A certain England superstar has been guilty of much more flamboyantly over the top two-footed 'tackles' than the one Eduardo was unfortunate enough to be on the end of. Eduardo's misfortune was that he had his studs planted. Taylor's challenge was not even that high, as some have claimed, nor two-footed, just mis-timed.
The problem Arsenal and Wenger have is that they are perceived to be hypocritical. Wenger sees no evil when it comes to his own players (who can be petulant and put it about a bit if we're being honest), so they can expect little or no sympathy when they claim to be sinned against. That said, I wish Eduardo well. He was developing into a very good footballer, and we should all want those in the Premier League.

Mark, Kircubbin, N Ireland

I watched some Italian football on channel 5 yesterday morning. God it was boring. A defender brushed past an attacker and he dived onto his front instantly 'coincidentally' grabbing onto the ball as he went, forcing the ref to stop play.

Having said that I get more scared playing football in the UK than I do playing any other sport. Not because it's manlier, but because of the reckless way that people lunge at your ankles and shins with their feet out and their full body weight behind it.

2 points:

Would the reaction be different if it was Rooney (England's bright young hope) who'd been injured by a Croatian/ foreign defender?

He might well not have meant it but is there anything wrong with saying that the perpetrator shouldn't play again until the victim plays? Seems fair to me and might make people regard legs as part of another human being rather than something between them and the ball to be kicked out of the way.

Richard, London, UK

As has been mentioned, the photos of the tackle show that Taylor's foot was very high indeed. Forget the ones that show the break (I'm not looking at them again), but look at the one where the initial contact is made. Even if the ball had been in the vicinity he would not have made significant/any contact with the ball, so at very best it was a terribly reckless challenge. I agree with the comment made that refers to his punishment revolving around Eduardo's recovery. He should not be allowed to play until Eduardo is allowed to play, and if that is never, then he should receive a ban that totals a few years, because in reality I'm not sure you can ban a player for life? Whatever the FA do-they cannot go be soft on this-a challenge that causes this damage, irrespective of the intent of the challenge which merely serves to muddy the waters, needs a harsh punishment.

Vitesh, Leeds, uk

I have huge sympathy for Eduardo, and I'm sure that every football fan wishes him a speedy recovery, no matter what team they support. However, Wenger's reaction was completely over the top. The only difference between Taylor's tackle on Eduardo and Eboue's tackle on John Terry in December is that Terry's foot was not planted on the ground and Eduardo's was.

Eduardo's leg had nowhere to go, and thus his leg broke rather than recoiling; Terry's foot was not solidly planted, so while Eboue's foul broke bones in Terry's foot, it did not break his leg.

Wenger said Eboue deserved no more than a yellow card, while he wants Taylor banned for life. Furthermore, he criticises other teams for "kicking arsenal to stop arsenal", only 7 days after defending his team for kicking Nani all over old trafford just because they couldn't stop Nani.

What has happened to Eduardo is terribly bad luck, and we all wish him well, but Wenger needs to stop the double standards his too often displays.

Sameer Virani, London, United Kingdom

Absolutely spot on Lexter, well said!!

It is to be hoped that this is not a career ending injury and that the boy will be able to play as well as he did before the, shall we say, 'unfortunate' tackle. Get well soon lad and all the best to you.

R. P. Dixon., London,

Who exactly is the victim here?.. He had tears in his eyes, don't make me laugh , he "walked" over to look for him though , didn't he?.. Martin Taylor should be banned from Football without pay until Eduardo can play again , then he can resume playing one month after that point. If Eduardo never plays again , neither should taylor. Nobody pays to watch taylor play anyway.. Studs halfway up a guys leg and you call that an accident or mistimed..Give me a break..This is the one area of English football they haven't gotten right.

Chad, Kingston,

Steve from Manchester. Internal ligament injuries do not occur through impact from another player. Legal or Illegal. Completely agreed.
Football is a physical sport and injuries will happen. 100% agreed.
I am sorry you missed the point that TV or visuals cannot measure the force of deliberate impacts.

Lassie, London,

If Taylor did not mean to cause an injury, then he was very clumsy.
His studs clearly made contact with the shin at an angle not far off horizontal, otherwise known as "over the ball", though in this case the ball was elsewhere!
Those who have played football at a reasonable level know a good tackle requires timing above everything else.
I think Taylor is one of several (many?) who are playing in a league where other players are too skilful for them. Unfortunately for Arsenal, that means most of the other teams.
This "accident" would have been less likely in Spain or Italy. It's relevant that the "kick Arsenal" approach is not tried in the Champions' League because it's well known referees won't tolerate it, and are much more wiling to give free kicks.
Roger Perry

Roger Perry, Wighill, Nth Yorks

C Elder - re your comment regarding getting rid of "slow,large,limited players who gravitate to kicking teams like Reading; Blackburn;Bolton;Birmingham et al". The Top 4 Teams with expensive players do this too, you know! Flamini and Eboue recently demonstrated bad conduct on the pitch but fortunately the outcome was not the same in those cases. I consider malicious actions of such skilled players to actually be worse than those of "limited" players, as they have more ability to control their actions. You do also have other players such as Barton, Woodgate, Bellamy and Bowyer who are a danger off the pitch as well as on - maybe people should react as passionately about their off-pitch misconduct as they are about this tragic and unfortunate ACCIDENT! Eduardo himself holds no grudge so why what right does anyone else have to disregard his feelings on the matter! It's his foot and his careere, after all.

