Purse - Coyle and Redknapp speak out

Last updated : 02 May 2008 By Tony Scholes
Asked whether he was surprised at the decision, Clarets boss Coyle said: "I don't think surprised is the word I would use. It's not for me to get involved in a war of words but I've seen Andrew Cole's leg, I've seen the tackle. I felt at the time the red card was justified.

"The referee was in control of the matter straight away and he certainly felt the red card was just. As soon as I heard it was going to the Welsh FA then you wonder why. It was only a month ago that if Cardiff were to win the FA Cup they had to get clearance from the English FA that they would be allowed to play in Europe.

"It just seemed a little bit odd that red cards are a different matter of course. Having said that, I think there was only going to be one conclusion anyway when it went to the Welsh FA."

Purse will now be able to play in the FA Cup Final against Portsmouth, a decision slammed as a farce by Pompey boss Harry Redknapp. "Anyone with any sense will have a look at the decision and realise it's a bit strange," Harry said.

"Cardiff want to qualify for the UEFA Cup and I'm 100 percent behind that, they should qualify if they win the cup. But how do you play in the English FA Cup and league but when you have a player sent off it goes in front of a Welsh appeals committee? How can that be right?

"I don't want to see the boy miss a cup final, I wouldn't want to see anyone miss a cup final, but Andy Cole said it was the worst challenge he'd ever received. We wouldn't get any help at all. We would just get the player banned and that would be it.

"We've all got the same rules so everybody should abide by the same rules. But there's nothing we can do about it. The whole situation is a bit farcical.

Perhaps we should leave the last word to the official Cardiff City web site. In their match report from the game it records: "Purse tangled with Cole and referee Andy Hall had little choice but to give the defender his marching orders."