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      Premier League ace in hospital after horror clash of heads as manager blasts rival’s ‘almost life-endangering’ challenge

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      PREMIER LEAGUE ace Michael Mellon is in hospital after an horrific clash of heads at the weekend.The on-loan Dundee striker’s boss Tony Docherty has slammed St Johnstone’s Liam Gordon for causing the “almost life-endangering” injuries.
      Michael Mellon suffered an horrific head injury in Dundee’s win over St JohnstoneCredit: Willie Vass
      The on-loan Burnley striker was rushed to hospital after the collision with Liam GordonCredit: Willie Vass
      And he also raged at referee David Munro for waving play on after the horror incident in injury-time of the Dark Blues’ 2-1 Scottish Premiership victory on Sunday.
      The 20-year-old Scottish U21 striker Mellon left Burnley to join Dundee last month after previously impressing in Leagues One and Two with Morecambe.
      He is already off the mark north of the border after scoring on his debut and grabbing two assists against Livingston.
      However, he suffered a horrible blow yesterday and was rushed to hospital from Dens Park in an ambulance after the sickening collision with St Johnstone captain Gordon.
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      Ref Munro was just yards away but signalled for the game to continue – although Dundee’s medic Dr McCormack ignored that and sprinted onto the pitch to administer treatment.
      After the game the clearly emotionally-charged Docherty didn’t hold back on his view of what had gone on.
      He said: “He’s not great. I’d like the referee to comment on that.
      “For me, that was almost life-endangering. And to not even get a booking for it . . . 
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      “Michael is a top boy in our team and I’m concerned for him because he took a really bad blow to the back of the head.
      “Luckily we have a brilliant doctor here, Dr McCormack, who didn’t pay any attention to the referee and ran on the pitch. He recognised what happened.
      St Mirren fans charge at Dundee supporters after ruckus with stewards
      “It was a sour note at the end of the game and the player’s welfare is the most important thing. But I’d like you to ask the referee about it.”
      Now Dundee have confirmed that they are putting in an official complaint as they provided concerned supporters with an update on the star’s condition.
      A statement read: “Michael sustained a significant head injury in yesterday’s match against St Johnstone, but thanks to the swift intervention by Dr McCormack and the medical team, his condition was stabilised and he was transferred to Ninewells Hospital Accident and Emergency Department.
      “Following specialist investigations he was discharged with appropriate head injury advice.
      “He will continue his recovery under the supervision of the club’s medical team in accordance with concussion protocols.”
      It then added: “The club is today writing to the Scottish FA in the strongest terms to express its serious concerns that play was not stopped to allow immediate attention to Michael after what was clearly a dreadful head clash.”
      Dundee’s doctor was praised for racing straight on to give treatmentCredit: Willie Vass
      Dundee boss Tony Docherty slammed the challenge on Mellon (left)Credit: Rex More

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      Who is Afcon 2023 final referee Dahane Beida?

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      THE Africa Cup of Nations final is upon us after a thrilling tournament in the Ivory Coast.And the refereeing team has been decided with a Mauritanian star named as the official for the big one.
      Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida is refereeing the Afcon finalCredit: AFP
      Who is Afcon final referee Dahane Beida?
      Dahane Beida is refereeing the Afcon final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
      Beida is a 32-year-old Mauritanian official, and was the referee for Egypt’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Mozambique in the group stage.
      That match saw Mo Salah score a dramatic 97th-minute penalty which Beida gave after a VAR call.
      Beida was also in charge of Angola’s 3-0 win over Namibia in the Last 16, in which a player from either side was sent off inside the first half.
      Angola’s goalkeeper Neblu was red carded in the 17th-minute for handling the ball outside his area, before Namibia’s Lubeni Haukongo was given a second yellow five minutes before the break.
      An Afcon statement read: “Dahane Beida, aged 32, will be the on-pitch referee for this crucial match, marking his third appearance at this year’s TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
      “Previously, he officiated the match between Egypt and Mozambique, which ended in a 2-2 draw during the group stage, as well as the Round of 16 clash where Angola secured a 3-0 victory over Namibia.
      “Assisting Dahane Beida will be Emiliano Dos Santos from Angola and Diana Chicotesha from Zambia, Morocco’s Bouchra Karboubi will serve as the fourth official.”
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      Dahane Beida shows a red to Namibia defender Lubeni HaukongoCredit: AFP
      When is Nigeria vs Ivory Coast?

