Arsenal sign Mohamed Elneny while Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are banned from buying players
By Tony Attwood
Exactly as Untold has been reporting for nearly a year, two more Spanish clubs have been banned from signing players in the next two transfer windows.
This follows on from the year long ban which serial child traffickers Barcelona were given, and relates to the bringing of children from outside the EU to the club. This is only allowable under very special circumstances which Barcelona tried to get around by offering spurious jobs to a parent if the child was signed.
Worse, they were reported for giving trials to non-EU citizens who were introduced by “agents” who would often simply abandon the children if they did not turn out to be good enough to get a place in the academy of Barcelona.
Barcelona appealed against the ban to Fifa and then to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, but these appeals were quickly rejected, since they consisted of little more than the statement that La Masia – their academy – was world famous. A bit like a rock star saying to the judge, “Do you know who I am?”
Interestingly, many in the media failed to appreciate that the ban was real, and kept on tipping Barcelona to sign this or that player all the way through their banned period. What they also failed to realise was that Barcelona would do a lot of business in the final window before the ban, and then not sell anyone, as they were unable to buy anyone. So a lot of recent tips for buying and selling might come unstuck. Also prices will go up with the two clubs knowing that if they don’t buy now, they won’t be able to buy at all.
Barcelona continued to deny any wrong doing, and started to place stories in any national newspapers that would run them which purported to be an interview with the President of the club. These again denied all wrong doing, and talked vaguely about how the ban was against EU rules and there would undoubtedly be a court case to resolve it. This was a total smokescreen since the punishment was for a clear breach of Fifa rules.
In England the Independent published one of these articles, which contained numerous inaccuracies, including totally misleading statements about the level of tax that Barcelona pays.
For the Madrid clubs the ban will come into effect for the 2016 summer and 2017 January transfer windows. Atlético have also been fined 900,000 Swiss francs (£622,000) and Real Mad 360,000 Swiss francs (£249,000), although such sums are fairly irrelevant to the clubs. The investigations concerned minors who were involved and participated in competitions with the clubs over various periods between 2007 and 2014 (Atlético de Madrid) and between 2005 and 2014 (Real Madrid).
He has played as the first receiver of the ball from the defence, playing simple passes to the playmaker, and is further described as “the ultimate team player, a manager’s dream because of his work-rate and lack of ego, and he has grown, particularly this season, in which he has been Basel’s best player.”
It is reported that he observes Ramadam strictly and that could mean a disruption to the exact food regimes that Arsenal require players to have. However (and I wonder if Mr Wenger was aware of this) Ramadam in 2016 starts on 6 June and ends on 5 July, so it won’t disrupt his training or playing. In 2017 it will probably start somewhere around 27 May, which is causing some debate relating to exam schedules in English schools, but will not affect football.
(Having lived in Algeria for a year I do appreciate the deep significance and importance of Ramadam and am not trying to make light of it, merely to reflect on how it might affect the strict training regime of a footballer at the highest level).
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Anniversaries from drugs to Walsall
- 14 January 1925: The Arsenal drugs scandal in which manager Knighton claimed he offered drugs to the players to improve their performance. The story only emerged 20 years later, in a sunday newspaper and then in his autobiography. Since many of the other claims in his articles and subsequent book have been found to be factually untrue, there must be serious doubts about this story which has no supporting evidence.
- 14 January 1933: The Walsall Experiment, in which Arsenal as last year’s cup finalists were knocked out in Chapman’s last ever FA Cup match. For subsequent impact see also here. Chapman rapidly transferred several players who were part of the game.
That is a bit inconvenient for those Spanish clubs, especially for Real if their main striker is taken out of circulation for a while….at least that will stop rumours of Arsenal signing Benzema
Excellent news from an Arsenal perspective.
Elneny provides the needed cover for Coquelin now and for the future at only age 23.
The transfer ban for the Madrid clubs will make them spend like crazy this window, but may also force them to sell some younger up and coming quality players waiting in the wings (à la Alexis Sánchez)
I would expect that the club’s phone lines will be busy with agents calls offering players in the next two weeks. Probably too late to do much other than panic buy though. Against that I can’t see any major moves away from the club’s being sanctioned without replacements agreed this window. What a shame for the two clubs – oh dear!
Regarding Elneny, – welcome to the best club in the world and may you play your part in making it one of the most successful.
One downside is that De Gea is now surely going nowhere for a couple of years. Shame that as he is worth a lot of points to Utd. Oh well.
I’d rather it were Barca on a ban as they seem more likely to have their eyes on a few of ours, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if a scrambling Real make a push now for one of ours- Sanchez, Coq if they were smart and Zidane remembers Makalele’s importance?- though I’m quite confident we can resist.
