Comparisons are already logically being drawn with an incident at Highbury against Arsenal in January 2002 when Jamie Carragher was one of three players sent off.  Carragher was also abused by sections of rival fans who threw coins at him and Carragher, like Drogba, responded by throwing one of the coins back “from whence it came”.

A stupid thing to do?  Of course, although no charge was brought against Carragher by the FA, he was punished with an instant dismissal, a three-match ban, a police warning and a £40,000 fine from Liverpool.  Drogba should receive similar punishment although the fact that he only received a yellow as opposed to Carragher´s red could work in his favour (having said that, after pressure on the FA from the anti-Chelsea media band wagon his punishment will no doubt be greater!).

Both players apologised after the incident issuing similar worded statements from their respective clubs.

 

Drogba:

 "This is something I want to make clear. I tried to celebrate the goal and I received some things at me,"

"The big mistake I did was to throw it back so if someone was hurt, I just want to apologise for it."This is not something I should show in a football match and I want to apologise.

"It was an incident in the heat of the moment and I regret it. It was just a mistake and nothing more."

Carragher:

"I regret what happened at Highbury because I let the club, the fans, my team-mates and myself down,"

"No matter what the physical or verbal provocation, I shouldn't have reacted like that. I would like to apologise for any offence caused.

"I was frustrated and did it without thinking in the heat of the moment. Anyone who has seen me play regularly will realise it was completely out of character but I'm not going to make excuses.

"I was wrong and as a professional football player I should have known better. It's a mistake I won't make again."

But the Carragher and Drogba incidents aren’t isolated.  Graeme Le Saux also spoke out after coin throwing from West Ham fans during a match at Stamford Bridge - also during January 2002.

"Coin-throwing happens quite a lot more than it's actually reported.  On Saturday I picked up a coin and gave it to the referee rather than let it lie on the ground. I was vilified by the West Ham fans for doing that, as if I was telling tales. But if someone throws a coin, it's up to everyone, including the supporters, to make sure it doesn't happen again."

“There are some vicious people out there. I've got two children, and if I had nothing to do with football, I'd think twice [about going] because of the animosity, verging on hatred, that you sometimes find."

Many football fans are extremely hypocritical anyway when it comes to players responding to abuse. How many times do we hear and read about fans complaining how they were “offended” by a player giving a bit back to them after they themselves were quite happy to dish it out for 90 mins like the baying plebeian masses that they are?  Don’t mew away, crying like babies - If you can’t take it then doesn’t dish it out – it’s all part of spectacle.

The media are extremely happy to report and fill up their pages and reports of these incidents, seemingly campaigning for the offending player to be placed in the stocks by the town hall and pelted by the indignant – but what do they do about the ones who threw coins and objects at the players in the first place?  Did any Arsenal and West Ham fans actually get caught and punished for their parts in physical abuse of the players?  Will those Burnley fans who cowardly threw coins at Drogba receive any punishment?

In a perhaps somewhat contradictory manner I actually believe the “tribal instinct” that supporting a football team brings out in us is actually a good thing and key to maintaining whatever soul we can salvage in a modern game that is slowly becoming more and more sanitised and moribund. 

The banter and unsavoury abuse, the taunting and the humour between sets of fans – all essential in my opinion.  Sure, modern society is becoming more understanding and educated, more tolerant and intellectual, but let us not forget that even the homo sapiens that inhabit this planet should be allowed some form of outlet for their, shall we say, more base instincts and natural tribal roots. 

However, complete anarchy should not be allowed to reign – so let’s draw the line at physical abuse from the hoards on the players at least.  Let’s hope that the perpetrators of cowardly physical violence on football players are also pursued and punished with the same vigour as which the players are.

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