Another day, another 'soft on cheating' stance from UEFA. This time, European football's spineless governing body has fined Real Madrid the grotesquely low sum of £100K for deliberately cheating against Ajax in the Champions League. Such a gutless dereliction of duty should come as no surprise though, especially given the fact that Michel Platini - the man who allegedly runs UEFA. - is a brazen, self-confessed cheat.
£100k? What an amazing deterrent! That's probably Madrid's weekly spend on manicures and pedicures for the pampered primadonnas masquerading as footballers at the Bernabeau.
UEFA has done next to NOTHING to tackle cheating in football, and its failure to properly punish players and teams that deliberately cheat is a disgrace.
It's absolutely no surprise that UEFA is soft on cheating though; what else could it be when Michel Platini - the man responsible for pushing through European football policy - is a cheat himself.
In a moment of astonishingly ill-advised candour last season, Platini offered a disturbing insight into the cheating mindset of footballers. Speaking in response to the infamous Eduardo dive against Celtic, Platini dropped this bombshell:
"I know why players dive. I've dived myself. We did it because we knew the referee wouldn't see it and because there were no cameras. If we could get away with it we would".
That was bad enough, but Platini felt the need to continue:
"It was always my dream to dive and get a penalty in the World Cup semi-final to make up for what happened when Harald Schumacher [the German goalkeeper] fouled Patrick Battiston outside the area. If I could have done it I would because I hate injustice. I just couldn't get into the box”.
It was his 'dream' to cheat in a World Cup semi-final? If that wasn’t outrageous enough, just look at Platini’s reasoning: it’s okay to cheat as long as it’s revenge against perceived injustice.
And this man runs UEFA?
In one fell swoop, Platini (IMO) destroyed any credibility he has and damaged his reputation as one of football’s greatest ever players.
How many times did Platini dive and cheat during his career? How many advantages did his teams gain as a result? It really is a sickening thing to contemplate.
According to its website, UEFA's core mission is: "To create the right conditions for the game in Europe to prosper and develop."
Is allowing Madrid to get away with deliberately cheating an example of the modern game prospering and developing?!
Realistically, how can UEFA and its mission have any credibility with a self-confessed cheat at the helm?
Jaimie Kanwar
£100k? What an amazing deterrent! That's probably Madrid's weekly spend on manicures and pedicures for the pampered primadonnas masquerading as footballers at the Bernabeau.
UEFA has done next to NOTHING to tackle cheating in football, and its failure to properly punish players and teams that deliberately cheat is a disgrace.
It's absolutely no surprise that UEFA is soft on cheating though; what else could it be when Michel Platini - the man responsible for pushing through European football policy - is a cheat himself.
In a moment of astonishingly ill-advised candour last season, Platini offered a disturbing insight into the cheating mindset of footballers. Speaking in response to the infamous Eduardo dive against Celtic, Platini dropped this bombshell:
"I know why players dive. I've dived myself. We did it because we knew the referee wouldn't see it and because there were no cameras. If we could get away with it we would".
That was bad enough, but Platini felt the need to continue:
"It was always my dream to dive and get a penalty in the World Cup semi-final to make up for what happened when Harald Schumacher [the German goalkeeper] fouled Patrick Battiston outside the area. If I could have done it I would because I hate injustice. I just couldn't get into the box”.
It was his 'dream' to cheat in a World Cup semi-final? If that wasn’t outrageous enough, just look at Platini’s reasoning: it’s okay to cheat as long as it’s revenge against perceived injustice.
And this man runs UEFA?
In one fell swoop, Platini (IMO) destroyed any credibility he has and damaged his reputation as one of football’s greatest ever players.
How many times did Platini dive and cheat during his career? How many advantages did his teams gain as a result? It really is a sickening thing to contemplate.
According to its website, UEFA's core mission is: "To create the right conditions for the game in Europe to prosper and develop."
Is allowing Madrid to get away with deliberately cheating an example of the modern game prospering and developing?!
Realistically, how can UEFA and its mission have any credibility with a self-confessed cheat at the helm?
