Harry Redknapp has urged his Tottenham players to concentrate on Saturday's clash with Fulham rather than next week's European trip to Milan.
Spurs make the short trip to Craven Cottage just 48 hours before they head out to Italy to face reigning European champions Internazionale in a mouth-watering Champions League tie.
"It is hard balancing the Champions League with the Premier League," said Redknapp
"But they've got to concentrate on the trip to Craven Cottage. That is the key now.
"The league position is all important because unless we win the Champions League we are not going to qualify for the Champions League next year.
"If we want to play Champions League football like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal invariably do every year we have to finish in the top four again. That is our priority.
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"We also want a good run in the Champions League but if you go out of the Champions League and finish halfway up the table, at the end of the year if you are not in European football it is not good.
"These next two league games for me are massive."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Four teams looked set to battle it out at the top of the Bundesliga for the right to become Champions after the winter break. However, with just over a month gone in the Rueckrunde (second half of the season) it looks like one team is about to bow out of the title race.
Having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich for the second time this season, Schalke’s title race chances are looking increasingly bleak. In the encounter on Sunday at the Allianz Arena, they were outplayed for large periods as the home side hit back after a string of poor results. The Royal Blues were forced into selecting third choice goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, who originally did well to keep out a series of early efforts from the Munich front line.
However, the onrushing ex-Stuttgart keeper was beaten to a ball over the top by Franck Ribery. The Frenchman nonchalantly looped the ball over Hildebrand before stroking into an empty net from 20 yards. The away side then missed a glorious opportunity to get back into the game early in the second half when Joel Matip was put through on goal. He could only curl his effort wide and minutes later, Ribery sealed the win for the Bavarians.
It meant Bayern overtook Borussia Mönchengladbach who could only draw 1-1 at home to Hamburg. Gladbach took the lead thanks to a neatly worked free kick which was eventually converted by Mike Hanke. However, Tolgay Arslan grabbed the equaliser for HSV. Like Schalke, Gladbach will regret a missed opportunity as Juan Arango headed over a seemingly simple opportunity in stoppage time.
Bayern’s victory got them no closer though to Borussia Dortmund who managed to ease past Hannover. Robert Lewandowski netted one in either half before a stunning effort Didier Ya Konan spiced up proceedings at Signal Iduna Park. However, the Champions weren’t phased and sealed the win late on through Ivan Perisic.
This in turn left Schalke eight points behind their arch rivals with eleven games remaining. The ruthless manner in which Borussia Dortmund are performing makes a collapse look unlikely at this moment in time. However, the Royal Blues will be looking forward to having an opportunity to stunt BVB’s title challenge when they visit the Veltins Arena in April.
Destiny does not seem to be with Huub Stevens’s side, such has been the timing this season of managerial resignations, goalkeeper troubles, injuries and bad results. All have inconvenienced Schalke, so for them to even be in title contention is impressive. A small example of this occurred at the Allianz Arena on Sunday. Instead of the glorious one-on-one chance falling to, say Raul or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, it fell to Joel Matip, a man hardly synonymous for his goal scoring ability.
Perhaps the tactical nous has been lacking from Stevens in the big games as well. In the five matches so far against the teams above them, they’ve only won one and scored one. In the other four games, they’ve conceded nine and subsequently lost them all. What’s more their defence is not on the same level as the three sides above them, having conceded more than the top two put together.
There is plenty for Royal Blues fans to be encouraged by though with a very talented young squad which will improve with time. Also their attack has been insatiable and prior to the weekend was the best in the Bundesliga. It shouldn’t be forgotten they’ve already amassed four more points than they did in the whole of last season.
Huub Stevens must ensure at the very least they bring Champions League football back to the Veltins Arena. They haven’t lost to anyone below them since the 15th October, which should give the Ruhr outfit the confidence to achieve this goal. For now though, it looks like the title is out of reach for Schalke.
For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt on Twitter
Matchday 23 Results:
Gladbach 1-1 Hamburg
Augsburg 3-0 Hertha Berlin
Cologne 0-2 Leverkusen
Mainz 4-0 Kaiserslautern
Stuttgart 4-1 Freiburg
Wolfsburg 1-2 Hoffenheim
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Arsenal will forever be in my heart. But a little bit of love for the club I have followed for 40 years died yesterday thanks to a box office wallah who effectively denied me the chance to take my boy, aged six, to Stoke.
