Is ref Rennie being treated fairly?

Rennie's quick thinking helped prevent things between Keane and Jason McAteer turning nasty.

While the majority of fans have been quick to praise the ref, the professional governing body have decided to take a different stance.

The Professional Match Officials Games Board - who are in charge of referees and assistants - are poised to reprimand Rennie for restraining Keane.

The board are worried that Rennie's actions provide a dangerous precedent and are keen to crack down on refs manhandling players.

Where do you stand on the issue?

Referees seem to get into trouble every time they use their loaf. The powers that be need to understand that referees need to react according to the situation and at the end of the day common sense must prevail. Rennie diffused a situation that could have led to an all out brawl and should be praised for his quick thinking.
WL, England

The fact that Rennie is now marked for possible disciplinary action is both ridiculous and a wrong precedent to send out.

Refs are only human, and they react in different ways to different situations. Punishing a ref for dealing with a situation in the best way he thought possible is as good as saying to them 'you are just there to observe, we'll take the major decisions thank you'.

I think the fact that it was even mooted at all is ridiculous and if I were Rennie I would quit.
Biodun Gaffar, Nigeria

Rennie had to step in, however he should not have manhandled Keane. We all know he has a fiery temper and I'm just glad Keane didn't whack him too; otherwise he'd probably get a life ban.
Alastair, Northern Ireland

The fact that McAteer was not even booked is conveniently overlooked by the anti-Keane mob. Keane clearly felt that an injustice had been done and went about seeking revenge in his own way. I do not condone Keane's behaviour but the referee and McAteer's behaviour (faking injury / abusing Keane etc...) were deplorable.
Chris Oxford, Dubai

That was the best bit of referring I have seen. He did very well to step in between Keane and McAteer. If he hadn't then god knows what Keane would have done!
Ruth Little, England

Superb reaction from Rennie. It's a shame all refs don't have the confidence to diffuse these situations.
Russell Gregory, UK

Rennie is by no means my favourite referee. His sending off of Alan Shearer against Villa was a joke. His failure to notice the elbow on Michael Owen by a Leicester player was also a sign of his uselessness.

However, had he not done anything on to stop Keane thumping McAteer, then he would also have been criticised. It's great isn't it, the FA drags its heels in punishing Keane, but Rennie gets it around the ear almost straight away.
Simon, Germany

The professional governing body should be ashamed of themselves they are suited fools. Rennie defused what could have been a violent incident. He dealt with Roy Keane in a professional manner he did not manhandle Keane but prevented Keane from going over the top, as he has done on many occasions.

In my eyes Rennie showed class in his professional judgement. Keane incites trouble, the ref is on the field to ensure players don't take such things into there own hands. He has done his job well and should be praised.
Luke Allen, England

Has common sense gone completely out of the window? It was obvious to everyone watching that Rennie acted to prevent the incident escalating any further. Given Keane's record and the obvious bad blood between the two players Rennie clearly did Keane a favour. On this occasion Rennie should be commended not disciplined.
Julian Thomas, UK

As a Sunderland Fan, I thought he did the right thing; he used his common sense in preventing an incident getting out of hand. For Uriah to be hit with disciplinary action for using his head is a disgrace.

Let's be honest he's had his fair share of criticism in the past.....but this time its hats off Mr Rennie.
Matthew, England

If it hadn't of been Keane, then Rennie probably wouldn't have stepped in. Rather than placate Keane, he made him seek revenge later in the game, hence the elbow.
Ian Hart, UK

Why does an ex mediocre referee get to dictate what current referees can and cannot do? We have Keith Cooper and Philip Don in positions of power which I find incredibly scary. These officials seem hell bent on making sure that referees are not allowed to use any common sense which is patently ludicrous.

Should we not be doing more to eradicate the thuggish behaviour of Roy Keane and the sly provocation of McAteer? Football could learn a lot from rugby - a game where the referee's decision IS final!
Ben, UK

Uriah Rennie is the most improved referee in the Premiership. He is perceptive and uses good old fashioned common sense in his approach to refereeing. To discipline him for taking quick and decisive action to defuse a potentially volatile situation would be completely off the mark.

Get these idiots out of their ivory towers and in touch with the views of supporters. Well done Uriah Rennie and keep up the excellent standards you have attained in the past season. If only they were all that good.
Iain Mackie, England

Why should it be "a dangerous precedent to set"? Boxing referees split up two fighters, why can't football refs split up two players. If he hadn't, both would have been in a fight, then sent off.

Both Keane and McAteer should praise Rennie. He stopped the whole situation getting out of hand.
Nick, London

This just proves what a joke the people who officiate the game in this country are. No decent human being can stand aside and watch someone get attacked - why is Uriah Rennie any different? He's a human, before he's a referee.
Drags, England

As a Wimbledon FC supporter, and a huge fan of Vinnie Jones, the comparison between Vinnie and Roy Keane is an interesting one. Roy Keane was so fired up against Sunderland that a red card was inevitable.

Vinnie Jones used to start matches fired up in the same manner and, sure enough, he was sometimes sent off, although I do not remember any Wimbledon manager backing Vinnie up on his numerous dismissals.

Uriah Rennie was spot on in his actions. He correctly realised that McAteer and Keane were winding each other up (a little vendetta between two players that occurs in about 99% of matches!) and that it was a certainty that when Keane picked himself up, having been fouled by McAteer, there was going to be a nasty confrontation.

