You often hear football fans demanding consistency and we’re singing from the same hymn sheet after Erling Haaland left the F-bomb slip live on TV.
Wayne Rooney was suspended for two matches – including a Manchester derby FA Cup tie — for shouting “f****** come on!” in front of a Sky Sports camera in 2011, after scoring a hat-trick against West Ham at Upton Park.
The FA’s decision was rightly questioned by many at the time, including Sir Alex Ferguson, who pushed for an appeal that was rebuffed by the association.
Rooney quickly apologised for his actions by releasing a statement through club media. It read (via BBC Sport): “I want to apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my goal celebration, especially any parents or children that were watching.
“Emotions were running high, and on reflection my heat-of-the-moment reaction was inappropriate. It was not aimed at anyone in particular.”
Due to the two-game ban, Rooney missed an FA Cup semi-final against City, which the Blues won 1-0 thanks to a foal from Yaya Toure.
In turn, we think the FA should issue the same punish for Man City’s Erling Haaland.
During City’s title celebrations at the weekend, Haaland caught Sky off-guard with a live interview when he said: “I f****** love ya, you know that!” to teammate Jack Grealish.
🗣️ “I ******* love you, you know that.”
Erling Haaland LOVES Jack Grealish. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/260DltYIAe
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 21, 2023
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports
Surely it’s only fair to threat everyone the same, or were the FA simply looking for reasons to punish Rooney at the time?
City have two Premier League matches left to play before a Manchester derby FA Cup final at Wembley. The Reds will be doing all they can to prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from doing the treble.
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Yah, looking forward to Haaland being banned; FA have brilliant record of treating Manchester United fairly. Can’t think of a single instance where our players have been suspended for incidents not even deemed worthy of a yellow card for other players. Nope, not one.