Another week, another MLS star goes down with broken bones. &nbsp;This time it was Javier Morales who is out for months after Marcos Mondaini made an aggressive challenge on the midfielder in front of the Chivas net. &nbsp;Morales cut back towards the goal from the wing and Mondaini, beaten on the play, went to ground and caught Morales’ lower leg in between his own, sending the RSL player down in pain. &nbsp;The referee initially brandished a yellow card, but upon closer inspection of the injury, issues a straight red and sent the Chivas forward&nbsp;off.
You can see the video <a href="http:\/\/youtu.be/PhKOd8fncjI" target="_blank">here</a>. &nbsp;Warning – the video shows the injury from multiple angles and in slow motion, in addition to in real time. &nbsp;The video is not for the faint of heart, and be warned it is very graphic.
At this point, MLS is still considering punishment for the tackle; Mondaini will certainly get a game for the red card. &nbsp;But how long should the punishment be, now that we have the precedent of the Brian Mullan suspension of ten games for his tackle on Steve Zakuani? &nbsp;There are arguments to be made that it should be shorter and longer than Mullan’s.
Mondaini’s punishment should be equal to or longer than ten games:
<ul>
<li>The tackle was intentional. &nbsp;He was certainly beaten by Morales and right before the tackle looks to try and tug on the jersey to bring him down. &nbsp;Mullan’s was also an intentional tackle, due to the fact he had just lost the ball. &nbsp;MLS has to hand out lengthy suspensions to prevent beaten defenders from taking down quicker players if it is serious about preventing injuries.</li>
<li>Maybe the video missed it, but Mondaini showed little remorse for the tackle. &nbsp;On the field he may have tried to check on on Morales but was seen on video just walking off after he was moved away my teammates. &nbsp;His apology after was bland.</li>
<li>Going off the first point, this is the third major injury to a prominent player in two weeks. &nbsp;Don Garber spoke before the season about the importance of protecting star players; he needs to come down hard on this play to show he is very serious.</li>
</ul>
On the other hand, Mondaini deserves a more lenient punishment than Mullan:
<ul>
<li>The injury was less severe than the Zakuani injury. &nbsp;Although his leg is pointing at a 45 degree angle, Morales only broke some bones in his ankle. &nbsp;Zakuani snapped two bones in his leg, a much more serious injury with a much longer recovery time.</li>
<li>The tackle looks worse in retrospect than it did at the time. &nbsp;Referee Paul Ward initially gave a yellow on the injury. &nbsp;Even Jason Kreis said he did not see the tackle as malicious, according to <a href="http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/soccer/news/story?id=6502002" target="_blank">ESPN</a>: “To be honest, I didn’t think it was the most flagrant of fouls. &nbsp;It was from behind, which we’re trying to get out of the game. It’s in the attacking third, and Javi was clearly getting ready to shoot. I understand the urgency of the situation from the defender trying to make the play, and I really don’t think it was that egregious.”</li>
<li>There was a similar situation that occurred recently in MLS, and it was the David Ferreira tackle. &nbsp;Ferreira broke his ankle on a tackle from behind by Jonathan Leathers; Leathers was not disciplined for the tackle.</li>
</ul>
What do you think Marcos Mondaini’s punishment should be?
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What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle? - World Soccer Talk

What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle?

UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body rendered its verdicts on the proceedings relating to the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid and Barcelona on April 27th.
Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, who was dismissed from the bench in the first leg and made an inappropriate statement during the post-match interview, has been suspended for the next five UEFA club competition matches for which he would be eligible.&nbsp;The suspension includes the one-match ban for the match following the coach’s dismissal, which was served for the return leg in Barcelona on Tuesday.
The ban for a fifth&nbsp;match is suspended for a probationary period of three years. Mourinho has also been fined 50,000 Euros.
Real Madrid defender Pepe, who was sent off &nbsp;in the first leg match, has been suspended for one UEFA competition match. However, as he did not take part in the second leg in Barcelona, he is considered to have served this suspension. Real Madrid have also been fined 20,000 Euros for improper conduct of their supporters.
Barcelona goalkeeper José Pinto, who received a red card for a sideline altercation at half-time of&nbsp;the first leg match in Madrid, received a three-match suspension. He has already served a one-match ban for the return leg, so he will now also be suspended for the UEFA Champions League final on May 28th and the next UEFA club competition match for which he would be eligible.
Real released a statement on the club website which reads: “Real Madrid considers this resolution still suffers from the same defects found at the start of the disciplinary case, which made it impossible for our coach to use his right to defend himself, since the exact statements for which the disciplinary case was opened are still unknown. Real Madrid will appeal this decision before the UEFA appeals body.”

Mourinho Receives 5-Match Ban - World Soccer Talk

Mourinho Receives 5-Match Ban

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Leagues: MLS

What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle?

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Mourinho Receives 5-Match Ban