      Nigeria’s big Afcon final clash with Ivory Coast will take place on Sunday, February 11.
      The game will kick off at 8pm UK time.
      Nigeria vs Ivory Coast will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

      What channel is it and can it be live streamed?

      Nigeria vs Ivory Coast will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football and BBC Three in the UK.
      You can live stream the action from the NOW TV or Sky Go app, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
      The game is also available to stream for FREE from the BBC iPlayer, so long as you have a valid TV licence. More

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      The Premier League stars who would have been shown most blue cards with Man Utd star set for lengthy spell in sin bin

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      FOOTBALL is set to see the introduction of BLUE CARDS that will see players sent to the sin-bin temporarily.Players on the receiving end of the new blue card will have to spend 10 minutes off the pitch before they are re-introduced to the game.
      Football looks set to see the shock introduction of blue cardsCredit: AFP
      The cards will be dished out to players who are guilty of showing dissent to the officials and could be extended to obvious cynical fouling.
      It would replace the yellow card that is currently in place for those offences.
      If the rule was to be implemented in the Premier League then this could see a number of players spending vital minutes in the sin-bin.
      And with plenty of cards already branded for dissent this season the new rule could spell trouble for some of the Premier League’s biggest stars.
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      Bruno Fernandes leads the way this season as the man who has been booked for dissent the most.
      The Manchester United captain has seen yellow FOUR times already for acting out to the officials in the league.
      That would amount to 40 minutes on the sidelines in total if those bookings were replaced with the proposed sin-bin punishment.
      Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson and Fulham man Andreas Perreira also have four booking each this season for showing dissent towards the officials – meaning they too would be watching on from the bench for 40 minutes.
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      Bruno Fernandes would be sitting out plenty of football with his tally of cards this seasonCredit: Alamy
      Nicolas Jackson has also been booked four times for dissentCredit: Reuters
      However players who have been racking up the yellows this season may now take a sigh of relief as the announcement has been delayed, throwing the whole proposition into doubt.
      Seven other players have totted up three bookings this term for having a whinge at the referee.
      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change
      Wolves star Matheus Cunha and Bournemouth keeper Neto would see themselves heavily punished by the blue cards, while Man Utd’s Diogo Dalot has also picked up three bookings for dissent this season.
      Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has would also have been sent to the sin-bin three times alongside Enzo Fernandez, Sean Longstaff and Lucas Paqueta.
      The proposed introduction of blue cards has been met with widespread backlash.
      Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey labelled the idea as “nonsense”.
      While Gunners icon Paul Merson has previously gone on record to say that the idea of a sin-bin in football would “kill the game”.
      And fellow ex-Arsenal man Mesut Ozil has claimed that Atletico Madrid will be forced to play with hardly any players due to their style of play.
      Andreas Perreira’s cards this season spell bad news for a potential blue card introductionCredit: Reuters
      Gabriel Jesus has also picked up a number of bookings for dissentCredit: Getty More

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      Controversial new blue card has ALREADY been used in football, with former star punished in huge derby clash

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      CONTROVERSIAL plans to implement a new blue card in football have already been in use around the world, including one of the most intense derbies in football.Yesterday it was reported football lawmakers Ifab are planning to bring in a new blue card following successful trials at grassroots level.
      A controversial rule blue card is set to be introduced in footballCredit: Reuters
      But the new blue card has already been used in one of the world’s hottest derbiesCredit: Reuters
      The new card would see players handed a 10-minute sin-bin similar to that seen in rugby, with the card being dished out for cynical fouls or for dissent against the match officials.
      These offences are all currently punished with a yellow and like a yellow card, players who received two blue cards will be sent off.
      If implemented at the top level, blue cards will be the first major disciplinary change since the introduction of yellow and red cards back in 1970.
      SunSport understands the card could be introduced in FA competitions such as the Trophy or Vase, they will NOT be added into the FA Cup.
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      However, the card has already been used at the top level in Uruguay, albeit more than 20 years ago.
      During a derby match between Peñarol and Nacional de Montevideo – the oldest derby outside of the British Isles – a blue card was issued to Robert “El Bola” Lima.
      After the card was brandished Peñarol were forced to play for five minutes with a man down before he was reintroduced.
      Back then the rule was a five-minute sin-bin, half of what Ifab are proposing today.
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      Blue MurderBy Martin Lipton
      IT’S a sin for football to allow cynical cheats to get away with it.
      So introducing ten-minute sin-bins would be a big step forward for the game.
      In truth, it does not matter what card the referee shows – blue, green or pink.
      What matters is that, if the trial – which will not include the Prem or EFL at this stage – is a success, then it could become part of top tier professional football by the end of the decade.
      The argument is simple: Nobody likes what Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina describes as “anti-football action”.
      That is a deliberate, cynical act to stop a potential break by fouling a rival with absolutely no attempt to play the ball.
      If teams who do that have to spend the last 10 minutes of a game a man short, they could pay a real price, rather than just picking up a yellow card and “taking one for the team”.
      Sin bins for dissent might be a tougher argument to progress, although it might just give refs some respect back.
      But having players sat by the side of the pitch, powerless as their man-short side concedes a last-gasp winner, might actually change the way players behave. And it will be a statement of intent.

