EL Hadji Diouf is the luckiest man in the world to get away with a two-week fine and two-match suspension for spitting at supporters.

Scotland's procurator fiscal is still deciding whether to charge Diouf with a breach of the peace over the incident and it would send the right message to football's bad boys if he were to do so.

Footballers should not be immune to the laws of the land when they step on to a football field.

An assault is an assault whether it happens on the street or on the pitch.

Diouf committed an offence on a member of the public just as Eric Cantona did at Crystal Palace some years ago. And just as Cantona was punished by the courts then Diouf should face the same fate.

So should players who blatantly assault other players on the field.

A bad tackle is one thing and should be dealt with by the football authorities. But as soon as a player deliberately kicks, elbows, stamps or head butts an opponent it should be dealt with in the same way as any other common assault, through the law courts.

Everton's Duncan Ferguson was sent to prison for head-butting another player during a match in Scotland eight years ago and Dion Dublin should have gone before the magistrates for viciously committing the same offence on Robbie Savage in the recent Birmingham derby.