Jaimie Kanwar
You're so right Jaimie, and its all Rafa's fault.
ReplyDeleteNo. It wasnt his dream to cheat in the semi-final. It was his dream to get revenge on Schumacher for that blood curdling challenge. Slight difference..
ReplyDeleteRight - so I guess I must have misinterpreted the following line:
ReplyDelete<span><span>"It was always my dream to dive and get a penalty</span> in the World Cup semi-final".</span>
Yes, he's clearly NOT referring to diving in a world cup semi-final. Silly me.
The difference with Platini he dives outside the area remember 1985 europen cup final anyone !!!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes dislike diving/simulation when others do it but have to admit that sometimes when we do it, I'm OK with it:
ReplyDeleteI was amused to find this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVb2gbMtN3I
You're obviously going to have to react to that video with apoplectic rage Jamie, me, I don't fancy throwing stones in this diving/simulation glass house :)
;)
If he truly said this, well this is bad!!! To be fair we all know it goes on, its about as common as bankers screwing us over and people fidling their books to the tax man, however what dont you do??, go and speak to the world media about it, especially when your in charge. Like my example, imagine the person in charge of the inland revenue came out and said well I always fiddle my books. there would be people on the streets!!! I agree with you on this one. If your in charge of a football federation you have to be beyond reproach.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I understand what's wrong with what Morinho (other than lying about it after the fact). Not only is that not cheating, its not even a violation of any rule (other than the rule not to waste time at game that was already dead by then).
ReplyDeleteDevil's advocate for a minute, How much is enough when surely media exposure and bringing a manage and club into disrepute is worth far more than the worst possiblefine UEFA could muster up, If the fine was too harsh then the public would take the side of Madrid.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I don't live in a glass house. I cringe when I see Gerrard or any other Liverpool player take a dive, and to be completely honest, I haven't held Gerrard in the same esteem that I once did.
ReplyDeleteThe worst offender is still Drogba. He's an absolute powerhouse but he casts away so many scoring chances in an effort to win a penalty which just astounds me.
Diving will NEVER be stamped out because no one is willing to take a consistent stance on it. Platini's comments just highlight how little UEFA and FIFA actually care about it.
Wish I hadn't clicked on that link, I'm quite embarassed now :(
ReplyDeleteThouroughly good article again Jamie, well done! Just finished the Pepe one and must say I agree with much of what you said (even left a wee comment on it).
ReplyDeleteIt truely is pathetic when this sort of thing goes unpunished, of course there has been "punishment" of sorts but it is nowhere near enough for the blatant disregaurd for fair play that Fifa and Uefa have been attempting to promote over the past couple of years. It is exactly what I would expect from Platini, the man has no honour or desire for fairness anywhere in him!
Looking forward to the next article, hopefully it will be a defence of how well we played against Spurs with ROY HODGSON in charge :D, great display, shame about the result but signs are there of an improvement.
Thanks!
Totally agree, Brad. I hate seeing LFC players diving, and Gerrard is one of the club's worst offenders. Agree also about Drogba - it's really sad how such a strong guy goes down so easily.
ReplyDeleteawbMaven - In my view, LFC fans should have zero tolerance on diving, and that includes our own players. How can you say justify the view that it's okay to dive if Liverpool players do it?
I don't need to worry about stone houses - I have regularly highlighted Liverpool players diving on this site.
How do we know that though? I don't think the majority would take the side of Madrid - I think the majority would applaud.
ReplyDeleteHey Marty - thanks for your comments. To call a 100k fine a 'punishment' is a joke, but then again football is a sport that constantly rewards failure and cheating. How many managers do we see who completely fail and then end up with a massive pay-off?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the Spurs game too - we may have list but the positives were there. Fans have been complaining about performances but the Spurs performance was excellent for most of the game, and if maxi had the slightest composure in front of goal, we would've been out of sight way before that double whammy at the end.
Things will come together, and I still believe we'll finish 4th.
