Subject: Royals v Korean White Caps
Email sent July 25th 1999, original available.

Hello Korean Team members,

Please be advised that even though we had started an appeal 
concerning the referee's ejection of our player during our 
game, that player has been suspended for three games for 
violent conduct.

This is totally unacceptable.

I will be going down to the OCSL office on Monday to protest 
this travesty of justice.

Please note that I will be showing them your original email 
to me that tacitly admits to committing a series of improper 
acts. Please also note that if your players, particularly 
the two or more who committed these offences, do not 
immediately contact the OCSL to confess their activities,
then I will be forced to pursue other avenues.

That you have affected the season of a player who has NEVER 
been ejected before, has NEVER had an accumulation of yellow 
cards in any season to cause a suspension, is disgraceful.
I hope that your team has the character to admit fault.

If you fail to respond to this email in a satisfactory manner 
I will be contacting all the teams that you will be playing 
against and telling them what to expect from your players.
Then, if necessary, I will contact a lawyer.

However, if at all possible, please renew my belief in the 
goodness of man as evinced in the email Seaho Song sent to me.

I would hope that soccer could be greatly improved if both 
Graham's ejection was cancelled and the referee was, at the 
least, severely reprimanded for this miscarriage of justice,

Paul Dickins

________________________________________________________
This email that I received from Graham will also be shown to 
the OCSL, and to sympathetic members of the Soccer community.

Paul, Harry,

I received a fax this weekend telling me I have been suspended 
for 3 games. What happened to my appeal?

Here is what happened as I recall. Remember all of what 
happened was behind my back and I didn't actually see any of it.

We were in extra time as the timer at our sideline had gone off
signifying 45 minutes had lapsed in the second half. Minutes earlier 
the referee had indicated that there were 4 minutes left which 
confirms the accuracy of our timer.

I won a 50-50 ball near the Korean 18 yard box which went out of 
touch for a goal kick. The #5 on their team took exception to 
the play and ran to me and hit me with 2 fists to the chest. 
I said nothing and walked away from him as the referee had a 
word with him. (He already had a yellow card.)

When we lined up for the ensuing goal kick he lined up right behind 
me. He was so close to my back that I didn't see him and wasn't 
aware of his presence until he started giving me small rabbit 
punches to the back. When the kick was taken I won the header, 
at centre field, with him still at my back. The ball went 
forward about 10 yards and then was redirected back in front of 
me still about 10 yards away. I broke towards the ball which was 
cleared down field by a Whitecap players to our left back. As I 
broke forward the Whitecap #5 made a slapping noise, gave a shout 
and fell down (falling about 15 to 20 feet away from me). I looked 
over at the referee who was following the flight of the ball but
looked in our direction when he heard the shout. #5 was on the 
ground in what appeared to be an injured state and the Whitecaps 
around him all said #9 (myself) had inflicted the injury to the 
downed player. The referee then pulled out his red card and 
ejected me from the field. I began to leave the pitch immediately 
but before I reached the sidelines the Whitecap goal keeper came 
all the way over centre and put me in a "walking headlock" 
supposedly to get me to calm down. It was firm enough that one of 
our players and I could not remove his arm from around my neck.

During this whole game, and despite being the target of several 
very nasty fouls, I was only called for one foul myself. I played 
a clean and fair game.

I have played for the Royals since 1968 including 10 years men's 
premier and in all that time I have never received a red card. 
Further I have never been suspended for any accumulation of 
yellow cards during a season. Also until now I have never 
witnessed any player faking an incident for the sole purpose 
of getting an opponent ejected.

If the league wants to know what kind of a person I am they can 
ask Bob Rathwell or some of their referees like George Said or 
Steve Benzic.
__________________________________________________________

End of Graham's email to Harry and me.
--
Computer Technology and Association Football
http://www3.sympatico.ca/pdickins