Nigel De Jong Gets His Punishment After Ben Arfa Tackle

Manchester City hard man, Nigel De Jong, has been sensationally dropped from the Holland national squad for their two upcoming games against Moldova and Sweden.

The decision was made by the coach, Bert Van Marwijk, after De Jong broke Ben Arfa’s leg in City’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle. Van Marwijk told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, “It was a wild and unnecessary offence.”I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit.”

 I am shocked to hear that Marwijk has followed the unnecessary bandwagon to punish De Jong as much as possible. Yes, I am wishing Hatem Ben Arfa a speedy recovery from his injury, but did De Jong intend to harm the promising Frenchman?

This isn’t the first time De Jong has been in the spotlight for his dangerous tackles on the opposition. Bolton midfielder and USA international, Stuart Holden fractured his right fibula from a challenge by De Jong in an international friendly in March. The Dutchman was also thrust into the spotlight when he somehow wasn’t sent off in the World Cup final after kicking Xabi Alonso in the chest.

De Jong has become a firm favourite of mine during his time at City for his commitment, dedication and being fearless in the tackle. I believe people like Talk sport pundit, Stan Collymore and especially, Bert Van Marwijk are wrong to be criticising and punishing Nigel for his tackle on Ben Arfa, as it is part of De Jongs game that he is best at. De Jong was simply trying to regain possession of the ball for his team and certainly had no intention to cause a fellow professional any harm. After all football is a contact sport and unfortunately injuries are a common occurrence.

I personally hope that De Jongs game doesn’t suffer because of this latest event, as he has been excellent so far this season and could be crucial for us throughout the season. What do you think, should De Jong face further punishment or are injuries an unfortunate part of football?

I wish Ben Arfa a speedy recovery and hopefully when he returns, he can light up the Premiership.