Usually, the captain would step in to separate the offending parties, but considering the Manchester United captain was the one about to kick off, Mr Rennie should be praised, not criticised. Captains are supposed to set an example to their team-mates, not rise to provocation.
Phil, UK

As a Man Utd supporter, I think Roy Keane's behaviour, not just recently, is totally unacceptable and something needs to be done. As if a two-week fine is going to make him more respectful! And Keane's match bans should start when he is declared fit after the op.
Steve, England

Uriah Rennie's intervention probably stopped a serious fight starting that would have landed Keane in even more trouble. Fair enough, Rennie probably should have booked McAteer earlier, but would this really have stopped Keane elbowing the Sunderland player later in the game?

I think the ref must feel very disappointed that his prompt action to avert a fight on the pitch has been rewarded by a ticking-off from the small-minded authorities.
Simon Miller, England

I was at the game on Saturday, and am convinced that if Rennie had not got between Keane and McAteer, Keane would have ended up with an assault charge against him.
T Baker, UK

Uriah Rennie did the right thing in stopping Roy Keane from reaching Jason Mcateer, as he saved a very dangerous situation. Roy Keane was completely out of control and could have caused a lot of trouble...as usual! Well done to the courageous Uriah Rennie!
Anthony Calleja, Malta

If a player if touches a ref then that player is punished, so why should it be any different when it is the other way around?
Mark Smith, England

There is a clear distinction between manhandling and separating potential combatants. The ref did the latter. Perhaps, if we Brits could understand that fact, there would be less aggravation and violence in our community.
Peter Knight, England

Fair play to the ref for stepping in and preventing an ugly clash. I don't particularly like Roy Keane, but the ref done him one hell of a favour. Who knows what he would have done to McAteer on the spur of the moment, because he was up on his feet a lot quicker than him. 10 out of 10, Uriah!
Gareth, Ireland

Why should Rennie be punished for what he did?? Roy Keane is a big boy and he only pushed him back. Players do it all the time to referees and never get punished. Just another rule for those do-gooding people who have nothing better to do with their time.
Rico, England

The ref is supposed to control the game, and this is exactly what Uriah was trying to do...they cannot let the players take control of the game. Any way of breaking up trouble is totally necessary, especially with the rest of the world watching the best league in Europe!
Chris, UK

How can the FA even think of punishing the ref, when he possibly stopped a complete riot. Keane was looking for McAteer from the moment his late tackle went in. I say "well done, ref".
Phil, UK

Physical contact between the referee (umpire) and the players is often made in the baseball game, for instance. Why not in football? Can't we see if it has been done out of good will or not?
Genpuku Taro, Japan

Unbelievable. I thought he did the right thing stepping in, and shouldn't face any sort of reprimand. Crazy!
Ben Nunn, UK

The referee did well to defuse the situation and caused no harm. It was good refereeing.
Peter Howe, Scotland

With the exception of failing to book McAteer, I think Mr Rennie had a very good game.

By preventing Keane from attacking McAteer he may have seriously damaged Keane's book sales, although Keane himself set that straight in the last minute by securing the headlines with a shocking off-the-ball attack.

Mr Rennie should not be reprimanded for his actions, but neither should it become common place for referee's to manhandle players.
Jon Hewitt, England

I think that a ref stepping in to pull a thug off another thug in order to maintain the peace is simply a case of him doing his job. It's unusual for a ref to do his job properly, so why are people criticising him for doing it for once?
Ian, UK

There is no way Uriah Rennie should be punished. Have the people thought that if he had not handled Keane, then we may have had 22 players battling? As a referee myself, I was taught early on that at potential flashpoints, identify the troublemaker and deal with them there and then.
Stewart Smart, United Kingdom

I agree that refs should not grab players, the same as players should not touch refs. In doing so, Rennie seems to have totally missed the fact that the tackle that started the issue should have resulted in a booking!
Lez T, UK

Roy Keane should be banned from football. He is one of the luckiest players in the game. If anyone outside Manchester United did the same as him, they would have been banned from football a long time ago. Uriah Rennie was totally justified in manhandling and subsequently sending off Roy Keane.
Joel Dodsworth, England

I don't think Rennie should be punished. It's about time we saw referees stand up and show that no matter how big a player is, he cannot abuse the referee. Too many times have we seen players get away with things because the ref has been scared! Good on you Rennie.
Jez, UK

I think Rennie is to be praised for trying to control the game and the players, rather than dishing out a ridiculous number of cards. Had Rennie taken the approach of Andy D'Urso at Chelsea, then the game would have been abandoned by this point due to the number of players sent off.
Lauren, UK

I guess the professional governing body would have preferred to see the wacko Keane slug it out with McAteer. What a pity.
Kofi, Ghana

It's ridiculous that Rennie should face any form of punishment, especially against a team well known for intimidating referees. Rennie should be praised for stepping in and preventing an ugly situation from getting any worse.

Would Rennie be in the headlines if he had "manhandled" anyone other than Keane?? Probably not.
Mark, Thames Ditton, England

I think that the ref prevented further trouble by restraining Roy Keane. Roy was in a rage and would have just pushed past him if Uriah hadn't held him. And then who knows what this week's discussions would have been about, perhaps Roy Keane having another go at McAteer...
Frank, UK

Rennie was correct to hold Roy Keane, Roy is one of a kind and could have been facing a more of a lengthy ban if it hadn't been for Rennie. The poor refs must be terrified of Roy Keane, something needs to be done - Roy Keane is shaming football.
Jon, England