The attitude of players & managers towards referees in football is appalling. Only the Captain has the right to ask the referees to confirm why he has made a desicion . Managers are all blind, standard response 'I didn't see the incident'

Just watch a rugby match to see how players should behave.

David Torry, Llanynynech, Wales

He got what he deserved for continual harrassment of the official - something Liverpool players are prone to do (Carragher and Gerrard in particular) and why he wasn't sent off against Middlesborough will remain a mystery to all who follow the game

john garrett, Newcastle, UK

While what he did was stupid it was by no means a particularly bad display of dissent. I have seen english internationals be much more confrontational and not recieve any disciplinary action. Some of them do it regularly.

The laws regarding dissent are too vague and what may be acceptable in the opinion of one ref can be punished by another. While we don't want to see refs being intimidated or abused it would be wrong treat footballers as children in forbidding them from questioning decisions of match officials.

This is not the first time Bennet has sent a player off for merely questioning the correctness of one of his decisions (anyone remember Les Ferdinands comments about him?). I think Mascherano is being treated as a scapegoat.

Philip Blagden, Waterford, Ireland