Wondering if you’d had a look at the doping scandal in Aussie rules, Walter. Had a look at the supposed benefits of the drug all the Essendon players took and, bloody hell, if it does what it’s supposed to, I’m thinking it would have been very tempting for all no-gooders. The benefits for injury prevention sound incredible.
Can’t think it is morality which ensures no football teams have indulged in it, so maybe it’s just that football’s testing procedures are rock solid…
Thanks Tony for highlighting the fasting subject in Ramadan. I will try to elaborate on it further.
Fasting should not be a major problem at all for Arsenal FC and Mohammed Elneny.
Every following year Ramadan occurs 10 days earlier than before. So over the course of the next 4 years Elneny should be fine during Ramadan and can practice fasting without any issues.
In 2016 Ramadan starts on 6 June and ends on 5 July (Pre-season and summer break no issue at all)
In 2017 Ramadan starts on 26 May and ends on 24 June (Summer break, again no issue)
In 2018 Ramadan starts on 16 May and ends on 14 June (only fixture in EPL left)
In 2019 Ramadan starts on 6 May and ends on 3 June (2-3 matches in between Ramadan so little problem again but not a major one)
In England its around a 19 hour fasting period which is longer than in many Middle Eastern countries (For me in U.A.E its around 15 hours)
Players like Diaby and Kolo Toure played for a long time for us and are devout Muslims. Even Ozil is a Muslim. So I am sure and confident that Arsenal would have setup special training regimes in case of Ramadan occurring during an on-going season.
Elneny is already saying all the right things and looks really cool in his Arsenal kit. Great hair also.
Hi Rich.
I will now be looking up the scandal in Aussie Rules football and the named drug. According to Arsene Wenger drug testing in football is far from satisfactory. It is based on urine and not blood testing and so does not show up various things that might be taken.
Mandy, It won’t stop the rumours about Benzema the same way it didn’t stop the rumours about Barca buying players when they were banned. The media isn’t interested in facts, just headlines.
Great article Tony…
Which good player would want to be signed and not play a competitive match for one full year?
I think the guy that signed for Barcelona last time was lured into it with promises Barca would be let off the hook. As it happened, they weren’t and no sane footballer will go that route again. Without a competitive match a player could easily end his career within that year of inactivity!
Good to learn that the Ramadan fasting had never been a hiccup to any Moslem Gunner who played before and is playing now at Arsenal.
Read Madrid and Atletico de Madrid did not learn any lesson from what happened to their fellow Spanish giant club Barcelona as regards to child footballers trafficking issue which has breached the Fifa standing rules on the undue child labour in the name of youth football players recruitment exercise and engagements.
I should believe as I think that, whatever young talents recruitment any professional football club wanted to do, they should do it within the armpit of law guiding the deals they’ve delve into.
Greedness and overzeleous to be successful should not be the guiding principles for young player recruitment of any professional football club World wide. But discipline and professionalism should be the guiding principles that guides any professional football club recruitment of under senior players.
Surprisingly, a giant professional football club like Real Madrid were not proactive to take a proactive measure to avoid been caught in this global child football labour. That’s a shame for any football club that have the shame.
Thank God, Arsenal are not in this category of greedy and overzeleous to win all the titles clubs. But only Man City are the only Premier League club to be ever reprimanded among the Premier League clubs by Uefa for floating the rules and regulations guiding money spent on transfers.(not child football labour).
I think Fifa should make it categorical mandatory that, only the youth player who have featured in the Fifa or in the Fifa six confederations body’s under 17 World Cup or tournaments may be recruited by any professional football club World wide. Like in the case of Arsenal who are purportingly said to be recruiting the Nigerians under 17 Fifa World Cup winners, Kekechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze. Only then will this international underage player recruitment and child trafficking stopped.
The Gunners had uncharacteristically dropped 2 vital points on top of the table in their title race at Anfield yesternight. Only for Leicester City to picked them up and added those 2 dropped points to their points tally in the table. And consequently forcing us to just be ahead of them in table in this race to grab the Premier League big trophy.
I think the non performance of Oxchabo and Gibbs who the Boss brought on for Campbell and Walcott caused us the loss of those 2 vital points. I don’t know the instructions the Boss gave them to carry out as he brought them on. But I would have thought it was to attack down the flanks to keep the Reds defenders busy or even scored our 4th goal to kill the game off Liverpool tenacity to equalise. And also to reduce the barrage of attacks the Reds were subjecting the Gunners defense line to. Which was not adequately protected by Flamini as Ramsey kept bombing forward in search of our 4th goal.