I know this will never happen now that Rafa has gone,but if LFC played MANUTD in a CL final and Nani got a penalty in the last minute through a blatant dive and they won,and if they played in a repeat the year after(which I know also will never happen because rafa is not here,and it hadnt happened 20 years prior to Rafas arrival)) I would want an LFC player to dive in the final minute to win a penalty so Nani would know what it felt like,and all the manutd players who would be jumpimg on Nani hailing him a hero and all the manutd fans proclaiming they are champions of europe would also know what it would feel like.I watched that game Platini is on about and that was such an injustice I dont blame Platini for being man enough to speak the truth,I think he was referring to that particular game against Germany when he said he would have dived due to being consumed by anger at such an injustice.
ReplyDeleteI'm really shocked and disgusted by Platini's comments. Does anyone know if he faced any disciplinary action as a result?
ReplyDeleteHey Jaimie.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me when i say..... I think that UEFA is as useful as the U.N when it
is faced with any sort of controversy, Exposing their underhand tactics to
the rest of the world to me is a start, not severe enough by any means but i
want it be 100% negative against Madrid rather than planting a seed of doubt
in a single persons mind. Also a club like Madrid would pay any monetary
fine and cry foul if it was considered harsh.
Thanks for the reply Jaimie.
On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 7:29 PM, Echo <
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Much as I love Stevie G and appreciate his many qualities it does make me cringe when he 'awards himself' a foul or penalty...i thinks it worse seeing him do it because apart from the fact he is our talismanic captain, that sort of behaviour seems to contradict all the poitive attributes he has.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply, I completely agree that we can and hopefully will still finish 4th, after all, considering all of the doom and gloom merchants who are sharpening their blades ready for the next go at Hodgson we are only 7 points off 4th spot right now I believe, and sooner or later the top teams will drop points and with our next 6 games winable with the right attitude, which Roy is now seeming to demonstrate we could be right up there again come January.
ReplyDeleteWith the right strengthening in January we could secure a trophy this year also. After all despite what people say about Roy buying poor in the summer you have to bear in mind that the only player who Roy spent a significant amount on has really performed in the past couple of games alongside Lucas in the middle.
I have faith in him to turn it around and get us back up the table, our squad is not as bad as some think (we supposedly need Gerrard to do anything and yet if lady luck was with us and Maxi opened his body we would have beaten a team who "could win the league this season". Roy could manage us to fourth and still people will call for his head and demand better, some fans need to really look at themselves! Particularily some of the louder ones on the official Liverpool forum.
Thanks.
Only just found this out on here, completely agree, its absolutely pathetic.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I love Stevie G and appreciate his many qualities it does make me cringe when he 'awards himself' a foul or penalty...i thinks it worse seeing him do it because apart from the fact he is our talismanic captain, that sort of behaviour seems to contradict all the positive attributes he has.
ReplyDeleteDrogba is even worse...not that age is any excuse, but surely at 32 he knows just how unfair diving is. I remember the apoplectic rage he demonstrated when he felt cheated in the CL game against Barca. Yet somehow he is able to justify the times he cheats when he dives.....so hypocritical! I agree with Jaimie..its all about zero tolerance...I appreciate fans who are honest enough to say when they feel a member of the team they supports cheats, and express suitable condemnation. I'd like to throw a hypothetical scenario out there (sorry..its 1AM and ive had too much mulled wine!). Imagine LFC come to the end of the season..couple of points off fourth spot...2nd to last game of season.....we are drawing...suddenely one our players dives...we are awarded a penalty which we convert. Now those 2 points are almost certain to put us into the CL...but the result was obtained by cheating. How would people honestly feel at the end of the game?
Yes, I think you're right. Madrid would whine about a heavy fine and the spineless yes-men at UEFA would probably give in. Madrid have three days to appeal against the fine; it will be interesting to see if they do...
ReplyDeleteDisciplinary action? Not likely. You'll be hard pressed to find a single news source that even highlighted the negativity of Platini's views. I posted an article at the time slamming him for these views, but like cheating itself, people are apathetic.
ReplyDeleteJaimie you are right...have and only found a couple of articles that were prepared to challenge this shocking admission. Its almost as if he is beng protected by the press.
