Milan Column

[Blacktop]

I was surprised when I saw this article, and even more so at the source.

Great result for Celtic, but UEFA let Milan down
HUGH MacDONALD, Chief Sportswriter
October 12 2007

LAUGHING all the way to the bank?

A visit to the cash dispenser seems unnecessary given the 12 and a half large ones Celtic will have to pay up front to UEFA. There will be that, and some change, in the celebrated biscuit tin.

The noise emanating from the East End of Glasgow last night was Peter Lawwell wheezing after he had completed a lap of honour at an empty Celtic Park. "This penalty is proportionate to the incident in question and a fair outcome," said Celtic's chief executive when he got his breath back.

He had a point. A cursory glance at the recent decisions of UEFA'S control and disciplinary committee shows that the tariff for the Celtic offence was always going to be a fine. Points deductions, the closing of the stadium, the end of civilisation as we know it . . . all had been touted as possible punishments for Celtic after Robert McHendry was involved in a clash with Dida, the AC Milan goalkeeper. It should be no surprise the outcome was a fine.

In common parlance, the fine for Celtic will be known as a Balde. Even if they have to pay the suspended part of the sanction and cough up £25,000, it is less than Bobo earns in a week. Though, to be fair, McHendry has been on the park more often than Bobo of late.

The deliberations of the UEFA committee raise two significant points.

The first concerns Celtic. There is no doubt that the management of the club acted swiftly and cleverly to what unfolded on the pitch. The only blip was an unwise remark by Brian Quinn, the chairman, about Dida's antics. The official line was that it was an unfortunate incident, that the offender had been apprehended and dealt with by the club and by courts. Everybody stuck by this. All were suitably contrite.

But a fan did get on to the park and he did touch an opposition player. Celtic will be discussing with police and the contracted security firm to find out how this happened. Those who stand by the pitch may state that the incursion of a fan on to the field as 60,000 celebrate a last-minute winner is difficult to stop. Perhaps.

But McHendry ran on to the park, touched the goalkeeper and then sprinted towards the corner flag and was left unmolested by the security forces. Indeed, he was ushered back into the stands by a steward. He could not have been more visible if he had stopped to give a trackside interview. He should have been spotted and "lifted".

This may form the basis of vigorous discussions between Celtic and those that charge them thousands for security, including Strathclyde's finest.

The second point concerns AC Milan and, specifically, Dida. Milan's gracious and noble stance during and after the game showed just how a great club should behave. They insisted that the result had not been affected and left the matter to UEFA. They have been let down.

Dida's punishment should have been the ridicule of his peers. The Milan goalkeeper was an object of scorn throughout the sporting world after he collapsed in front of the watching millions. He is the tube on YouTube. The sentence of a two-match suspension is ludicrous. It sets a precedent that may cause UEFA some angst in the future. Banning a player for going down too easily when hit by a spectator does not pass the most cursory of examinations.

There is a hysteria against "simulation" and against cheating. Dida has been a victim of this self-righteous rage. Yet a hundred acts of cheating occur in every match. Most claims for a throw-in are made by players who know the award should be made against them. That is cheating. It is seeking to gain an advantage through a lie.

Dida may have sought to gain an advantage by forcing the game to be abandoned or replayed. His club simply substituted him. His "simulation" had no effect on the game. This criterion was used to excuse Juninho from punishment when he dived against Rangers in Lyon. The same escape clause should apply to his fellow Brazilian.

Milan will appeal. They are right. Celtic will not appeal. They are relieved.

(theherald.co.uk)

[Jeff]

Finally, we see someone who speak up, from UK

[Blacktop]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Finally, we see someone who speak up, from UK

Even better, I think it was a Scottish paper.

In addition to posting news articles, I'd like to see fellow posters write such pieces of their own about a particular Milan-related subject. I think someone mentioned this a few days ago.

Here's a similar article.

Dida ban exposes UEFA 'doublethink'
GLENN GIBBONS
LEWIS Carroll certainly would not have had UEFA in mind when he had Alice cry, "Curiouser and curiouser!", but it remains an entirely appropriate phrase with which to describe the conundrum that is the European governing body's disciplinary process.

