@one ,
@GraemeS. I've followed your debate with a lot of interest .. thanks for making it both thought provoking and civil
.
On reflection, I think this is yet one more of the examples where 'continental 'refereeing differs from English. I've spent a lot of time in Denmark over the last few years and it's noticeable that obvious, cynical,
careless shirt pulls,
whether stopping a promising attack or not, are routinely cautioned in Denmark where they would likely not be so in England. The reasoning, as One describes, is that this type of behaviour is just felt to be outside the spirit of the game. This is why it would seem obvious to eg Danish referees, that you would still caution for such offences even after the recent SPA/advantage law change. The idea that you would caution for such an act in the defensive half but then not do so further up the pitch would seem counter intuitive at best. Whereas, in England, there would be no expectation of a caution for such an offence .... we only (historically) did so when it was SPA.
In summary, you're both right ... just starting from a different historical perspective