All I wanted to do was collect a ticket from the Britannia box office, a duplicate of one that hadn’t arrived in the post to a mate on the away season ticket scheme. Simple, right? Er, no. Let me explain. My mate lives and works in Scotland and wasn’t going to the game so as a gift suggested I take Josh on him. Cheers, mate, the Arsenal family spreading the love. Josh could go to his first away game having already been 10 times to see the Gunners at the Emirates.
All I had to do was ring the box office and explain. I did. In short the girl on the blower wasn’t having it. She pointed out that only the intended recipient could collect the ticket. Yes, but he is in Scotland and isn’t going and he is giving me the ticket I argued.
Again, she pointed out that only the intended recipient could collect the ticket. Surely, I countered, the rules could be bent a little to allow me to take my son to the game. To nurture the supporters of the future. To support a club under fire after hiking season ticket prices and membership costs. To support a club without silverware since 2005. To support a club that could do with all the support it could get given the current movement opposing so much about the Arsenal of 2011. At a virtual dead rubber of a game with only Champions League qualification riding on it. I say ‘only’ – Lord know that other lot would celebrate long into the night at this achievement – but, to qualify that, we could have been going to Stoke to win the title.
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I added that they could check me out as a loyal follower with home and away season tickets and that surely my ID would suffice along with the permission of the guy who owned the ticket. After repeating myself and adopting a heated, incredulous tone but still getting an unswerving monotone response I asked to speak to the away scheme manager. I was put on hold but lost the plot and slammed the phone down in anger at the Emirates entrenchment.
Two minutes later a bloke called Jason called to berate me about my attitude. I was, according to him, “rude and agrressive”. I argued that I was merely frustrated and wasn’t rude, didn’t swear and delivered what I thought, even if I say so myself, was a reasoned, eloquent argument. I then pointed out that if he was only ringing to question my attitude then the conversation should end sharpish. What other business rings their customers to have a go at then once they have questioned their service? Unbelievable.
I couldn’t reason with Jason. I couldn’t talk to him about my Dad collecting me from the schoolboys at Highbury to go into the cavernous, wondrous North Bank. Peanuts, all roasted. My first NLD at WHL in 1975. Liam Brady. Brussels 1980. Oxford Road against the Mancs early 80s. The agony of York away. The joy of Anfield 89. More than 60 grounds in Europe following MY team.
Yes, I’ll be at Stoke, but my nipper won’t be. My six-year-old son who runs round the house singing, “Ooh, ahh Ray Parlour” and is being brought up like me and his Grandad before him to be Arsenal, will miss out. I don’t suppose it will bother the likes of Ivan Gazidis and will have zero impact on the club’s corporate goals and ideology of global domination. But ignoring the lifeblood of the club, its loyal fans, is to do so at its peril. As for our excellent manager Arsene Wenger – an utter genius who I admire greatly – I quite understand why he has too much on his plate to let one whining fan upset the Emirates evolution. Don’t ever take my Arsenal away, eh?
A few weeks ago I read about the Black Scarf chaps who are marching from Blackstock Road to the ground to voice their concern about the deepening division between what you might call old school supporters and the club. Not for me, I thought. I ‘support’ the Arsenal, don’t we have enough detractors without rebelling ourselves?
Then I spoke to Jason. Now I am joining the march. It has hit me that I am the very same supporter, with the same set of beliefs, for whom these boys are marching.
And my away season ticket for the next campaign? You can stick it right up your Arsenal.
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Article Written by Carl Eldridge at Arsenal Insider
FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan
Every football fan likes to think that they’re a bit of a know-it-all when it comes to footy trivia. We often boast about how much we know about the club we support and can list statistics and honours from years gone by like they’re our phone number. We only get to show off this knowledge on rare occasions, though. The pub quiz at your local may have a couple of football questions thrown in, while fantasy football gives you a chance to show how spot on you are when it comes to valuing players from the Premier League. But now there’s an opportunity to really show off and prove that you’re a football anorak!