Leigh, Birmingham, UK

The sickening thing was watching Senderos diving and feigning injury after minimal contact (or not) not ten minutes after his team mate suffered so horrendously. I'm rapidly becoming so disillusioned with football and footballers1

Patrick, Derby,

All the time England are proud to field 'honest, hardworking' players rather than skillful players who focus on good technique we do not deserve to qualify for major tournaments let alone win them. In England we'd still rather champion the beautiful game played the ugly way, and be proud of it. I am truly ashamed.

My thoughts are with Eduardo - if Taylor was an honourable man he would ban himself until Eduardo is rehabilitated and playing again.

Rob, Maidstone, England

Obviously Wenger was pressured into a retraction by the money men at the FA.But he was absolutely right in his first comments .
Why doesn't the Times ,review other top leagues in Europe and see how many such horrific injuries occur there?
I would be willing to bet that these injuries only occur in England ,because these ridiculous tackles are never heavily penalised in England.
A suggestion-Maybe Taylor should be banned for as long as Eduardo is out injured .That would certainly give defenders a wake-up call.It would also get rid of slow,large,limited players who gravitate to kicking teams like Reading; Blackburn;Bolton;Birmingham et al,and over time when such players are eliminated from the game,we will have nimble fast defenders capable of taking the BALL off the foot of the attacking player without destroying that player's leg.

C.Elder, Paris, France

I wonder what is the legal position. If Eduardo's career is over, as seems likely, and Taylor/Birmingham City are judged culpable which seems inevitable, who will foot the bill for compensation to Arsenal (£20-40 M), to Eduardo himself ((about £30M), and all the leagal beagles (who knows?). Even with insurance it could bankrupt Birmingham City. Perhaps Eduardo would have to accept ownership of the club as part payment. Now that would be ironic.

neil whitter, rutland, england

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!!!

During any one season you will see similar tackles without the same outcome and it will hardly get a mention. This one was very bad and devastating for Eduardo obviously. But watch it again in real time; it is very obvious that there was no intent to cause harm or injury!

I'm neither a Birmingham nor Arsenal fan so am not 'taking sides' as many seem to be doing. Good luck to Eduardo, a class player who will hopefully get his game back. And also best wishes to Taylor too, he will need the help and support of his team mates.

Andy, Middlesbrough, UK

My heart bleeds for 'the gentle giant' Taylor for all the stress Eduardo has put him through.
We have been bombarded by Birmingham, their manager and players and all the old (English) ex pros in the media to convince us it was 'just one of those things'.
But Taylors over the top lunge had all the hall marks of a player playing with the instructions of 'get stuck into them' instilled in him.
I wonder what the reaction would have been if Wayne Rooney had been injured in the same way in a tackle by a foreign player.

chris dee, london,

If it was an injury to Nani or Ashley Cole then i wouldnt even give a free kick

Wenger has a right to be angry
Gallas did nothing wrong

Eboue should get a three match ban - he is a thug and i'm an arsenal fan

Kaz, London,

"the actual injury is the best judge of the severity of the foul, not the TV clip" - Lassie, that is an idiotic thing to say. Sometimes the worst of injuries can occur from the slightest of touches - not just in football, but in life. The only way to 'stop it happening again' is to ban all physical contact in sport; and then to ban movement. Get real. I know someone who was unable to play football for nine months - because they ruptured the ligaments in their knee running for the train. That's life.

Steve, Manchester,

Gallas sat like a spoilt, petulant brat at the end of the game after potentially attacking opponenet fans! This shows the Arsenal mentality when things dont go their way. It also highlights Wengers main weakness. He is a master at identifying and developing talent but useless at controlling his players or managing high profile players after periods of relative success. Wenger didnt mention Flamini's intent to break Nani in two after United embarrassed them did he? That was pure malice. Ferguson seems able to play beautiful football and deal with more assertive teams. That is why Arsenal will never be great. You cannot demand to viewed as Legends, you earn it in many ways.

Brads, Manchester,

I find it surprising that Arsene Wenger managed to see the incident, since invariably when one of his players has tried to cripple an opponent he has been looking elsewhere and "did not see the tackle".

