Knockout

[Horsham Royal]

Will Ben Thatcher be charged with assault by the police ? If not, why not ?

[RoyalBird]

Well if Duncan Ferguson got nicked for a headbutt on the pitch, then it's likely Thatcher will as well.

[zac naloen]

What he did, if done on the street Is grounds for for criminal punishment. So theres no reason why he shouldn't be really.

[chilipepper91]

Should he be? yes.

Will he be? no.

[Dangerous]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRaS7ffyWg

[TBM]

I dont think he will - although he did elbow him, its no different to a player going in for a two footed challenge on a player, if they charge Thacther for this then they must charge every footballer for any challenge that injures another player.

He will get banned for the FA though, i reckon!

Watching it again i dont think he intended to elbow him as he did, i think he was trying to more block him if he were to run after the ball....

[Tony Le Mesmer]

As bad as it was, you cant prove that he meant to do it.

Unlike Ferguson's headbutt.

So No

[Rhys The Royal]

What he did, if done on the street Is grounds for for criminal punishment. So theres no reason why he shouldn't be really.

Yes but two men wouldn't be running at 100mph chasing a ball in the street though would they..... (Unless they were filming the Carling advert)..... And it's a game, go hard or go home!

[Farnborough Royal]

Should he be? yes.

Will he be? no.

Agreed

[Flyingkiwi]

As bad as it was, you cant prove that he meant to do it.

Unlike Ferguson's headbutt.

So No

What justification can there be for throwing out an elbow like that other than an attempt to injure? He clearly intended to make violent contact with Mendes although he probably didn't intend it to be with his head.

Have to agree with the general concensus that he won't be charged with a criminal offence but I do think that he will be get a lenghthy ban from the FA. I first saw this incident on sattelite TV from Australia and it's been on Chinese sports news bulletins too so, regardless of the fact that the ref "punished" him by giving him a yellow, I see no problem for the FA in leveling a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.