Big Match Striker challenges football fans in the ultimate test of football trivia. In this brand new game you’ll have to know your football history and be right up to date with the latest football news to have any chance of defeating your opponents. But a fantastic knowledge of football alone will not be enough as you’ll also need to be an astute tactician in the same vein as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsenal gaffer Arsene Wenger to guide your team to glory.
You will need to use your skills as a chairman, manager and player to transfer your club from minnows in the lower division to global superstars. The aim of the game is simple: to win matches. However, this will require you to have a vast knowledge of famous football moments from years past and to know exactly what’s been going on in the Premier League, Championship and Football League in recent weeks. Basically, if you follow football intensely and have done for a long time then Big Match Striker will be right up your street.
Once you get started you’ll soon be hooked and buying ‘stamina’ so that you can play more and more matches and rise up the leagues. All you need to do is correctly respond to the questions posed quicker than your opponent and work your way up the field before finding the back of the net. If you’re victorious you’ll earn ‘smackers’, which is the in-game currency and will allow you to buy players and upgrade your stadium, something that Liverpool haven’t even been able to do in recent months!
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With new questions added each and every week, Big Match Striker is the most up-to-date online football game out there. With the opportunity to challenge your mates and create your own leagues you can really show who knows the most about footy. If you think you’re the Lionel Messi of the football trivia world then you can join the Big Match Striker community now by downloading the game for free at www.bigmatchonline.com.
For many fans, the problem with the power structure at Arsenal is that, since the departure of David Dein, the club has been lacking individuals willing to contradict Arsene Wenger. From Pat Rice and Boro Primorac to Ivan Gazidis and Peter Hill-Wood the Arsenal manager appears to have all of them eating out of the palm of his hand. So what then should Arsenal fans expect of Stan Kroenke? You’re as likely to see ‘Silent’ Stan around The Emirates as you are to see Ed Miliband delivering seminars on charisma, but that does not mean that the largest sports mogul in the world will not be keeping a keen eye on the club he paid close to a billion dollars for in April last year.
His NFL franchise the St. Louis Rams have recently finished a disappointing season, similar to the one Arsenal are enduring at the moment, what better way to understand the north London club’s new owner than to observe his behaviour towards his other teams. So what was Kroenke’s reaction to the Rams having such a poor season? A major restructuring of the club. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney were both shown the door in what Kroenke described as a ‘difficult but necessary’ change for the club.
This begs the question: could we see a similar scenario at Arsenal come the end of the season? With the Arsene Wenger’s tenure apparently wearing thin with The Emirates’ crowd and Ivan Gazidis testing the patience of every Arsenal fan with his lack of negotiating skill could Kroenke really be the man to initiate success-inspiring change at Arsenal? His overhaul of the management of the St. Louis Rams certainly showed that he is not afraid to put sentimentality aside for the success of the club, even if it was an injury crisis that hampered the Rams’ season rather than the coaching staff.
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The problem is of course is that Arsenal is still a profitable club under Wenger, he still has the ability to make money for Kroenke and come the end of the season we could see a subconscious differentiation from Kroenke between ‘for the good of the club’ and ‘for the good of my pocket’. The same goes for Gazidis, who we know does a good job expanding Arsenal’s global brand but is found wanting when it comes to transfer dealings – most notably selling one of the world’s best central midfielders and Arsenal’s captain for a pitiful initial £25m. For Barcelona President Sandro Rosell to announce shortly after the transfer that Fabregas was actually worth closer to £60m was a bitter pill for Arsenal fans to swallow and not one they will forgive Gazidis for easily.
However you would expect that, being former chief executive of the MLS, Ivan Gazidis was probably one of the major reasons for Kroenke’s faith in Arsenal, thus his departure seems unlikely. A further worry for Arsenal fans should be that even if Kroenke were to sack Arsene Wenger, with so little time spent watching Arsenal games and a questionable knowledge of football in general, how strong a position will Kroenke be in to either recognise the type of manager that Arsenal would need as Wenger’s replacement or identify which manager has those qualities. This might be largely up to Peter Hill-Wood but even he seems out of touch in recent years.
