Dropping James Child is disgraceful, insists Phil Clarke
Sky Sports pundit Phil Clarke is disappointed to see that referee James Child has been dropped following the Catalans-Warrington brawl last week.
Match official Child will take charge of the Championship game between Widnes and Toulouse on Saturday after being demoted following the ugly scenes in last Saturday’s game between Catalans and Warrington in Perpignan.
There were four yellow cards and two red cards dished out in the game, as well as the unsavoury off-field scenes.
Clarke told Sky Sports News: “I’m disappointing in the Rugby Football League and the Super League.
“This week, the only real thing that has come out of that game is that the referee from the match was dropped.
“He’s now going to referee a game in the division below, which I think is disgraceful. Both clubs really should be investigated for not being able to control their players on the pitch.
“The league needed to be strong enough to deduct points off both of those sides – Warrington and Catalans need to be sent a message, which would then cascade to every team in Super League.
“The referee did his best, but it was clear to me that the players didn’t really want a referee and weren’t prepared to listen to him – and it was a very bad look for the sport.”
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