ARE some footballers more equal than others?

A question I was forced to ask myself when I heard about a call from Sir Alex Ferguson for Cristiano Ronaldo to get "special protection" from referees to stop him from being "kicked out of the English game."

Why should anyone one player have the laws of the game apply differently to them than any other footballer?

Surely, a foul is a foul no matter who it is on and should carry the same punishment. Personalities shouldn't enter the equation.

There's no doubt that Ronaldo is the best player on the planet at the moment but surely any insinuation that teams are trying to kick him out of the game is ludicrous.

Through speed of thought and fleet of foot, Ronaldo is bound to be fouled more than most players. Flair players down the years will tell you that.

Diego Maradona used to take fierce stick but still became one of the greatest players ever to have played the game.

And how would special measures be applied? Why would a foul on Ronaldo count for more than one say of Aaron Mokoena or Graham Alexander?

And how did you tell if he's been hurt? He didn't display the "courage" he was praised for by his boss after the Aston Villa game when he was rolling around the place at Villareal.

The challenge by Capdevila Mendez wasn't a good one, but it didn't justify the subsequent dive and histrionics that followed it. And the after effects didn't last long did they?

Ronaldo deserves what the rest of the professional footballers get - a fair deal. No more, no less.