ReplyDeleteWhatever anyone thinks about Madrid's behaviour, and I've seen worse, like Serbian fans stopping a game in Italy, and then Italian fans abusing their own player, have UEFA stopped to look at the rule which brought the act of 'cheating' about? Have they stopped to consider whether the ref should be compelled to hand out cards for time wasting when the score is 4-0 and they are in the 90th minute? Very strange that Madrid can play the ref for a chump and he should play right into their hands. I also thought that no action could be taken on cards after the refs decision. I also wonder how they can PROVE, not suspect, that these cards were deliberate. In the circumstances, they ought to look at how they can tighten that loophole with rules that don't penalise teams who qualify more than teams who are likely to only play in the next group stages. If Madrid play Auxerre, who are out, and both teams get cards, who is penalised most? Madrid who may have to play Man Utd with players out, or Auxerre who may have to Young Boys of Berne in the next year's qualifying competition or in the knock out stage of the Europa League. In that event, who is likely to go for it more on the day when Madrid play Auxerre? I don't understand why Madrid did not simply drop those players for the next game, but I presume that they were mindful that Ajax, who are competing with Auxerre for the Europa League spot, might have complained. And, as I said earlier, what happened to the Serbian FA for their supporters disgraceful behaviour in Italy?
ReplyDeletep.s. I agree about diving but had he won a penalty against the Germans that day, it would have been deserved. Schumacher should have been jailed for that challenge, that was the main injustice. And how many fouls do we see given in the penalty area if a player does not go down? Refs have to start giving penalties for fouls that deny the opposition a scoring chance, regardless if the guy hits the deck like a sack of spuds or not. I know there are cheats out there but I also think that it is a fact that anything less than Gbh, especially if the player stays on his feet, will not be given by refs.
ReplyDeleteok, just looked up the answer to the Serbian riots in Italy. They were fined 120,000 euros!! And ordered to play Northern Ireland behind closed doors, probably costing them around another 100,000 euros. Wonder how much damage the supporters did? Madrid were fined 100k, Mourinho 40k, the two players sent off 20k, the two keepers 15k. That almost 200k and the serbs got 120k plus the gate receipts from their next game. Have Madrid got off lightly?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is tho there is nothing in the rules for the type of cheating real did, they were charged with unsportsman behaviour or something equally silly, but we all know Eufa are spineless, look at the stuff Italy have getting away with for years..all they have to do is set a precedence and these thing will stop, but then there is always the appeals process too...the whole set up is a joke
ReplyDeleteUEFA Sucks!! It was very obvious that the Madrid goond had an agenda... Good they got that drubbing form Barcelona!! I respect Mourinho but this was the lowest he could go after accusing Frisk of siding with Barcelona.
ReplyDeleteJamie,
ReplyDelete"How can you say justify the view that it's okay to dive if Liverpool players do it?"
It's part of the game so if a player can get away with it, so be it, Liverpool player or no. This goes for nudging players off the ball as well, running the ball into the corner of the pitch to waste time, etc etc.While the sports governing body which makes the rules turns a virtual blind eye to these things, it is part of the game, should that change, then I would approve, ie, I would approve of a stand being made against diving/simulation, time wasting, "nudging" fouls, but until that happens, there needs to be a level playing field and I'm not about to want my team to be at a disadvantage by not emulating others.
put the whole quote in
ReplyDelete<span><span>It was always my dream to dive and get a penalty</span> in the World Cup semi-final to make up for what happened when Harald Schumacher [the German goalkeeper] fouled Patrick Battiston outside the area. If I could have done it I would because I hate injustice. I just couldn't get into the box</span>
You are just misrepresenting the truth.
Seem to remember Gerrard diving on numerous occassions and winning penalties, also remember him getting booked a couple seasons ago in a ridiculous challenge (not a bad challange) but obvious he was going to get booked so that he was free for the next round
ReplyDeleteYou should quite while you're ahead. It's getting embarrassing now. The *reason* why Platini wanted to dive is irrelevant. The *mindset* is what matters: he wanted to cheat, and given the chance in that game, he would've. Trying to defend/justify his comments makes you as bad as him (IMO)
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm not debating this issue with someone that actively condones cheating and thinks it's acceptable for Liverpool players to cheat. Fans with your view are part of the reason that cheating is so rife in modern football. Well done!
