Video: Nigel De Jong Breaks Hatem Ben Arfa’s Leg

Ollie Irish

3rd, October 2010

28 Comments

By Ollie Irish

Karl Henry yesterday, De Jong today…

Note: the footage is graphic. Poor Hatem.

As I just tweeted, physical intimidation epitomised by (frankly) thuggish tackles is becoming a serious problem in English football – and in English football alone, it seems.

Henry’s tackle on Gomez was worse, but De Jong – who I likened to a boxer last week – has a track record of brutal tackles and this is no exception.

Yes, it’s bad luck that Ben Arfa’s standing leg was rooted in the turf, but players must think about the consequences before they charge in like MMA fighters. It’s up to managers first to make that clear to their players. The authorities must also take a stand, with much longer bans for dangerous tackles.

Saying “The lad mistimed it, he was just trying to win the ball fairly,” is no excuse to hide behind. In fact, it’s cowardly.

Posted in Man City, Newcastle Utd, Videos

Share this article: Email

28 Comments

  1. KE17H says:

    Well he wasn’t banging the ground in protest at the challenge, so it can’t be that bad, eh?

    And idiots like Pleat get paid for this stuff?!

  2. […] UPPDATERING! Här har ni De Jongs tackling: Värt en frispark eller? […]

  3. Jonas says:

    Seems like City’s plan worked a treat: Get rid of Newcastle’s most threatening player in the first 5 mins of the match…

    Common sense has to be used in these situations. At the moment, a player can go into a tackle at frightening speed and full of malice yet if they win the ball, it is seen as a perfectly legal. Referees have to be decisive and issue at least a yellow for tackles like this, even though the ball is won.

  4. Nuno says:

    And yet it wasn’t even awarded a foul. I believe no one can say now that De Jong “isn’t that kind of player”.

    He broke Holden’s leg in a FRIENDLY against US before the WC.
    He did that horrendous tackle on Xabi Alonso in the final.
    Now this. He’s gaining quite a curriculum, and these are just the ones I remember.

    Just hope next tackle he does is on that comentator. THAT would be usefull, for once… “He wasn’t banging the hand on the ground, so it shouldn’t that serious…”??? The guy had to receive oxygen, for f**k sake!!

    And yet this tackle will pass unpunished and he can go on breaking legs. At least Henry’s tackle yesterday got what it desearved…

  5. Binnsey says:

    Well I was first on the Henry assault, so I feel like I should throw my two cents in the ring again…

    He won the ball and it was just unlucky that De Jong plowed through his standing leg. Should he be carded? maybe? It is down to the ref to decide weather or not there was any malice in the tackle.

    De Jong is a rough player, and as a rough player his job is to get stuck in and break up the play. However with incidences like this I feel the FA and refs need to look at this retrospectively and consider further action.

    I like Man City, i like De Jong, but tackles like this need to stop.

  6. Chris says:

    Broken leg? Looks more like a shoulder injury or fall to me…

  7. Tim says:

    Nice to see that it is not just Arsenal players’ injuries exposing the dirty play that has permeated with certain players and clubs.

    Unfortunately for De Thug, he has acquired international fame showing that he “is” that type of player, so there is not much surprise there. Just need an Englishmen with some prominence to suffer this sort of injury to get the attention it needs.

  8. Chris says:

    ^^^ I couldn’t stop laughing when i heard the commentators describing it as possibly a shoulder injury, we shouldn’t really mock americans for not following ‘soccer’when they have to put up with punditry like this.
    Gutted about losing Ben Arfa though as jonas can go missing in matches and Hatem looked like he really wanted to perform for us.

  9. Binnsey says:

    he looks fine to me… might have got a papercut but thats it.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Fuck me pleat is an idiot

  11. mareantheone says:

    really now, chris? is that why he grabs his leg?

  12. frank says:

    @mareantheone I think Chris is making a satirical jibe at the shoddy commentary..keep up

  13. phil says:

    6 months for hatem…

    I hope De jong take at least 3 months of suspension!

  14. mareantheone says:

    damn, sorry, i haven’t been listening. thanks frank

  15. chris allen says:

    de jong is a criminal. (xabi alonso in world cup, stuart holden vs US men’s team)

  16. Chowens says:

    This is the 2nd time a horror challenge has been compared to mma, this is nothing like what mma fighters do, and shows a general lack of knowledge on the subject.

  17. Caleb says:

    Tackles like this have been around forever, but fuck me, did it have to happen to our brand-new imported player! Fuck Nigel De Jong.

  18. Markell says:

    Oh for fuck’s sake… I AM a City supporter, but this is inexcuseable. Nigel, this was WRONG! Completely wrong. You are no better than Karl Henry. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!

  19. Connor says:

    Markell, I hope you’re not one of the city supporters who hate mancini and want elano and robinho back… I like de jong, great player, a bit reckless at times though. but I dont think he can cut it out of his game, part of the reason he does so well is his total commitment to his challenges

  20. deckard says:

    you’d think joey barton would’ve sorted de jong out.

  21. Ed says:

    I don’t think it is 100% just an English problem. I mean look at what happened to Messi the other day with Ujfalusi. But I do agree that it seems to happen more often here. I’ll be honest though, I’m not sure how it’ll stop without diluting the pace and strength of the premier league. It is by nature a physical and aggresive league. I’m not trying to defend de jong though! He’s a dirty player and he needs to be punished for this.

  22. Jh says:

    According to the latter of the law, he did get the ball. But according to the law, you cant go in with two feet nor with studs showing. De Jong may have got the ball but there was no need to go in with such malice. Don’t get me wrong, De Jong is a damn good player when it comes to breaking up play, but if he keeps this up then the other players in the league better starts wearing titanium boots and shin guards. Its bloody disgraceful.

  23. dennis says:

    De Jong is a recidivist. As mentioned before he broke Holden’s leg in the US friendly, he made two nasty tackles in a friendly against Japan in septembre 2009, in the first WC match against Denmark he made an dangerous two footed tackle on Jorgensen, everybody remembers the Alonso ‘incident’, and now this.

    On every occasion he walked away with nothing. The only way he’ll learn is to ban him and ban him long!

  24. wasim says:

    F.A are pretty good at removing these videos from youtube . if they put the same effort in cutting out these thuggery it would be over and done with .

  25. dennis says:

    By the way:
    De Jong has just been removed form the Dutch squad by manager Bert van Marwijk.

  26. Andrew Thompson says:

    As a NUFC fan, the tackle itself wasnt really that bad, just unlucky with the follow through.
    De Jong is rough but 95% of the time he is fair, whereas someone like Karl Henry is 95% dirty
    Wonder if Barca will loan us Lionel for a bit

  27. Trololololo says:

    Banned from the Holland team… because obviously this reckless but non-malicious challenge was worse than THAT flying kick in the final, which should have been a red and made Holland continue with 9 men (9 because Van Persie had wandered off after about 4 minutes).

  28. Markell says:

    @Connor No, I actually like Mancini a bit, and I dont want Elano or Robiniho back, unless of course Robiniho plays like he actually gives a fuck.

    I just saw the tackle. It was miles less dangerous or dirty than Henry’s but you can see that it had some malicious intent. Nigel went in swinging his legs, looking to play the man. Now, I like Nigel De Jong, I do. He is an absolute terrier, and on his day, I think any team in the world could use a man like him. I just think some of his tackles (see: Holden, S. and Alonso, X.) have been petulant and deplorable.

    Van Marjik droppe him from the national team, and I applaud that action. Well played to him. Hopefully other managers *cough Mick McCarthy cough* will in the future be willing to take similar action.

Leave a Reply to Binnsey