This is just bizarre tbh.
He could never have caught the guy who was on the ball? The two are, by definition, really close together, so of course he could have got the player.
The point is that a tackle which is a two-footed, off-the-ground lunge from a player's blindside has a good chance of causing a nasty injury, and it doesn't matter if you get the ball or not, it's a red card. It's a tackle which was being considered a bit excessive in the 70s tbh. 20 years ago, that would have been a red card just as well - you may recall the 98 World Cup where there were a rash of red cards as FIFA clamped down on the tackle from behind.
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