Coventry City winker Norman Bassette’s antics deserve condemnation rather than chortling after Sky pundits’ laughable verdicts

Coventry City winker Norman Bassette’s “antics” during their dramatic 2-2 draw with Sheffield United left Sky Sports pundits chuckling - but his poor antics were really no laughing matter. The Belgian wound up United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic, goading him into a red card and then even more distastefully celebrated his “win” with a wink and a kiss aimed at Tyrese Campbell.

United, said boss Chris Wilder, were “mugged” by Bassette and Ahmedhodzic fell for the old “three-card trick.” It was, without doubt, a red card. Ahmedhodzic, as one of the most experienced players in this youthful side, should have known better and let his teammates down. They earned a draw after playing around an hour with 10 men and would have surely kept their winning streak going if they had a full complement of players.

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But that doesn’t excuse Bassette’s disgraceful actions, which deserve calling out for exactly what they were rather than being laughed off as just part of the game. There is a clear line between gamesmanship - United were in no rush to take goal-kicks and throw-ins when they were in front at the CBS Arena, for example - and outright trying to get an opponent sent off. Bassette had already twice tried to con ref Darren Bond into giving a penalty on Saturday and then, as he and Ahmedhodzic fell after another coming-together, his elbow found the back of the Bosnian’s head.

Speaking today on Sky’s Ref Watch, pundit and former women’s player Sue Smith said with a chuckle: “He’s completely wound him up, hasn’t he? And Ahmedhodzic can’t react like that and push someone round the throat. But the fact that [Bassette] went down holding his face... He didn’t touch his face, so that was the first one. And then to do a little wink and blow a kiss afterwards ... you’d be so frustrated. If it’s your team, you love it, because you love the fact that you’ve wound a player up and got a player sent off. But if he’s against you, wow ... you would be very angry.”

Have we reached the stage where such antics are basically applauded, praised as a smart bit of play or ‘just another part of the game’ rather than what it was - outright and obvious cheating? This will sound like sour grapes to City fans but I genuinely believe, based on a lifetime of experience, that such antics from a Blades player would simply not be tolerated by the majority of reasonable Unitedites. And certainly not their manager, who one imagines wouldn’t agree with former Coventry striker Jay Bothroyd’s verdict on Bassette-gate.

“I found that really funny, to be honest,” Bothroyd added. “First of all it wasn’t a foul, in any way, shape or form. And then obviously he’s turned round and it’s like the Kevin De Bruyne one where’s saying: ‘Get up.’ But [Bassette] put his hands around the back of his neck, it didn’t look like he’s grabbed his neck, and then obviously said something and got the reaction. It’s probably what he’s played for, really, and the defender’s bit. It’s a red card.”