No need to print up ‘Free Ben Thatcher’ t-shirts yet

Manchester City’s resident thug Ben Thatcher will not face any police charges for the elbow he threw against Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes back in August. Police say they have decided not to pursue the matter in part because Mendes asked that the incident be dealt with by the Football Association and not the law authorities.

Thatcher, you’ll recall, has been suspended 8 games by the FA with the possibility of 15 more games if his elbow gets out of line in the future.

While we have absolutely no sympathy for Thatcher, we also think that this is the right way to go about things. Involving the police in actions that take place on a playing field just seems like a slippery slope that won’t do anyone any good. We’ve been to Manchester and can confirm that the city has a few important criminal matters that deserve police attention more than a thuggish football player.

Thatcher is still not entirely off the legal hook yet, though. He still might be getting a knock on the door from the police regarding the involvement of his elbow smacking the snot out of Ralph Welch during a reserve game in February.

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Category: English Premier League