How too should Arsenal fans read Kroenke’s situation with the LA Dodgers, an MLB team that the American tycoon has bid for. Should they be worried that Kroenke seems to have a greater interest in adding to his collection of teams rather than focusing on providing success for them? Looking at his other ventures you can deduce that Kroenke certainly won’t be embarking on any Arsenal shaped extravagances any time soon, that’s not his style. However he’s not afraid of initiating changes, indeed the American media has suggested that Kroenke is bidding for the LA Dodgers because he intends to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles, which is no small feat. So what can we infer from our knowledge of Kroenke? That he’s not scared to make big decisions, that he’s definitely not Abramovich or Mansour, but above all he’s interested in making money. If you needed any proof that Wenger had the full support of Kroenke you need only look to the American’s interview with The Telegraph, in which he said:
“Arsene is one of my favourite people I have met in the last 20 years. He is a great person and I love the way he handles himself. I love his focus. He is a very intelligent guy. You can talk to him about anything and, when he starts talking to people, I really love to listen to him…I have tremendous confidence in him. He is one of the great managers in the world…With Arsene, it [leaving the club] is his decision and only he will know that.”
So it looks ominous for the ‘Wenger-out’ brigade, at least another season looks likely for the Arsenal manager should he refuse to walk, but Kroenke has proved that he is prepared to shake things up, when he might do so is another matter altogether.
For more Arsenal news and stories follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Fiorentina coach Sinisa Mihajlovic could be on shaky ground after fans called for his sacking following the 0-0 draw with old rivals Juventus.”There are many regrets about this campaign,” he confessed.
The stalemate left Fiorentina mid-table with no hope of qualifying for Europe, leaving fans frustrated and calling for Mihajlovic to be replaced this summer.
“The lads did their best and we dominated this match, but were lacking that final twist to score the goal,” Mihajlovic said.
“We deserved far more than 0-0.”
“There are many regrets about this campaign. We were affected by so many injuries and when they returned we started to play well again. These things happen in football, but we were always in an emergency situation.”
“I am also sorry for the fans today. We have always played well against the big clubs, but did not get the points that we deserved.”
Meanwhile, Juve coach Luigi Delneri praised transfer target Riccardo Montolivo but the dropped points left the side eight points behind fourth-placed Lazio.
“We fought for 90 minutes to win and did not take the opportunities that we created.”
“We worked hard and did what we had to do. In the first half we struggled a little more, but Fiorentina have important players like Alberto Gilardino, Montolivo, Juan Manuel Vargas and Adrian Mutu.”
“We had some great chances to score, including one very clear one with Leonardo Bonucci. We did our duty.”
““We just have to take it one game at a time, trying to win them all.”
Del Neri was asked about Fiorentina star Montolivo, who has been linked with Juve as a replacement for Alberto Aquilani next season.
“Montolivo has important qualities and is a great player, but Aquilani did well today and I don’t think there’s a huge difference between them. They could well play together as well.”
Juventus director Beppe Marotta poured cold water on suggestions that Delneri would be sacked.
“Del Neri has a contract for two years and will stay with Juventus,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
It must have been a slow day in Fleet Street when the rumour mill ground into action and churned out the possibility of a sensational return to management for Martin O’Neill. The Northern Irishman who recently resigned from Aston Villa is said to be the preferred choice of two of the consortiums looking to buy the club and would replace Hodgson with the Northern Irishman should either of their bids come to fruition. The news comes only a few months into Hodgson’s reign as Liverpool manager and is indicative of a lack of respect for both Hodgson’s managerial achievements and the difficulty of the task he faces at Liverpool.
Hodgson is a manager with a huge amount of experience in the game and deserves a modicum of patience and respect. He has paid his dues in a managerial career which has spanned 34 years and 7 countries. He started his career in with Swedish side Halmstad whom Hodgson transformed from relegation certainties to league champions in his first season in charge. He returned to England to manage Bristol City but returned to Sweden after only 2 years at Ashton Gate. His return was a huge success with Hodgson winning 4 league championships in a row with Malmö.
His achievements in Sweden gained him a reputation as one of Europe’s best managers and Hodgson moved to Switzerland. He managed Swiss club Neufchâtel Xamax for 2 years before taking over the Swiss national team. His Swiss team impressed, qualifying for the 1994 World Cup losing only once in a group with contained Italy and Portugal. He managed to take 4 points of Arrigo Sacchi’s Azzurri team which alerted Serie A giants Inter Milan to Hodgson’s talents.