      The 10-minute deterrent may see the end of fouls such as Italy star Giorgio Chiellini’s brutal tug on England star Bukayo Saka in the Euro 2020 final.
      Meanwhile, data from OptaJoe has revealed there have been a record number of yellow cards dished out for dissent (233) and time-wasting (121) this season.
      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change
      Tony Scholes, the Prem’s chief football officer, said: “We’ve discussed sin bins with Ifab, in the same way we’ve discussed all the potential law change trials.
      “I don’t think sin bins will be available to us as a top competition anyway, yet.
      “That’s whether or not we wanted to use them.
      “But they will not be used by the Premier League next season.” More

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      I was a Premier League referee who handled Keane and Terry – blue cards are NONSENSE, we are over-complicating football

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      THE idea to introduce blue cards into football is nonsense.Trials in amateur and youth games in both England and Wales saw referees have the power to send players off the pitch for 10 minutes for dissent or denying a promising attack.
      Mark Halsey does not want blue cards introduced into the gameCredit: Rex
      Halsey dealt with hard men such as former Manchester United captain Roy KeaneCredit: Alamy
      But I’d like to know what the full protocol will be because I have major doubts.
      Firstly, I don’t see a difference between a current yellow card and this new blue card?
      Yellow cards are already used as a warning to players that if they persist with misconduct then further punishment will follow. So what’s the difference?
      We don’t need blue cards if officials manage the game properly in itscurrent form.
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      I never showed many yellow cards for dissent throughout my careerbecause one of the main jobs of a referee is to have control and man-manage the players on the pitch.
      And I had to manage the likes of Craig Bellamy, Roy Keane, AlanShearer, John Terry, Danny Murphy, Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard, who were all big personalities and not afraid to tell me what theythought of my decisions!
      By bringing in a blue card is effectively telling officials they have lost the art of managing players.
      Rather than show a yellow or what could be a blue card I would speakand build relationships to avoid further sanction and maintain fairplay.
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      Another point on this is tactical or cynical fouls are not worded in the laws of the game so why are we changing our game for something so trivial?
      Whether this comes into non-league or elite football it doesn’t matter.
      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change
      Who is going to enjoy a match that could be decided by blue cards?
      Imagine watching a game with nine players against seven – it wouldmake the game farcical.
      Officials have enough on their plates at the moment without sendingplayers to a sin-bin for 10 minutes.
      We are over-complicating football and only going to confuse more people.
      It’s a simple game which is being made difficult by others.
      Just look at VAR. As I have said many times, it’s been a disaster since its introduction.
      Football has been in existence for many years but IFAB are constantlytrying to spoil our game.
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      They have regular meetings about law changes but are they talking to the people that matter? They are only making the game worse.
      Please leave it alone. More

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      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change

