, I recall coming home to find my wife in bed, watching television. “What have you done?” she asked. I didn’t see the coverage till then.
The saddest part was that the newspaper’s main page included a picture of me in jail, indicating that I was in danger of going to jail when my young girl would have been four or five years old. My young daughter was able to read and became agitated. Evidently, a police inquiry was conducted, and the next morning the gravity of the situation became clear.
I hadn’t slept a wink when I went in to see Stuart Pearce. I needed some aid, some direction on what to do. I prayed that there was nothing wrong with the player’s long-term football career and stated that I needed to know what to do, first and foremost for his safety and well-being.
Pedro Mendes’s Professional Background
From 1998 to 2003
Guimaraes, Vitoria
From 1998 to 1999
Felgueiras (loan)
2003–2004
Porto
2004–2006
Tottenham Hotspur
From 2006 to 2008
Portsmouth
2008–2010
The Rangers
2010–2011
Playing CP
2011–2012
Guimaraes, Vitoria
“I considered calling him after writing him a letter, but would I answer the phone if it were me? Most likely not. It’s difficult to write, so I apologies to him. I also wrote to Dermot Gallagher, the referee, who is a genuinely nice guy. I’ve spoken to him subsequently, and I felt sorry for the stick he was receiving.
Thatcher received an £80,000 fine (half suspended) and an eight-game ban. After an independent FA hearing, he was also given a two-year suspension and a 15-match ban.
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