In the matter of the disciplinary and control committee's deliberations on identical offences against their own regulations, logical consistency clearly does not apply.

Precisely one week after they decided that the Lyon midfielder, Juninho, had no case to answer in the wake of his blatant dive in the Champions League match against Rangers, the same panel imposed a two-match suspension on the Milan goalkeeper, Dida, for his play-acting near the end of the game against Celtic.

It will be recalled that the reason given for the no-further-action verdict in the Juninho case was that his misbehaviour had no telling impact on the game. This was in response to an inquiry from this column over the seeming anomaly between the judgment of the Brazilian midfielder and that of the Hearts forward, Saulius Mikoliunas, who had also been banned for two games for deceiving the referee into awarding Lithuania a penalty kick in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland.

"It depends on the seriousness of the deception, and the result of it," said the UEFA spokesman last week. "In the Mikoliunas case, a penalty kick was given and a goal scored. If a penalty had been awarded to Juninho, or if he had scored from the free kick, that would have resulted in charges being brought."

The obvious conclusion to be drawn from this breathtaking example of what George Orwell called doublethink was that, in the context of prosecution and possible conviction and sentence, the consequences of a player's deception are considered more important than the act itself.

This raised the obvious question of how the committee would deal with Dida, whose feigned injury after being lightly brushed by the now notorious invading Celtic fan was utterly irrelevant to the match. Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan coach, and executives of the Italian club all insisted that it was of no consequence, having occurred in stoppage time.

The San Siro club's intention to lodge an appeal against the Brazilian goalkeeper's suspension is the least surprising development in the entire episode. It seems, however, that they will fight their cause on the basis that Dida's sentence is more punitive than the financial penalty imposed on Celtic, whose supporter instigated the incident.

This is certainly a sound point, but, in pursuit of rescindment, they need go no further back than nine days ago to find the precedent with which to present what should be a watertight case.

It is no defence of Dida's childish behaviour to argue that his treatment by UEFA is out of order. The so-called guardians of European football guaranteed that injustice would be seen to be done the moment they failed to apply their own criterion. With regard to all three cases, of course, the only moral travesty is the failure to punish Juninho.

RICHIE Hart's conviction for cocaine-snorting was followed by a suspension by Inverness Caledonian Thistle and a statement from the club that appeared to highlight the ever-growing influence of commercial interests on professional football.

In issuing assurances of how seriously they view the midfielder's behaviour, the Highland club said: "The club would like to reassure the club's commercial partners, supporters and the public that the club adopts a very firm stance in relation to the use and/or possession of drugs."

(sport.scotsman.com)

Maybe it's just me, but I find being busted for drugs to be somewhat worse than diving. Unless you're diving while on drugs.

[Jeff]

"It depends on the seriousness of the deception, and the result of it," said the UEFA spokesman last week. "In the Mikoliunas case, a penalty kick was given and a goal scored. If a penalty had been awarded to Juninho, or if he had scored from the free kick, that would have resulted in charges being brought."

Classic.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Jeff

I personally like Rae because he is one of the more objective columnists. Of course, most of what he says indicate that he is quite pro-Milan, but at the same time he backs up his points with evidence.

To be continued... J

LOL, not sure if I'll agree now. But he has his point regarding the Dida's incidence, but I am not sure if it's a strong enough one.

[daryl]

Thanks for the articles, BMWTaylor. Do these opinions represent the current thinking of the press? Or do they belong to the minority?

[Blacktop]

Originally Posted by daryl

Thanks for the articles, BMWTaylor. Do these opinions represent the current thinking of the press? Or do they belong to the minority?

No problem, daryl.

Definitely the minority. Before the verdict was delivered, finding any articles with this point of view was far harder than looking for a needle in a haystack.

[Blacktop]

FAI boss Delaney battles for Celtic at UEFA hearing

Monday October 15 2007

FAI chief executive John Delaney fought a grim battle to keep the gates of Celtic Park open for Champions League action.