He took over at the San Siro for two years but was unspectacular in his time at Inter and he left to manage Blackburn Rovers.
Since taking over at Blackburn, Hodgson has managed in Italy, Denmark, the UAE, Norway and Finland before returning to England in 2007 to manage Fulham. It was with the Cottagers where Hodgson really made his name. He took a struggling Fulham side and saved them from relegation on the last day of the 2007-2008 season with a 1-0 away win at Portsmouth. The next season saw a huge improvement as Fulham went from barely surviving to European qualification as Hodgson secured 7th place, the club’s highest ever league finish.
While last season wasn’t as successful in the league for Fulham, they enjoyed a fairytale European run, eliminating defending champions Shakhtar, Italian giants Juventus and Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg on their way to the Europa League final. Fulham were defeated by Atlético Madrid in extra-time in the final but Hodgson’s achievements with Fulham last season were enough for the LMA to name him their manager of the year.
Now Hodgson has moved on to Liverpool but he has found things tough in his first few months at Anfield. Liverpool have gotten off to a terrible start in the Premier League, with the Reds currently sitting in 16th place in the table after their defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. As a result of their lowly league position, the knives have already begun to come out for Hodgson but he should be afforded to time turn things around.
First of all, Hodgson inherited a bloated squad from previous manager Rafa Benitez and has been busy trying to offload some of the fringe players at the club. Simultaneously he has been attempting to mould a team in his own image and distance himself from Benitez’s reign. He has introduced more British players to the Liverpool ranks by signing Joe Cole, Paul Konchesky, Danny Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey. He has tried to create a more workmanlike, dependable team as shown by his signings of Christian Poulsen, Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky who have failed to come to fruition for Liverpool just yet.
The players need to get used to a different personality in the Liverpool dugout. Benitez frequently cut an animated figure on the Liverpool sideline, gesticulating wildly to players. Conversely, Hodgson is a more reserved character and the players will need to adapt to his style of management.
It is still early in the season. The team still needs time to gel and get back to playing the football that this team is certainly capable of. However, the process won’t be helped by the news of Daniel Agger’s public outburst against Hodgson’s tactics. The Dane said:
“The manager has a philosophy that we’re playing football further up the pitch and then you have to play a different kind of football at the back.”
“That’s not my style. That’s not the type of football player I am. I like to keep the ball on the ground. And I’m going to keep doing that. Whether he’ll use me or not, time will tell.
“I guess I’ll try to change even though I’m not going to be the player that unloads the ball every single time I get it. I’ll fight for my chance. I’ll get the chance. I know what I represent and I think he [Hodgson] knows that.”
Agger’s comments will do little to curb the general feeling of gloom felt on Merseyside but Hodgson deserves a chance to lead this Liverpool team. In my opinion, he’s earned it.
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The timing was exquisite. As the nation prepared to drown itself in a sea of alcohol and spend the following day feeling very sorry indeed, the FA decided to release the 115-page document explaining the reasons behind the 8-match ban for Luis Suarez for making racist comments to Patrice Evra, also documenting the full process from beginning to end.
What was clear having ploughed through its contents was that the FA and the independent panel had done their homework. Every angle had been covered, every piece of evidence obtained, every possible witness spoken to, every ‘i’ dotted, every ‘t’ crossed. Nothing was left untouched, including the ramifications of the final decision. What was even clearer (to me and surely millions more) was that the actions of Liverpool immediately after the size of the ban was announced have ensured that this great club’s name has been thoroughly dragged through the mud.
All fans are blinkered to some extent towards the discrepancies of their own club, players, manager and fellow fans. But a section of Liverpool fans have simply refused to accept that the decision was just, or even that their player did anything wrong (something the player himself has admitted). Predictably, since the allegation was first made, a lot of fans have settled on their viewpoint along club lines. With little or no evidence available, they decided it was a disgrace, or entirely justified. Liverpool fans were dismayed that he could be banned for one person’s word against another’s. Suddenly they were all experts in South American linguistics too, having hastily read on the internet whatever arguments backed up their individual viewpoint.
