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The English FA would have been within its rights to sanction
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney following an elbowing incident last
week, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Saturday.

The FA said it could not retrospectively take action against
Rooney for elbowing Wigan Athletics’ James McCarthy in the back of the head in
a Premier League match because, under FIFA rules, as referee Mark Clattenburg
had already given a foul against the England man for obstruction, they could
take no further action.

However, Blatter told a news conference after a meeting of the
International Football Association Board (IFAB): “This is up to the discretion
of the national association.

“They can use video evidence in the discipline and control
committee.

“They can impose or change a decision if a red or yellow card
has been given to the wrong player. If there’s violence the national
association can intervene and punish a player — this is permitted at the
discretion of the national association.”

The FA were roundly criticised for taking no action against
Rooney.

Right decision

FA chairman David Bernstein, who was sitting next to Blatter at
the news conference, said he was convinced the FA had done the right thing.

Bernstein added: “In the Wayne Rooney situation, under FIFA
regulations if the referee sees the incident, which in this case he did do, the
FA has no authority except in what is called exceptional circumstances, really
exceptional — the Ben Thatcher incident is the only one where that has been
used.

“If you open the door to ‘halfway exceptional’ the floodgates
will open.

“I think that has more merit than meets the eye, the basis of
the primacy of the referee staying in place has some merit even though that
will upset fans sometimes and quite understandably.” Bernstein added: “If the
referee states he has seen the incident, the FA is not able to make decisions
except in exceptional circumstances.” The most famous case of “exceptional
circumstances” in the Premier League was when former Manchester City defender
Ben Thatcher received an eight-match suspension after he led with an elbow and
fractured the skull of Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes in 2006.

FIFA’s rule 77 covers “sanctioning serious infringements which
have escaped the match officials’ attention” and national associations can
rectify “obvious errors” in the referee’s disciplinary decisions.

Blatter said: “Everyone deserves fair play. Respect starts with
self-discipline.

This is what we are asking everywhere, from youth teams upwards
and it is also valid for personalities.

“The higher your position the higher your responsibility. Those that have
more power should be more responsible towards others. This is a principle in life.”