First contact
Uefa are correct to overturn the ban on Arsenal striker Eduardo. As was argued in this column recently, how can it be right to punish one player for what many others do week in week out. However, the reason for this change of heart is wholly unacceptable. Arsenal say their appeal was successful after they proved to Uefa that there was contact between their player and the Celtic goalkeeper. So what? Don’t the rules of football say that penalties and free kicks should only be awarded only if a foul has been committed? The amount of contact between Eduardo and Boruc wouldn’t have brought down an inebriated daddy-long-legs let alone an international footballer.
The word ‘contact’ has long been used, particularly by sycophantic TV companies, to excuse players crumpling to the floor after the slightest nudge. Additionally, it allows attackers to invite contact, particularly when attempting to round a goalkeeper…..something they could easily avoid if they so wished. So, let’s banish this awful word from the game once and for all.
X-rated Emmanuel
Once you look at the film of Emmanuel Adebayor planting his adidas F50i in to the kisser of Robin van Persie, you’ll understand why the FA has charged him with violent conduct. It doesn’t look good. Strange then that his manager Mark Hughes is trying to defend him. Hughes insists that there was no malice in the challenge (highly questionable) and that the Togo international had suffered a tremendous amount of personal abuse from visiting fans during the game (irrelevant).
Surely Hughes has seen the footage like the rest of us. While understanding the reasons why managers sometimes stick up for their players, on this occasion, Hughes should grasp the nettle, admit Adebayor was in the wrong and publicly admonish him.
In the red
Uefa president Michel Platini has got his way over plans to stop club’s spending above their means. While he says it will help clubs who are involved in Uefa competitions, it smacks of trying to break the dominance of English teams in the Champions League. Starting from 2012 / 13, clubs could be banned if they spend more than they make from their revenues.
So, it’ll be interesting to see what Mr Platini makes of the accounts of one his favoured clubs Real Madrid. Conservative estimates suggest that as of now, they are £500 million in debt. Let’s ban them now shall we?
TV no-show
England have qualified for the World Cup finals with two games to spare after winning eight from eight under Fabio Capello. You’d imagine that the interest and support for the national team would be at an all time high. But according to TV big-wigs, you’d be wrong.
As yet, no-one has picked up the rights for England’s next game, away to Ukraine on 10th October. As it stands, we’ll be forced to watch the match on the internet, probably having to pay a few quid for the pleasure. That can’t be right, can it?
Good piece Andy – agree with you on Eduardo and ‘contact’. It’s a joke these days…I find it hard to believe that some players can stand up in a strong breeze!
Another enjoyable read.
Adebayor is going to get caned by the FA.
cry me a river!
the world has not, will not and does not revolve around English soccer.
the spending rules will be good for the game all around and in no way have anything to do with English teams in the Champions League… a bit high on one’s self are we?
well, like most English glad to see you’ve already got your excuses ready when teams start to crash out of the CL…
Sadly for you Vince, the CL has, for many seasons, completely revolved around English clubs such has been their success in the latter stages of the compo.
The top Italian and Spanish sides are all in hock, the French and Germans aren’t strong enough and billionaires are flocking to the EPL coz that’s shown in about 250 countries around the world and is the sexiest league about.
Platini hates that and whatever he or you say about the spending plans, there’s not a shred of doubt that his underlying thought is to weaken well-backed English clubs.
I can hand on heart say that I cannot wait for Adebayor to be banned. Everybody keeps blabbing on about the amount of abuse he received during the match from the arsenal fans? Im sure been a PROFESSIONAL you are supposed to rise to the occasion and show your professionalism. As regards to sparky defending Ade, of course he is going to, But I feel sparky would become more respected as a manager if he came out and said yes ok, it was a maliscious tackle from Adebanor, of which we have giving him a fine from the club. Arsenal seem to have been in the lime light a lot over the past few weeks, and same again, UEFA lifting eduardos ban? RIDICULOUS. If this is the case, will the FA rescind paul scholes red card from the weekend? I dont think so, once a decision is made by any official body it should stand. as for Platini, pffffttt dont get me started on him, waste of space, who hates english football, and is JEALOUS as hell of England because of the potential we rise.
Agree with Septic Tank on this one.
If Platini is truly worried about this on a pan-european scale, how can he possibly sit there and watch Madrid sign Ronaldo, kaka and Benzema when they are half a billion quid in the red.
Oh, of course, they’re Spanish and he likes them. Silly question.
Everyone always brings up Real Madrid but you act as if he had a choice to do anything but standby. UEFA has members that have to vote on plans like this. He can’t just intervene mid-transfer window and forbid clubs to not buy players without first implementing a plan and rules and having it approved…. its the bureaucratic practice that all matters like these have to take. So the Madrid argument is a moot point, and they do will be under the scrutiny of the plan