ReplyDeleteJamie Kanward LIES! it's not cheating.
ReplyDeleteHere come the adverts on Liverpool-Kop, we were right all along.
ReplyDeleteIts all to do with faith and if you belive in the current manager. We cannot see in the future so we dont know what is going to happen so know one really knows what is going to happen. Why there is a divide is the fact that, some people thought he was the right choice to manage th club so will have faith and belive in him, however me included did not think he was the right choice for the club at the start so did not have belief or faith in him. We are now divided even more people who have belief will defend him and state we will come 4th. the others will stand fast and say well we knew he wasnt good enough at the start, we are 7 points off the top a third of the way, we could actually be 21 points off the pace come the end of the season, who knows. I do not disagree with your stance as its your opinion and If your right, like I said to jaimie, I will be the first to congratulate you on your faith in him. I said way back if there was a stark choice between dalglish and roy , iwould have went with kenny, as kenny did say he would take over and look after the club untill they found a suitable candidate. My first choice candidate of Oneil is currently sitting in his armchair watching loose women everyday, If he took over i would have re-newed faith and belief.
ReplyDeleteHmm- misrepresenting???? you highlight the whole quote, bar "in the world cup semi final"!! it was his reason to do it in the semi because that is the stage Schumacher did it at himself..and Jaimie doesn't shirk from the fact it was revenge on Schmacher, thats clearly pointed out in the article! In any case, by platinis reasoning, keanes challenge on Haaland was fairly justified!
ReplyDeleteHow is this guy at the head of European football!!
Is there some irony in the fact that Mourinhos suspension was for the Auxerre game??the same game he instructed his players to be suspended for!!laughable!!
William hill have slashed their odds on Frank Rijkaard coming to anfield. Word is he has already had meetings with the club about becoming the manager. Reports are saying that they want him in before the January transfer window, so he has a chance to spend. Any news about this??? or is it all a rumour.
ReplyDeleteJamie Platini is still one of the finest players to pull on a boot just a poor administrator, i still cannot see the sense in him admitting he wanted to cheat.
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of worse situations which occur regularly on the field and off it, my interest in Madrid will be when the fair play rules are bought in with the champions league lets see how fair it is then.
Totally agree - I just cannot understand what was going through his mind when he decided to make his admission.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the fact that he did not actually do it. And he's probably trying to make himself sound as if he is 'in tune' with today's players. Bet he still won't be voting for England in the World Cup vote, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I understand exactly where you are coming from, I did not think that Roy was the man for the job in the beginning, but as long as he is our manager I will back him, if Kenny was given the job I would say he would have much more time to implement his ideas as he is a club legend and I do not think any fan would dare to chant for another manager if he took over. Also he would be an attack minded couch which I think many would appreciate. Such as me for example, just like Roy done against Spurs for instance.
ReplyDeleteO'Neill? That's actually a good choice which many seem to dismiss as "not good enough", I for one would love O'Neill to manage us, because he always seems to play a very quick and attacking team, although he would need to rotate players a bit more than he did at Villa, a lot of people are saying that he would only manage us to 6th for a few seasons and then run off to Scotland again when an easy retort is, he managed a Villa side which are now sitting 15th to 6th in consecutive seasons, imagine what he could theoretically do with us?
As for the faith regard, that is true, some of our fans will constantly drown out the other side, but for all of those saying it's the pro Rafa vs the anti Rafa brigade I would say that is a too linear thought, I supported Rafa while he was here and still do hope he does well with Inter. I hope that you do have to congratulate Jaimie and me at the end of the season as it would mean much more pulling power in the Summer.
Maybe you will have your choice of O'Neill, although some fans would still criticise, perhaps the King is the only one that could unite all of the fans under one banner again...who knows for sure though. *DONT_KNOW*