Alas! Both Gibbs and Oxchabo were not equalled to the task they were given to undertake. What a pity! By the way, what are the problems of those 2? Don’t they remember that Arsenal FC are paying them handsomely to do a job for them? I think the Boss should call those 2 to order by sending them out on loan at reduced weekly wage payments for delerration of duty. The Boss should stop condoning any act of indiscipline performance by any Gunners.
In this wise, the signing of Mohamed Elneny could be a timely intervention for the Gunners midfield base, as the Boss could start him alongside Ramsey to help break the potteries of the Potters on Sunday.
Absolutely brilliant article Tony.
Corruption in Spain is rife.And as for their dodgy refs….
Good to know that the Ramadan fasting had never been a hiccup to any Moslem Gunner who played before and is playing now at Arsenal.
Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid did not learn any lesson from what happened to their fellow Spanish giant club Barcelona as regards to child footballers trafficking issue which has breached the Fifa standing rules on the undue child labour in the name of youth football players recruitment exercise and engagements.
I should believe as I think that, whatever young talents recruitment any professional football club wanted to do, they should do it within the armpit of law guiding the deals they’ve delve into.
Greedness and overzeleous to be successful should not be the guiding principles for young player recruitment of any professional football club World wide. But discipline and professionalism should be the guiding principles that guides any professional football club recruitment of under senior players.
Surprisingly, a giant professional football club like Real Madrid were not proactive to take a proactive measure to avoid been caught in this global child football labour. That’s a shame for any football club that have the shame.
Thank God, Arsenal are not in this category of greedy and overzeleous to win all the titles clubs. But only Man City are the only Premier League club to be ever reprimanded among the Premier League clubs by Uefa for floating the rules and regulations guiding money spent on transfers.(not child football labour).
I think Fifa should make it categorical mandatory that, only the youth player who have featured in the Fifa or in the Fifa six confederations body’s under 17 World Cup or tournaments may be recruited by any professional football club World wide. Like in the case of Arsenal who are purportedly said to be recruiting the Nigerians under 17 Fifa World Cup winners, Kekechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze. Only then will this international underage player recruitment and child trafficking stopped.
The Gunners had uncharacteristically dropped 2 vital points on top of the table in their title race at Anfield yesternight. Only for Leicester City to picked them up and added those 2 dropped points to their points tally in the table. And consequently forcing us to just be ahead of them in the table in this race to grab the Premier League big trophy.
I think the non performance of Oxchabo and Gibbs who the Boss brought on for Campbell and Walcott caused us the loss of those 2 vital points. I don’t know the instructions the Boss gave them to carry out as he brought them on. But I would have thought it was to attack down the flanks to keep the Reds defenders busy or even scored our 4th goal to kill the game off Liverpool tenacity to equalise. And also to reduce the barrage of attacks the Reds were subjecting the Gunners defense line to. Which was not adequately protected by Flamini as Ramsey kept bombing forward in search of our 4th goal.
Alas! Both Gibbs and Oxchabo were not equalled to the task they were given to undertake. What a pity! By the way, what are the problems of those 2? Don’t they remember that Arsenal FC are paying them handsomely to do a job for them? I think the Boss should call those 2 to order by sending them out on loan at reduced weekly wage payments for delerration of duty. The Boss should stop condoning any act of indiscipline performance by any Gunner.
In this wise, the signing of Mohamed Elneny could be a timely intervention for the Gunners midfield base, as the Boss could start him alongside Ramsey to help us break the potteries of the Potters on Sunday.
Pat
Let us know if you find out anything interesting. I didn’t notice it in the story I read but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was blood testing that caught out the 30-odd players in question.
I just don’t buy it that no big football teams (as far as I’m aware) have gone in for doping in the last twenty years. The only thing that would have prevented it, I think, is if the testing programme was near perfect.
Lets hope AW has unearthed yet another “gem” in Elneny, I would be surprised if he has not!
As for Madrid and Madrid – like Barca the punishment seems a bit mild – but at least their child traficking crimes are now established in law.
The most recent shocker is the IAFA president and board being accused of taking bribes, ignoring positive results and generally being totally corrupted. The Russians are particularly and specifically identified as practicing these dark arts during the Soviet era.
FIFA’s VICE-president was forced to resign yesterday and the more these hidden follies are revealed, the more the corrupt house of cards worldwide begins to topple. It would appear that we are in for far more shocks than we ever anticipated and I pray and hope that the PIGMOB will eventually be in the spotlight and their dubious practices paraded before the world.
