Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner claims Eveliina Summanen’s two-match ban for doping highlights the “huge inconsistencies” between the men’s and women’s games.
Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner believes Eveliina Summanen’s two-match ban for “successfully deceiving a referee” has highlighted “huge inconsistencies” between the men’s and women’s games.
Summanen was charged with misconduct by the Football Association after allegedly committing a “sheer act of simulation” which resulted in Manchester United’s Ella Toone being sent off on 12 February.
The incident occurred in the 80th minute when Toone shoved Summanen in the shoulder in response to an earlier challenge, prompting referee Amy Fearn to brandish a red card.
But Summanen, who kept her face after being tackled by Toone, was accused of “play-acting” by United boss Marc Skinner.
The Tottenham midfielder denied the charge of misconduct, but an Independent Regulatory Commission upheld the decision.
Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner believes Eveliina Summanen’s two-match ban for “successfully deceiving a referee” has highlighted “huge inconsistencies” between the men’s and women’s games.
Summanen, who kept her face after contact with Ella Toone, was accused of “play-acting” by United boss Marc Skinner.
Summanen is believed to be the first female player to be accused of successfully deceiving a match referee. The last male player to be charged was Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford in 2019.
Spurs boss Skinner believes the revocation of Toone’s red card and slapping Summanen with a two-match ban “opened a can of worms” and questioned the example set for youngsters in the game.
“Removing the red card is a potential challenge. First, a player has committed a foul. Then the players are on the floor. Every time you raise your hands in that situation, you’re going after a player aggressively, if we’re not interpreting the violent behavior rule in the right way, then that’s a bigger problem to look at.
“Essentially, if you use or try to use force against an opponent when you’re not in possession of the ball – that’s the rule. That happened and it was evident, so I think the challenge we have is what precedent are we trying to set? And what does it look like moving forward for all of us? If you see that on the street it’s not okay.
“We have to understand the written reasons that were attached to it. I think you’ll take it to the next part of this. If you’re on the floor and someone approaches you with open arms, you only have two options. One is to retaliate and the other is to protect yourself. It is difficult to manage in this situation. If you are the person who accepts it, it is difficult to face this circumstance and blame yourself for things.
“There are many reasons. A player needing treatment after this should also be considered. I just think it’s opened up a can of worms, I’m not sure what we’re standing for, I’m a little concerned about the example we’re trying to set for the wider game and also for the kids watching.
“At the moment the Premier League, EFL and WSL are all governed by the same rules and that really highlights the inconsistencies in how things are handled. This is something that definitely needs to be addressed moving forward if we’re really trying to grow the game in the right direction.’
Asked if she thought Summanen had been made an example of, Skinner added: “I think it’s probably fair to say that.
The incident occurred in the 80th minute when Toone pushed Summanen on the shoulder in response to an earlier challenge, prompting referee Amy Fearn to brandish the red card.
Summanen is believed to be the first female player to be charged with successfully cheating a match referee
The last male player to be charged was Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford in 2019
“I and the club do not agree with the accusation made against Evelina. It’s fair to say we were shocked, disappointed and unimpressed with the way this whole process went.’
United boss Skinner had made strong comments about the incident after the game, which the Tottenham manager did not believe was necessary.
“I think it’s very important to focus on your own team and your players. For me, commenting on other people’s players is definitely below the standards and values that I have and am prepared to go to.
“Ultimately there’s enough going on in a game for players to manage and deal with, I don’t think we need to add to the pressures that obviously exist in their lives while they’re trying to compete. This is disappointing that it happened.”