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      PAUL MERSON has slammed the potential introduction of sin-bins to football.It was revealed yesterday that blue cards could be brought into the game.
      Paul Merson thinks sin-bins will ruin footballCredit: @SkySportsNews
      Blue cards could be introducedCredit: Getty
      Players on the receiving end will have to spend ten minutes off the pitch if they are guilty of committing a cynical foul or dissent towards an official.
      All offences are currently punished with a yellow and similarly to a current booking, two blue cards for a player will mean they are sent off.
      Former England international Paul Merson has been highly critical of the controversial proposal that could be tested in the FA Trophy and Vase competitions next season.
      The Sky Sports pundit said: “They’re trying to copy rugby, they are very good at it, they’ve been working on it for a long time.
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      “But their sin-bin is massive, you’re talking seven to ten points, the game opens up – it’s very rare you are not going to get majorly punished.
      “In football, you just sit ten behind the ball and the game will be killed.
      “The ball will go out and they’ll jog and get it, they’ll waste time.
      “Then someone else will be sin-binned and everybody will be looking at the scoreboard going: ‘Tom is coming back on in four, so and so is back in three, what will be then? Then we will be 10 vs 10.’
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      “That’s how it’s going to be. That’s not football. They’re ruining the game.
      “It doesn’t have to be changed that much, we are talking about the greatest sport in the world and you’re trying to change it.”
      Huge football rule change set to be introduced with BLUE CARD and players dumped in 10-minute sin bin
      “10 vs 11 doesn’t always work. It kills the game sometimes.”
      Merson claims the footie law makers at Ifab are focusing on clamping down on the wrong offence.
      He continued: “It’s when people are cheating that’s what we’ve got to stop – that’s what they’re not looking at.
      “Nowadays people are going over and if they go over and don’t get a penalty it doesn’t matter.

      “But they might as well try with the people upstairs, who haven’t got a clue, let’s be honest, they haven’t got a clue.
      “So why wouldn’t you chance your arm?”
      There are no plans at this stage to implement sin-bins in next season’s major competitions.
      Ifab have also discussed other four other major rule changes.
      Time-wasting goalkeepers could have a corner given against them and matches could be stopped after flare-ups for “cooling off periods”.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      Meanwhile, defending players may now get a straight red card for any deliberate handballs in the box.
      And only the team captain is allowed to approach the referee to protest a decision.
      By Martin Lipton
      IT’S a sin for football to allow cynical cheats to get away with it.
      So introducing ten-minute sin-bins would be a big step forward for the game.
      In truth, it does not matter what card the referee shows – blue, green or pink.
      What matters is that, if the trial – which will not include the Prem or EFL at this stage – is a success, then it could become part of top tier professional football by the end of the decade.
      The argument is simple: Nobody likes what Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina describes as “anti-football action”.
      That is a deliberate, cynical act to stop a potential break by fouling a rival with absolutely no attempt to play the ball.
      If teams who do that have to spend the last 10 minutes of a game a man short, they could pay a real price, rather than just picking up a yellow card and “taking one for the team”.
      Sin bins for dissent might be a tougher argument to progress, although it might just give refs some respect back.
      But having players sat by the side of the pitch, powerless as their man-short side concedes a last-gasp winner, might actually change the way players behave. And it will be a statement of intent. More

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      Managers tell Premier League chiefs they have ‘absolutely no idea’ what the handball Law is as they’re asked for help

