No sooner was the Chelsea ban on transfers announced than BBC Radio 5 rushed out an interview with an ex-KGB player who linked this case with the Eduardo case. It was one of the most sickening pieces of anti-Arsenal propoganda yet launched in the media war on Arsenal.
Chelsea are banned from signing new players until 2011, Eduardo is banned for two matches. What I want to do is show the difference, and then give a mention to the boycott that I and my company is making of Amazon.
The FIFA attack on the KGB in Fulham is not a one-off.
Switzerland’s FC Sion have been done in a similar way over Essam El Hadary and the transfer of Matuzalem from Shakhtar Donetsk to Reak Zaragoza was investigated, as with the move of Philippe Mexes from Auxerre to Roma.
But Chelsea are in a different league, and the surprise is that the punishment was so extraordinarily lenient. Chelsea are serial tapping up offenders. We may just about remember Cole – tapped up from Arsenal. Then Frank Arnesen from the Tiny Totts, when Arnesen was suspended by the Totts in June 2005 for expressing a desire to move to the KGB and being photographed aboard one of Absent Abramovich’s yachts as the Totts went for big time compensation. (Rather amusing all this because Arnesen is considered by many to have been one huge disaster area).
There was also the Mikel case where no one knew if he was playing for the KGB or the IOU.
So FIFA have got fed up and have hit the KGB – which of course is nothing like Eduardo, where the case comes up in isolation. Arsenal have today issued a stunning attack on UEFA’s competence:
“We strongly believe that the decision taken is deeply flawed and not based on any forensic review of the video evidence available.
“There are obvious errors and inconsistencies in Uefa’s judgment and we intend to appeal.”
Great stuff.
And then onto pathetic Amazon.co.uk Along with others I have emailed Amazon to tell them how annoyed I am that they are selling downloads of the Pedophile song. They have failed to reply, so I am doing what I told them I would do. Asking everyone to boycott Amazon. It won’t make much difference to such a conglomerate, but it is a moral point. Until they remove that chant from their shop, no dealing with them at all. If you care to join me in this, then so much the better. You might even care to write and tell them.
Normally I end by making a rather childish comment about how this article or replies to it will soon appear on Team Talk. This time, I’d love the bit about boycotting Amazon to appear on Team Talk and anywhere else. Any other blogger reading this, maybe if you share my view, you might like to follow this line and encourage your readers to stop using Amazon.
Finally, finally, an apology from the Daily Mirror, who today ran an extraordinary story about Bendtner and how other clubs have put in bids for him which he turned down.
A Spokesman of the Mirror said, “We would like to apologise to all our readers for the Bendtner story which appeared today. Readers will know the Arsenal player has previously had to go to the Press Complaints Commission over what we have said about him, and we were forced to issue a sniveling apology. We never intended to write about him again, and in fact were due to run our normal “Fabregas is going to Barca” story, today, as we do each Thursday. But somehow the wrong story slipped in. We apologise and can assure our loyal readers that “Fabregas to Barca” will be back next week as usual.”
(c) Tony Attwood 2009. Except the bit about Amazon.
Good post as usual Tony.
It’s funny how the Sky article, at least originally, did not mention the other cases and made it look like a new thing. And of course most commenters were ranting about FIFA and UEFA going against English clubs…
I think Chelsea did actually receive some sanctions from the earlier cases but as usual with the FA, they were quite meaningless. I’m not entirely certain as to what they exactly were.
You probably also read the Guardian article about the other cases. To those who haven’t, FC Sion and the player involved got the exact same punishment, two windows no-shopping and four month ban for the player. However, they have appealed to the CAS and the transfer-ban is lifted while they are waiting for the ruling. In AS Roma’s case, they received the two window ban, which was appealed to the CAS, which reduced the ban to one transfer window.
However, the Matuzalem case was basically about the Webster ruling.
http://www.shepwedd.co.uk/knowledge/article/1004-2474/cas-curbs-perceived-player-power-the-matuzalem-ruling/current/
Stupid Amazon. Stupid Mirror. Saddest of all stupid BBC. I used to be such a staunch defender of the BBC but after I heard them give air time to some utterly moronic pundit last weekend who said “I’d rather watch players get stuck in than watch a team of Eduardos” which when one considers that challenge in Birmingham is so crass it beggars belief, and now when one considers this latest outrage, I cannot support their sports department.
But I can say ‘when one considers’ a lot.
I heard that PSV were about to give Arnesen the boot at PSV when Spurs jumped in, and then Chelsea went and double bluffed them!
The man is a buffoon working under the buffoon in chief Kenyon, who is the acceptable face of the biggest money laundering operation in the UK…..allegedly.
I guess the ban will be reduced to just Jan 2010 on appeal. None the less this is good news and a blow to the ‘suspected’ Russian arms dealer who hopefully will lose interest when he can’t spend his money and walk away. Gosh I would chuckle.
oh and another thing, alot of Arsenal fans seem to be singing a different tune from the one they were singing a few months ago when Wenger was an idiot and had to buy or had to go. Now suddenly the same players are amazing and we have a fantastic squad!!!???
How much I like the Chelsea ban to stand after appeal I would dare to bet a few pound that after appeal the ban will be reduced or swept aside.
This is like in the Fa in my country. They sometimes give a severe punishment at first and later in appeal they take it back.
Walter, off the topic, but still… What is your view on the Witsel case?
Good stuff guys … Amazon has taken it down!
Lets do the same with itunes and play.com
Chelsea have received their due dessert for all their misdeeds but I think FIFA will back down somewhat.If one of the big names moves there may be an exodus ,in which case their lack of quality youth players will condem them further.Injuries and poor form will weaken them and hopefully they will be the 2nd team[after Liverpool of cause ]to fall from the top four.I may be dreaming but it may not be too far fetched.
