RateTheRef

One could also make a good case of saying that tackling is potentially showing a disregard for the safety of an opponent because sometimes tackles, even although not fouls, can result in horrific injuries. So, the logical outcome of this reasoning is to penalise all bodily contact in this new game which we might call Passball.

Sadly, I think that this is the way that the game is going, and has been for several seasons, at the behest of FIFA.
We are seeing a simple accidental trip resulting in cautions, players planting a foot slightly in front of their opponent when running resulting in a caution, good solid tackles being penalised, player kicks the ball to clear and it hits his opponent in the face --free kick given --so may other instances.
It just suits the agenda of those running the game and I fear that Whistleblower's observations will prove correcct.

I'll get brickbats for this but I wonder whether the DOGSO rule (which most people seem to agree with) is linked with this to some extent. It has always annoyed me that - under the original version of the rule - an accidental trip, even with an attempt to play the ball, resulted in a red card if it happened to deny a goal-scoring opportunity (even if, viewed on its own, it might not even have attracted a yellow).  This has always seemed to me a denial of natural justice. I appreciate that the rule has been changed but we now have the arguably even more illogical situation that an accidental trip outside the area results in a red card (even where there is an attempt to play the ball), whereas inside the area it does not. Yes of course the attacking team gets a penalty, but logic suggests that the same foul should be penalised in the same way or at least that the offending player should be more harshly penalised for an offence within the area than for an offence outside - instead it's the other way round. I've always hated these aspects of DOGSO for these reasons. Once you accept that innocent challenges can attract straight red cards you are on the slippery slope to a non-contact sport.