Where does the FA recruit the people it uses to decide on the punishments that they will hand out to those who offend and break the rules that hold English football together? Are these people trained? Have they seen a game of football? Do they understand business in the modern environment or do they live in an alternative universe?

The FA handed repeat offender Ben Thatcher an eight game ban (with another 15 match ban suspended for two years) for violent conduct when he hospitalised Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes during a game earlier this season at Eastlands Stadium; giving Thatcher a number of weeks to reflect on his actions while he relaxes on a beach or works out at the clubs top class training facilities.

However the same football authority has just handed agent Jonathan Barnett an EIGHTEEN month ban with nine suspended, revoked his agents license and fined him £100,000 and ordered him to pay the costs of the hearing. What was his crime? Cold blooded murder of a player on the pitch? No he spoke to one club about a player owned by another club. In this case he spoke to Chelsea about Arsenal’s Ashley Cole. It appears there is no logic to punishments handed out. Although the FA have said that there is a “case for an element of deterrence in the sanction we are to impose” but I think I would much rather deter players from smashing in other players faces on the pitch; bearing in mind that they have over recent years taken much of the contact out of the sport.

However he was just doing for his client what many of us do every day. Many people have recruitment agencies call employers and tell them about their skills, they can even have them arrange a meeting, which could result in an offer of employment.

Why should footballers be restricted in their movement between employers, the clubs appear to have all of the power, they can decide to sell a play at the drop of a hat, however the player is unable to move when they want to. Imagine if in the ‘real’ world everyone that wanted to change jobs could only change during two periods in the year. The country would shut down and come to a complete standstill while all of the deals were done.

The powers that be in the FA need to perform a sense check on themselves. They need to ask questions that they may not want to hear the answers to, like which of these punishments was best for the game? Which violation of the rules needed the greater deterrent? The most important question is, was Arsenal FC ‘hurt’ more than Pedro Mendes?