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      PREMIER LEAGUE managers have told league chiefs they have “absolutely no idea” what the handball Law is supposed to be.And now top flight leaders are asking managers and players to help them determine where referees should draw a line on handball and other incidents.
      Premier League managers have ‘absolutely no idea’ what the handball rule isCredit: Rex
      Now refs and league chiefs are asking players and bosses for helpCredit: Getty
      League leaders also concede that VAR delays are making the match-going experience “poor” for supporters.
      Despite that, they insist that Prem referees are “as good if not better than they have ever been”.
      And while there was a vow to speed up decision making, the league cannot promise that Uefa-style limb-tracking technology will be introduced next season.
      The concerns of top flight managers emerged at a meeting with the Prem earlier this season – following a number of contentious calls
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      Tony Scholes, the former Stoke executive who is now the Prem’s Chief Football Officer, said: “One manager made the comment, which was supported by a number of the others, that he had ‘absolutely no idea’ where the handball law was.
      “Then they commented on where they thought it should be..
      “We believe we have to serve the game and how football feels the Laws should be interpreted.
      “So we are now talking to captains, managers, club executives and consulting the PFA, LMA and Football Supporters Association to try to find agreement going forward.”
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      Howard Webb and his team at PGMOL have come under fire over a series of calls this term, with Arsenal, Wolves and Nottingham Forest among clubs who have written official letters of complaint.
      Scholes suggested that was a “disappointing” stance and said the rulings by the league’s Key Match Incident panel, made up of former players, managers and referees, indicated officials were “as good or even better than they have ever been”.
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      Prem figures said that of the 57 decisions changed by VAR so far this term, only THREE – Luiz Diaz’ wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool at Spurs, a “handball” goal by Burnley’s Sander Berge that was ruled out at Nottingham Forest and the Kai Havertz penalty that was overturned in Arsenal’s win over Manchester United were mistakes.
      In addition, there were a further 17 incidents where VAR officials should have intervened, but Scholes pointed out: “Last year there had been 25 such errors by this point in the season and now we are getting 96 per cent of decisions right.”
      The time it is taking to come to some decisions is making the experience for the fan in the stadium a poor one, nowhere near good enoughPrem’s chief football officer
      Scholes, though, did accept that some VAR calls were taking too long, with officials wary of making mistakes and over-compensating.
      He said: “If the object was to improve the accuracy of decision-making VAR has been a significant success.
      “Any mistake can have an incredible effect on a club or individual and we know we can always improve. It is not perfect.
      “The time it is taking to come to some decisions is making the experience for the fan in the stadium a poor one, nowhere near good enough and we have to address that.”
      Scholes though, was unable to confirm that limb-tracking technology, already used by Fifa and Uefa, would be deployed in the Prem next season.
      He dismissed the idea that “issues” that have emerged are because of the Prem’s contract with Nike with the two governing bodies use adidas balls.

      However, Scholes said: “Semi-automated offsides will speed up the time to make decisions but I can’t say it will definitely come in next season.
      “We want to be certain it will improve the situation but in testing there have been issues on what we call the ‘edge’ cases, where many things are occurring at once.
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      “You might have a lot of bodies in one place and it is the ability of the system to identify different parts of the body.
      “For the vast majority of cases there won’t be an issue but in our competition we want to be clear before we introduce anything that we are not introducing something that will give us unintended or unanticipated problems in other areas.”
      So… what is the handball rule then?Apparently it’s a handball in the Premier League if:
      The hand/arm is clearly away from the body and outside the “body line”.The player clearly leans into the path of the ball.The ball travels some distance.The ball touches a hand/arm that is clearly raised above the shoulder.The player falls and the hand/arm is extended laterally or vertically away from the body.A deflection clearly makes no difference to the ball touching a hand/arm that is clearly extended away from the body and/or above the shoulder.Immediately after touching the ball with the arm, even accidentally, the player scores a goal or creates a goal-scoring opportunity
      (According to BBC Football) More

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      Chelsea women’s clash with Sunderland STOPPED after assistant referee goes down with injury as fans left concerned

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      CHELSEA’S clash with Sunderland was temporarily suspended tonight after an injury to assistant referee Ceri Williams.The Blues were taking on the Black Cats in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup when the incident occurred.
      Assistant Referee Ceri Williams went down in agony during Chelsea’s clash with SunderlandCredit: Getty
      Play was temporarily halted while medics rushed to treat herCredit: Rex
      Williams suffered the injury just after the ten minute mark of the quarter final at Kingsmeadow.
      In worrying scenes, the Welsh official was spotted laid flat on her back as the referee called for medical assistance.
      Play was stopped as Williams received treatment, before she was eventually replaced by the fourth official while appearing to support her left arm as she left the pitch.
      “I hope it’s nothing serious,” wrote one concerned viewer.
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      While another echoed those sentiments by stating they too “hope the problem is not serious”.
      The 28-year-old began refereeing in her hometown of Swansea.

      Williams worked her way up through Welsh grassroots football before then pushing ahead in her career as an assistant referee which has led to her being listed by Fifa.
      She has refereed at international level and also appeared on the line in the Uefa Women’s Champions League.
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      Williams was the first Welsh woman to officiate in a Uefa men’s competition when Celtic took on Real Madrid in the Uefa Youth League last season.
      And she also recently officiated in the Uefa Women’s U19 European Championship Final.
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      No update or confirmation of her issue tonight has yet been announced.
      Williams was spotted holding and supporting her left arm as she left the actionCredit: Rex
      The Welsh official made history last season in the Uefa Youth LeagueCredit: Getty More