Loosehead, Basingstoke, UK

How does everybody know Taylor didn't mean it?
I can argue in the same way that he was sent to do it and even was instructed to do it.

Ofer, Philly, USA

Herdee Sting
Presumably you think Gallas is entitled to kick players off the ball with clear intent, because the ball is elsewhere. Nani did not get injured, but that doesn't mean Gallas should be kicking him. Perhaps you have the same selective morality that Wenger has displayed over the years (when he loses.)

Mark, Matlock,

It was only correct for Wenger to aplogise. It was a accident.. it happens in football.... neverthe less, had the injury been to Gerrard or rooney - then the ban of taylor would of been the highlight of the media..... For the pure fact that Eduardo is croation, him not playing football for a year is not really going to effect english football.... hence - not much media.
I can recall on several moments when PATRICK VIERA went in with 2 feet, even though the oppenent was not injured severely - Wengler on almost every occastion claimed he never saw it.

surgeet, bedford,

One word - Eboue!

Thank you and good-night!

Mark Pulley, Birmingham,

Everyone is condeming Arsene Wenger for his comments, we all say the wrong things in the heat of the moment, but its a big man who apologises and he did. I wonder if Eduardo had tackled Taylor in such a reckless manner what the outcome would be. It was a senseless tackle and his foot was nowhere near the ball.

Val, London,

This was a freak accident and Wenger has put matters right by retracting his comments that were said at the heat of the moment. Everyone should move on and just wish Eduardo a speedy recovery.
I also think the ref went for a straight red at the heat of the moment as well as I think a yellow would have been punishment enough (he probably was also shocked by the incident).
Top marks for Taylor for visiting Eduardo and enough respect for City fans who applauded Eduardo off the pitch.

Gunners Fan, Manchester.

Zwe Moyo, Manchester,

Timothy tries matching the tackle to drink driving,don't be sillyTimothy I did not see Taylor take a couple of whiskies onto the pitch,
Arsene Wenger is Arsene Wenger get over it some of you.
Taylor at no time thought I want to break his leg.
Postponement of the game,because they felt sick,get a life Lassie of London.
There is no rush to defend Taylor. Sam of London Accidents happen
Thomas of Edinburgh Speak English not French,your comments increases Distance.
Paul of London, Arsene Wengers eyesight has nothing to do with his vision of the game
Lexter of Frankfurt ,This is rich coming from a nation who try to show the rest of the world how to take a dive on a football pitch

Dennis Higgins, Worcester, United Kingdom

I don't think Arsene Wenger statement prior to the retraction was very helpful but he did say that it was made in the heat of the moment....presumably the same as the tackle attempting to get the ball...and not to put the player out of the game. As for Arsenal being kicked more than others, well they have players, the same who are not averse to poor tackles..even deliberate..the same as every other side in the pressurebowl of the premier league. I would like to think that it was a poor challenge with no intent, only getting the ball, otherwise the game of football is going to finish up in the courts. A contact sport played at speed of thought and feet is bound to have unfortunate accidents. I wish Eduardo a speedy and no loss of talent a speedy recovery.

David F, Romford Essex,

I find it irresponsible that Wenger has chosen to retract his statement which I found quite appropriate. Taylor's tackle was CRIMINAL and SADISTIC to say the least. Because he is English every Jim and Jack is jumping on the naive bandwagon to support an asinine line that he never had intention to hurt. The question is what was Taylor's intention? The bigger picture of this whole GRUESOME banditry is just how any budding youngster would want to take up such a savage sport that applauds such sick acts! Which parent would encourage his son to make a career out of such savagery?

Gilbert Phiri, Swindon, UK

What happened to Eduardo is indeed shocking and saddening and I wish him a speedy recovery and return.. However I think that too many people are losing sight of this and turning it into a witch hunt against Taylor. He did not set out to do this. At the end of the day this was an accident-Blues are a physical side but, quite simply, we do not have the skill level require to commit such a bad injury intentionally - that is why we are 17th ! what is required is a bit of perspective - had the tables been turned and Arsenal been responsible for an injury on a Blues player (Arsenal are not without sin re intentional acts) I am sure that I too would be emotional and calling for retribution . I would like to think that the calculated acts by players such as Bowyer, Woodgate and Barton on and off the pitch also call for this level of passion. If anything I do hope that this tragic event will make players more responsible for their actions and able to play in a more positive way.

Leigh, Birmingham, UK

Wengers comments were unproffesional and completely unacceptable..... He must be made to come to St.Andrews and make a grovelling apology to all those associated with Birmingham City Football Club. The man has no value and does not deserve a place in English football. As for Eduardo.. it was an accident and what happened to his was not deliberate... to be honest though I couldn't really care less about him.