What staggered me most though was Liverpool’s response to the initial ban. To call it ill-advised would be doing it a disservice. Staggeringly, flabbergasting, moronically ill-advised might be closer to the truth. The club may not have agreed with the decision (for reasons that escape me), but there is a way to deal with such things, and that wasn’t it. Surely the sensible option would have been a quick statement, expressing their disappointment at the decision, and that they would make further comment on release of the official document. United, and Alex Ferguson, recognised that it was best to keep quiet and let the process take its natural course.
But not Liverpool. They somehow decided that full-frontal offensive drive was the order of the day. Their statement was a horrible mishmash of flimsy evidence, spurious claims and mistruths.
‘It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible – certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.’
The assertion in their official statement that Patrice Evra “has form” for this sort of thing is quite simply a lie. It needs repeating, again, that the two past allegations of racist abuse against Evra were not made by the player himself. One was made by a deaf United fan who had lip-read comments, another was overheard by Mike Phelan. Such a distortion of the truth can be expected in some quarters, but a football club with a PR department and legal representatives should perhaps be setting their sights a tad higher. It was a claim Dalglish first made to the referee when first hearing about the allegation post-match.
‘We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone…’
Oh dear. As we shall see, all parties accepted the case was not a case of one man’s word against another’s, thought it was of course at the heart of the allegation. More lies.
‘It is key to note that Patrice Evra himself in his written statement in this case said ‘I don’t think that Luis Suarez is racist’. The FA in their opening remarks accepted that Luis Suarez was not racist.’
Well done Liverpool – you have realised that he was not banned for being a racist. What point beyond this were they trying to make?
‘Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black…He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.’
The barrel is now truly being scraped. My “best friends” argument is one that reeks of desperation. And proves nothing anyway, being irrelevant to the case, except for the mention elsewhere of the panel wanting to have a very strong burden of proof.
‘We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult.’
And now the barrel has been scraped out of existence – having run out of arguments, let’s try and blame the other guy instead eh? And we are expected to give a player credit for admitting to have not heard something??!
And then there was the T-shirts. Just thinking about them makes me cringe. Let’s be clear, the judgement was not that Suarez was inherently racist, but that he made a racist comment, which is a different thing altogether. And the document’s findings took away any doubt. The panel that came to pass judgement was independent, and was approved by Liverpool. The panel hired two experts in South American linguistics. Lawyers aplenty were involved, as always. Other players gave evidence. Dalglish openly criticised the delay in a decision in a press conference – yet Suarez’s representative had asked for a delay in proceedings so that they could collate evidence – which the FA mostly granted. The FA didn’t grant the full period delay asked for as they argued it was in the player’s interests to conclude matters as soon as possible.
Even if the terms Suarez admitted to using are acceptable in Uruguay, it is not a valid excuse. Suarez was not in Uruguay, and what’s more has been in Europe for five years, so should have some idea by now about what is and what isn’t right. He admitted to the panel that it wasn’t acceptable, and he wouldn’t do it again – that’s what is commonly known as an admission of guilt. A key point in the decision was the simple fact that Suarez was seen as an unreliable witness. And the key example of this was his account of pinching Evra on the arm. Suarex claimed initially in his statement that it was done to diffuse the situation – but at the hearing, after being asked six times, that this wasn’t the case. This changes everything, as it discredits the claim that Suarez said the word negro in a friendly manner in the middle of a heated argument – this claim is simply close to unbelievable, as the report mentioned. The changing of accounts made matters worse – Liverpool blamed it on “bad drafting” yet Suarez’s representative had already commented on what great care had been applied to constructing the statement. The 115-page report makes clear references more than once that Suarez’s account of events was inconsistent with the video evidence, unlike Evra’s, and what they repeatedly mention is that no attempt was made to explain away the discrepancies. What’s more, Suarez’s account in his witness statement contained three differences in all to his account given at the hearing in November.
And it wasn’t just Suarez. When Comolli (Liverpool’s Director of Football) reported to the referee after the match what Suarez claimed to have said, there were further discrepancies with Suarez’s own account of what he said. And yet despite all this, the club continue to claim it is the FA’s errors that have led to this outcome. But as the report said: ‘
‘The impression created by these inconsistencies was that Mr Suarez’s evidence was not, on the whole, reliable. He had put forward an interpretation of events which was inconsistent with the contemporaneous video evidence. He had changed his account in a number of important respects without satisfactory explanation.’
