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Triesman praises Bennett's 'bottle'

I thought he had done what I would like to feel referees will do - which is to have the bottle to do what is necessary.

Triesman on Mascherano red
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The independent chairman of the Football Association Lord Triesman has praised referee Steve Bennett for having the 'bottle' to send off Javier Mascherano.

The Liverpool man, who had already been booked against Manchester United, was incensed when team-mate Fernando Torres was booked for questioning why he was not being protected enough.

Mascherano ran approximately 20 yards to get to Bennett, including shrugging off Xabi Alonso, to question why Torres had been given a yellow card.

However, Bennett was having none of Mascherano's behaviour and immediately dismissed the Argentina international, an action which infuriated many throughout the country, but received praise from Triesman.

"I thought he had done what I would like to feel referees will do - which is to have the bottle to do what is necessary," he told the Daily Mail.

Equation

"I'm not going to prejudge the issue because there may be hearings here, and I'm not going to cloud the process, but in my view it's the beginning of referees saying they are part of the equation.

"They have to use the powers they have. You can have the campaign, try to work with parents, devise new rules, but someone has to do it in the middle of the field."

Former England boss Sir Bobby Robson recently criticised the conduct of modern players when compared to their predecessors, a view which Triesman has supported.

"I think we've gone through a period when, in my view, culturally the game has degraded," he continued.

"I have a sense we're at a tipping point. If you lose the scrupulous fairness of a Bobby Moore you potentially lose it for a very long time."