ABSTRACT
If a person intentionally or recklessly caused harm to another person in order to prevent them from reaching the ball or for reason of sheer thuggery, then these actions are in breach of the criminal law. Clearly, the administrators of sport have failed to control this evil within their own sports. The concept that sporting supervisory bodies should usurp the power of the courts and the system of British justice cannot be supported by any cogent argument. Why should offenders who commit a crime within their game not be punished for their villainy? The law of the land never stops at the touchline.