The Liverpool party used Suarez’s background as part of his defence – he had a black grandparent, his wife called him negro (due to hair colour though), he has black friends, has black team-mates throughout his career and has never had any problems previously. However, this defence also helped strengthen the final decision of the panel, as they were aware because of his heritage that they would need an even stronger burden of proof to find him guilty of the charges – thus, their final decision became even more “appeal-proof”. The commission found clear evidence that Suarez did not say the word negro just once (important in determining his intentions). They found him to have said it seven times. And the experts conclusions? Suarez’s remarks would be “considered racially offensive in Uruguay and other regions in of Latin America”.
The club have dug themselves a massive hole. If they had appealed after the release of a 115-page document that most sane and sensible people have agreed shows the ban to be just, then they would rightly be open to indignation for backing a player found guilty of racist comments. If they didn’t appeal, it will lead to a host of questions as to their ill-advised response to the original ban. Effectively they are admitting everything they did was wrong. Even so, that’s surely their best option available, surely their only option available. And it is thankfully what they did. But rather than move on, they just kept on digging.
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Another statement was soon forthcoming from the club, some of which is detailed below.
‘In its determination to prove its conclusions to the public through a clearly subjective 115-page document, the FA panel has damaged the reputation of one the Premier League’s best players, deciding he should be punished and banned for perhaps a quarter of a season. This case has also provided a template in which a club’s rival can bring about a significant ban for a top player without anything beyond an accusation….. In America, where Liverpool ownership resides, there was a shameful bigotry that prevented black athletes from competing at the highest levels for decades….. ……..Continuing a fight for justice in this particular case beyond today would only obscure the fact that the Club wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the Football Association, the Football League and the Premier League to put an end to any form of racism in English football. …..It is time to put the Luis Suarez matter to rest and for all of us, going forward, to work together to stamp out racism in every form both inside and outside the sport. It is for this reason that we will not appeal the eight-game suspension of Luis Suarez.’
Another laughable release. They must be taking a lot of people for fools if they think that a 115 page document has left out vital areas of the investigation. Or if they think that we should believe that they are aware of other information that would change everything but aren’t going to release it or appeal. For what possible reason would the FA try and set up Suarez and Liverpool? Yes, Liverpool say the Football Association is to blame for damaging the reputation of a man that was found to have used the word “negro” seven times. However strongly Liverpool felt over this, surely they realised the need for some apology, even for unintentionally causing offence? Damage limitation was necessary, but not forthcoming, bar a vague apology finally from Suarez yesterday. As Martin Samuel commented in the Daily Mail, this has been a PR disaster, a legal disaster and a sporting disaster considering an eight-match ban may have been avoided with greater contrition from the start. Liverpool are upset that he seems to have been convicted on areas of probability rather than absolute proof, but with ample video evidence that we won’t have seen, we must assume there was the aforementioned strong burden of proof. And either way, there was a way to deal with this whole affair professionally. What could be most damaging is the perception of a club known around the world, that has been in existence for well over a century.
The sad news announced this week that Senrab, the youth club which started the young careers of John Terry, Sol Campbell, Ledley King, Jermain Defoe and Paul Konchesky, amongst others, are now imploring their former graduates to help find the £12,000 annual running costs to prevent the club from going out of business comes as no surprise. The increasing cost of training equipment and facility hire, and the reduction in financial support from the council, is threatening one of English football’s most respected institutions’ very existence.
Senrab has been training young, enthusiastic footballers for fifty years, but it’s conductor, Tony Carroll, has admitted, “We can’t afford to hire training facilities. Tower Hamlets sport and leisure is run by private companies, it is not run by the council, and we get no concessions at all. What we’re doing now is every team trains once a week, on a Saturday in local parks because we don’t have to pay for that.” Senrab are perhaps one of the highest profile youth clubs in England, but they are suffering the same adversity that most grassroots football clubs are facing in every corner of the country.
