7 Mar 2008Blatter: 'Ban dangerous tacklers for life'

Fifa president Sepp Blatter wants a "zero tolerance" approach to dangerous tackling in football.

In an interview with the Times, the 71-year-old said that he would like to see lifetime bans introduced for players who intentionally commit a dangerous tackle.

Furthermore, Blatter is calling for criminal prosecutions to follow and said that managers are also partly to blame for the rise in dangerous challenges.

"Dangerous tackling is one of the most important issues in football at the moment. Therefore players who do this kind of thing intentionally should be banned from the game," he said.

"Attacking somebody is criminal, whether it happens on a football pitch or elsewhere. It is a crime and should be treated as such.

"The pressure on the coach or manager to win is such that he encourages his players to go for victory at any cost. There is no microphone in the dressing room, so he says, 'go, go, go'. Until when? Until the point where the referee intervenes," continued Blatter.

The president also criticised referees for failing to stamp their authority on a game in the early stages.

He said that too many officials believe that allowing a game to be played without interruption makes them good at their job.

Blatter pointed out that Fifa will "instruct" referees to be stronger against violent tackles ahead of the International Board's weekend meeting at Gleneagles.

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