A27, Birmingham,

All the Pro's who have commented seem clear that it was just one of those things and Wenger was out of order with his comments. Some Pro's have gone as far as saying Taylor was unlucky to get sent off.

A sense of perspective is important, and Wenger should know better. It is right that he should retract - personally I think an apology is in order.

alastair harris, DERBY,

DRINK DRIVING! It's nothing like drink driving! That is premidated; you take your car instead of the bus, you drink beer instead of orange juice, you drive home instead of getting a lift or a taxi. Hours pass when you can change your course of action. Those people are knowingly putting lives at risk.

This was just clumsy and rash. They were playing a contact sport at a very high level of speed and strength. Taylor is at fault and has to take responsibility, but only for being reckless not for being deliberate.

Get a grip people - Sport can be dangerous and this was an accident.

John, LDN,

If the injured player had been Gerrard or Rooney the press would be demanding severe punishment against Taylor and Bham.

England will never win a major compettion until the premiership is based on skill and not the lowest common denominator - thuggery.

Jac, Gwynedd, Wales

The excuses for Taylor are poor, he may not have wanted to hurt Eduardo but if you tackle that way then it is only a matter of time before someone gets severely hurt. It wasn't sliding tackle where the ground takes the strain but a full lunge aimed just below the knee and nowhere near the ball.

Mark, Newcastle,

Paul from London - a Manchester United fan I presume? Geographical location suggests so...

Yes, you are absolutely right - Gallas clearly showed six studs to the shin of Nani. Perhaps your eyesight needs checking because as far as I'm aware, Nani came through unscathed.

herdee sting, Headley,

Hmmmm. It's amazing how Wenger's eyesight has dramatically improved. Sure it was a clumsy challenge, and you have to feel sorry for Esuardo - I hope he makes a full recovery. But last week's kicking of Nani at Man U was plainly deliberate and could have been just as damaging.

Paul, London,

Tayor was certainly trying to intimidate a far more skilful player. I would like to see a significant ban to Decourager les autres. The opinion of the players should be ignored, they lack the distance that judgement needs.

Thomas , Edinburgh, Scotland

People seem to be judging this entire incident based on still images and slow motion replays rather than the full-speed tackle. We are talking milliseconds, here. 90 per cent of legitimate sliding tackles will feature a guy with his foot raised for a small amount of time. Many people I've spoken to who saw it said they didn't think it was that bad on first viewing. It was reckless, though, and the chap who made the comparison with drink-driving was spot on. But what happens when a referee deems a challenge to be reckless and sends someone off? Everyone moans it was a harsh red card, appeals etc.

Chris, Worthing, England

Timothy has it absolutely right. The rush to defend Taylor is nauseating. He will not have to live with the consequences of his recklessness. Eduardo will. It doesn't matter whether or not he meant it. I think he should be banned for a suitable period to send a clear message that irrespective of intent, this type of tackle will be punished. How else can the governing body ensure that players think and look BEFORE they leap. It is Taylor's fault.

sam, London,

People break bones on the ski slopes on a regular basis and don't have nearly the same medical services or insurance cover available to them. Troops return from Iraq minus a leg. What happened to Eduardo is not nice but he will be back on his feet and walking again. A bit of perspective please.

James, Jakarta, Indonesia

First, the game should have been postponed. It was 3 mins gone and no goals. The situation was gruesome and everyone felt sick and emotional. The ref was "reckless" to continue on this occasion.
Second, why so much fuss about Wengers opinion (in a free speech world)? Does anyone think his comment hurt Martin Taylor more than Eduardo has been hurt? His hopes, his career etc!
Its amazing how sensational those comments are perceived compared to the action which caused them.
Lastly, lets not focus on the past (who kicked or toe poked who and when). Lets stop this happening again. The proof is in the pudding that the actual injury is the best judge of the severity of the foal, not the TV clip, and of course, punishment suit fit the crime.

Lassie, London,

Birmingham players have got it all wrong. I think the person who really needs sympathy here is Eduardo. This was not about intent or malice because everyone agress that Taylor is not the type. It was about recklessness and self control. If through drink driving and recklessness one seriously injures another, the burden of responsibilty falls squarely on the offender because he or she ought to have known better whether or not there was intent or malice. As a professional footballer, Taylor ought to have known better because this was not a tackle along the floor as some of his teammates have suggested. One look at the images will show Taylor's studs several centimeters above Eduardo's ankle with barely any part of Taylor's body supported on the grass.

Timothy, New York/London,

I don't know Martin Taylor personally and Alex McLeish does, so I have to believe him when he says that Taylor didn't want to hurt Eduardo because he's not a brutal player. However, as far as I know, the actions of the players on the pitch usually have a purpose. So what exactly did Taylor try to achieve with his tackle, given that it seems improbable that he wanted to play the ball?

Lexter, Frankfurt,