Whilst processed, canned and fast food becomes cheaper and more accessible, at the same time councils are throwing money at speed cameras, width restrictions and Christmas lights that are designed not to offend anyone, we are still instructed to eat healthily and participate in sport. Well this situation has gotten out of hand, and did so long before Carroll announced his club’s dire situation. It is criminal that the two most prominent outlets for playing football, Goals and Power League, are able to not only charge mindboggling prices to use a small area of land for up to 60 minutes at a time but are also not restricted from increasing what they charge customers at any time they please.
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There are 44 Power League centres across the UK with the average price of using a 5-a-sie pitch being £45, and a 7-a-side pitch £63 for an hour. What’s more disgusting is that each of Goals’ 40 centres charge their customers a confusingly high and obscure £61.50 for an hour of 5-a-side, and a staggering £80 for a 7-a-side pitch. If you’re visiting one of their centres, don’t forget to bring a ball otherwise you will be asked bluntly to leave a deposit because clearly, £80 is a completely reasonable fee to pay to use a rectangle of fake grass, what you do with it is up to you.
Having grown up during a more reasonable time, when I was encouraged to play and enjoy football anywhere at anytime with anyone, I find it extremely difficult to trust any of the vague reassurances councils, the FA and the Premier League constantly express, because in reality this country’s grassroots football is a shambles, children are finding fewer reasons to want to get involved and nothing is being done to actively alter this situation because, as with Senrab, their fate is controlled by private companies.
Senrab’s local council, Tower Hamlets, responded to Carroll’s concerns by saying: “We value the commitment of local sports clubs and organisations.” In practice, the council has cut the club’s biennial funding from £2,500 to £800 and the price of renting training pitches has increased by up to 300%. We are breeding a generation of intellectually challenged, obese children who will be wondering why England still hasn’t won the World Cup thirty years from now. They will still assume the impediment to success lies with the manager at the time who, depending on whether he is English or foreign, be replaced with one who is the opposite.
Pep Segura, former Technical Director at La Masia, Barcelona’s famed youth academy, and now working wonders as Academy Technical Director at Liverpool observes that, “I have seen in my short time here in this country working at Liverpool, that there is just as much talent, just as many players with the same hunger, will, and desire to learn as in every other country. All that is missing are the means to enable the players and coaches to develop. That’s not down to the players. It’s down to the Academy heads, and those with a vested interest in youth football.”
Unfortunately, it would seem the only ones interested in youth football are the ones without the means to participate or establish and maintain an institution which encourages involvement. Despite what councils or the Premier League say, it is quite obvious that youth development features very low on their list of priorities. Due to the fact that they have developed such a large number of successful players, Senrab’s possible destitution should signal to the authorities that something drastic and remarkably different needs to be implemented quickly to avoid a further deterioration of English football.
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5-a-side centres must be subsidised heavily to make it affordable for children to play at least twice a week, especially during the summer months. I would find it far easier to appreciate the work of councils in spending extortionate amounts of public money in trying to prevent local crime and racial offence, if they realised that by providing affordable facilities for youngsters to participate in sport, this would not only reduce crime levels by giving them something to do but increase the fitness, health and sense of community amongst England’s younger generation. While John Terry has come to the rescue on this occasion, I for one hope Senrab are able to continue to generate the money they need to survive and prosper for many years to come, but the FA and Premier League have to start adhering to their empty promises to fund grassroots football because nobody, under any circumstances, should ever be prevented from playing football for financial reasons.
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Arsenal have completed the signing of defender Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla.
The 30-year-old French defender travelled to London at the beginning of the week after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has now confirmed that the deal has been completed.
Squillaci sat out Sevilla's Champions League qualifier against Sporting Braga this week in order to keep himself eligible for his new club in European competition.
The international centre-half spent two years in Spain's top-flight following a trophy-laden spell in France with Monaco and then Lyon.
Speaking before the move was completed, he explained:"If a French player receives an offer from Arsene Wenger, it's practically impossible to turn down.
"It was a sensational offer for me and I was happy Sevilla let me go. It was a difficult situation but I knew I had to take this chance.
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"Arsenal were always the team I watched out for. For any spectator like me, you had to watch a squad with Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and William Gallas.
"Now I'm happy to have my name in the history books. For me, this is a great new challenge and I've gone there purely to be part of that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email