Haho, since Witsel is an Arsenal fan maybe not so off topic ?
My views is that the Belgian FA is to blame for a great deal. At the end of last season we had 2 testmatches to decide the champion in Belgium.
So 2 times Anderlecht and Standar met but I can not call them football games. Elbowing, kicking, diving in, punches it all happened and in between the fights every now and then someone actually played the ball. When I think go these games I feel shame and embrassement.
But after the game the KBVB (Belgian FA) did nothgin with the disgraceful behaving of almost all the players involved. All the incidents have been recorded but they did nothing. If at that time they would have singled out every player who did something disgracefull and give him a 5 game ban then now the dust would have been settled and the players would have known that they are not allowd anyting and get away with it.
So in this atmosphere the new game kicked off and I also blame the press for building up an agressive atmosphere before the game.
So it was written in the stars that the new game would be as ugly as the testmatches. But I was wrong, it turned out even uglier.
I can imagine that Witsel didn’t have the intention to hurt Wazilewski as hard as he did but the way he lunged himself was a die or break tackle and thus disgracefull.
I think the ban given at first is a correct one (better then Taylor from Birmingham anyway) and I was very dissapointed that Standard went in to appeal.
Now was the time to put up a “standard” so that from know on every player on a Belgian field would know that if you go in like that you will be heavely punished.
I think the KBVB will reduce the ban in the appeal today and it would dissapoint me.
FIFA should have warned Chelsea that an appeal would lead to an increase in the sanction. I’ve been trying to think of the recent cases involving “tapping up” that have become public knowledge. Jaap Stam claimed in his autobiography that Fergie tapped him up, the Spud’s complained about ManU about Berbatov and I seem to remember some noises over Liverpool and Keane but that’s about it. Allegations follow Redknapp everywhere he goes but as he is a key player in opperation “Sweet Mk2” a covert Arsenal plan I’m going to ignore him.
Chelsea are clearly serial offenders and the current ban is based on a more serious breach of the rules, if FIFA reduce the ban on appeal it will just further weaken the reputation of organisation that seem to serve no purpose other than to irritate me.
Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar “When beggars die there are no comets seen, but the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of Princes. The wise Africans of old have a saying that – ”When lions kill children of destitute paupers, people indifferently remark that at least there will be less beggars but when princes and children of chieftains get killed, the whole country gets into turmoil. The attempt by some so called pundits and a section of the press to now say that UEFA & FIFA are witch hunting English Football is pathetic. Where were they when UEFA singled out Arsenal’s Eduardo? Were they not championing the UEFA cause out of jealousy of the Arsenal? But when Chelsea gets hit for two by FIFA, they suddenly found their protesting voices? Pathetic.
Equating, or even comparing, the Arsenal and Chelsea cases is an anathema. I hope and pray that the Chelsea ban stands, not because I hate Chelsea, but because they truly deserve what they get due to their previous actions and guilt. They need to be stopped.
As for the Amazon, now that lots of people are contacting and boycotting them, it will not be long before they come to their senses. Play.com acceded to the demand to stop peddling the offensive chants since yesterday. Pressure must be put on the others to stop as well.
The Mirror are cunts anyway.
@Marc –
What is this covert plan?
The truth has come out at last, Chelski are a club rotten to the core and the daily mirror is fit only for the toilet.
I expect UEFA to have the balls to explain logically why they saw it fit to charge Eduardo, the due process that they followed and how they reached their decision. But instead, this comes out: http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5535065,00.html Is it a joke? Where are the necessary directives to show their intention for future deterent? If this is true, then they are so fucked up, it’s scarry.
I expect UEFA to have the balls to explain logically why they saw it fit to charge Eduardo, the due process that they followed and how they reached their decision. But instead, what do we see? Please go to football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5535065,00. Surely it must all be a joke? Where are the necessary directives to show their intention for future deterent? If this is true, then they are so fucked up, it’s scarry.
It us against them, LRV, us against ALL of them.
ahh, the thot plickens. just been watching sky sports news and apparently the other bastion of honour and righteousness, manu, may have similar charges levelled at them from a french club and a 16 yr old player.
one moment chelsea are arguing that eufas financial rules wont worry them because they have a great youth scheme that is gonna bear fruit real soon (like my sodding apple trees which only bear fruit every 2 or 3 years) and then therye involved in a tapping up scandal.
and now that saf has had his wallet strings tightened for him, he realises that arsenes philosophy is sound, but goes blundering in and taps up some young french lad.
neither of these teams posess the skill or finesse that we show when recruiting for our team.
john terry today said that the english team are a good bunch of lads and butter wouldnt melt, and theyve never heard of diving or simulating, and even if they had, they wouldnt take part in such actions.
he had plenty to say about it, but unsurprisingly he had very very little to say about the predicament that his club finds themselves in.
yet again we provide a convenient shield for these idiots to hide behind.
Looks like Man Utd could be next to get int trouble:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/04/manchester-united-le-havre-fifa-transfer
You guys know more than me- so why is Arsenal safe? Don’t we usually grab young guys from other clubs??? Or is it just the issue of them being under contract when contacted? Are we safe?
It would take to long to go detailed in explanation why we should be safe in this. So lets make it simple. Its not about buying its about way you do it. So Chelsea is punished and Manure is considered not because they bought those lads but because regularity in transfer. Which is (since Graham mistake) from Arsenal side very clear and transparent.
Even a 6 transfer window ban wouldn’t harm the Arsenal. With the kids that are coming around the corner, we cann fill the gaps very good for years to come.