Apparently Wenger wants players with engines that can run for 500,000 km or more and that are almost perpetual motion machines; Ramsey,Sanchez,Ozil,now ElNeny! Aside from their versatility and legs, they are young enough to be reaching their prime in the best timing needed….leave it to Wenger to get it right once again. I have a really good feeling about ElNeny and time will tell if my intuition is sound.
Forgot Campbell….he never stops!!!
Also, for those unfamiliar or misinformed about Ramadan, it is NOT a complete fast for the month but rather eating is restricted to between sundown and sunset of each day except for pregnant women the very young and the very old….not an unreasonable demand. Therefore practicing Muslims do get enough nourishment during Ramadan but it is sleep deprivation that is more problematic, as their prayer requirements are more demanding, and include night prayers as well as daytime ones. I don’t believe there are any sporting restrictions involved but I am sure Wenger and his management are well aware of his management team are well aware of how to deal with Ramadan.
omgarsenal,
Again thanks for providing more info on this subject, which I should have done earlier 🙂
The obligatory prayers are still the same as in on daily basis.
Otherwise the special night time prayers can be of varying lengths (15mins to 3 hours). It is not obligatory for everyone to offer these to the fullest of length. Only if you feel fit enough, have free time and can cope with it. Depends on the person’s wish.
Sleep deprivation can become a serious issue for college or university students or people working night shifts or overtime. In Middle East work time at schools, universities and other work places are reduced 2-3 hours in Ramadan to ease the work load.
As for football players I think 2-3 training sessions are held each week in morning. And each week at least 2 matches are played. So out of 7 days at least 4 days involve great amount of workload under fasting conditions.
And just like you said, Arsene’s staff and Arsenal’s management are very sharp and well aware about every individual player’s needs.
Ramadan is a moving target, and to some extent so is Easter. There is some kind of fasting associated with springtime and Christianity (Lent according to the all knowing Wikipedia). And I believe that bock beer was invented for this time. A high Calorie beer to get you through the day, until night arrived and you were allowed to eat.
I’ve no idea if praying is involved.
Well, except that the brewmaster knows what he is doing. 🙂
Not for the Muslim people. I like bock beers.
As usual, Wikipedia has something on the fasting part:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting#Research
I would guess that Eisbock comes from having the beer containers outside in pits in the ground (after the winter freezing of the ground is gone), and any freezing that does occur would be from the top down. Naturally, one would scoop the ice off the top of the partially frozen beer, to get at the heavenly liquid under neath. This also being a way to increase the alcohol strength of the beer.
Bock beers haven’t really caught on in North America. Probably the reason is that there are darn few beers that actually taste good. Normally, beers over here are kept so cold, that you can’t really taste them. And in that respect they all taste the same. And very few people over here, will drink warm beer, because when warm (and it has taste), they don’t like the taste.
Real Madrid’s ‘exalted’ position + Florentino Perez ‘s Galácticos Dream + Rookie manager (ZZ) wanting to impress + Impending 1 year transfer ban =
BUY ! BUY ! BUY ALL IN JANUARY ! SPEND ALL THE FUCKING MONEY NOW !
Other clubs better beware !
Welcome Elneny, i like your way of playing, and obviously AW does too, a perfect Arsenal type player, who has also things in common with Ozil(Muslim, need more friends?), speaks English already and seems tough on the field.
Can’t wait to see both him and Coq playing together in some games, although i suspect they will compete with one another more. Wonder when he will start? I am impressed by his ability to shoot from distance and his forward vision too.
For all those who scream buy at the slightest panic, look how the team is constantly changing in small steps, just like nature in general. We all know that when nature changes too rapidly it then becomes a catastrophe(Manu, Pool).
So again welcome and let your bedding in time to the team be short and sweet.
I noticed that Elneny his interview was subtitled but when I watched an interview for the FC Basel website he spoke English and it then was translated in German. So yes he speaks English in a bit hesitant way but he will have no real language problems I think.
I suppose the press and the experts will now slap themselves on the back after ‘convincing’ Aw that he really had to buy an outfield player this season , to give Arsenal added strength to fight for the title .
I’m not sure if anyone had earlier suggested Elneny’s name , but what the hell – they got what they wanted.
‘ To be is to do. ‘- Socrates.
‘ To do is to be .’- Jean -Paul Sartre.
‘ To be , or not to be,’ – Shakespear.
‘ Do be do be do .’ – Frank Sinatra.
So if Real and Athletico both need to bring their planned buys forward to this month, does that mean that Arsene will be hanging around in Madrid to see what deals he can do when they need to make space for the newboys????