It's understood at least two members of the UEFA Disciplinary Committee wanted to close down Parkhead for Celtic's remaining home games in the group stages -- after a Celtic fan appeared to strike the AC Milan keeper, Nelson Dida there.

Delaney managed to deflect attention away from the breach of Celtic's security measures and focus instead on Dida's shameful injury simulation.

(www.independent.ie)

What a jerk.

[Tony75]

Yeah, seen that in the paper today. Really pisses me off. Do your own job of getting a proper manager, you knob, otherwise stay out of professional football, you amateur.

[almilan]

Originally Posted by BMWTaylor

FAI boss Delaney battles for Celtic at UEFA hearing

Monday October 15 2007

FAI chief executive John Delaney fought a grim battle to keep the gates of Celtic Park open for Champions League action.

It's understood at least two members of the UEFA Disciplinary Committee wanted to close down Parkhead for Celtic's remaining home games in the group stages -- after a Celtic fan appeared to strike the AC Milan keeper, Nelson Dida there.

Delaney managed to deflect attention away from the breach of Celtic's security measures and focus instead on Dida's shameful injury simulation.

(www.independent.ie)

What a jerk.

Not surprised! This same guy John Delaney has managed to ruin Irish soccer. He run's it as a dictatorship. He fired Brian Kerr after the world cup qualifying campaign where we lost one match to France promised us a world class manager and went off and appointed the wasall reserve team coach steve staunton basically making the international job a managerial training course!

[Blacktop]

An Open Letter To UEFA
By Little Boy Blue
Tuesday 16th October 2007

Little Boy Blue raises some points of concern.

Dear Sirs,

All true football fans rightly condemned the actions of the Celtic fan who recently encroached on the field of play and accosted AC Milan goalkeeper Dida. As the governing body responsible for the Champions League, UEFA were duty bound to take stringent action to show how dimly such misconduct is viewed and to deter fans of other clubs from acting in a similar manner.

It is deplorable that you failed to act appropriately to uphold football's good name and recent revelations that it was the intervention of FA of Ireland president John Delaney which prevented UEFA taking a stronger line against Celtic asks serious questions of the integrity of your organisation.

That this incident occurred at Celtic Park is no surprise to those of us with knowledge of how low behaviour standards are at this ground. Inadequate stewarding is par for the course and there have been countless incidents over the years where fans have got on to the field of play or players and match officials have been struck by missiles thrown from the stands. Due to a particularly Celtic-friendly media in Scotland, these episodes have tended to be covered up but, when such a disturbing incident occurred in such a high-profile match, it was not unreasonable to expect that UEFA would act decisively to ensure the protection of all players and to let Celtic FC know that they are bound by the same rules as every other club.

The circumstances surrounding the latest incident must not be allowed to cloud the issue. Whether Dida overreacted to his encounter with the fan is irrelevant. A spectator got on to the field of play, was able to assault a player and Celtic FC are 100% responsible for this. Their stewards tend to be fans working for free admission, invariably paying more attention to events on the field than focusing on crowd control duties. That the fan in question was able to escape unhindered surely highlights the club's culpability.

You should also be aware that this is not an isolated incident. As recently as their qualifying tie against Moscow Spartak, Celtic fans got on to the field at the end of the penalty kick shoot-out. Whilst no threat was posed to the Russian players, the very presence of fans on the field of play is totally unacceptable. Once more the stewards were too busy joining in the celebrations of Celtic's victory to focus on their duties. Perhaps if your Observer had been more vigilant that night and you took action against Celtic, the subsequent more serious incident would not have occurred.

On a number of other occasions, most notably in domestic fixtures against Rangers, Celtic fans have indulged in intimidatory behaviour resulting in assaults on players (Ally Maxwell - Jan.94, Fernando Ricksen - Mar.05) and there was the infamous pitch invasion and assault on referee Hugh Dallas in May 1999. There was even an occasion in a reserve team match when a Rangers player (Fraser Wishart) became aware of an air pistol being fired at him. Furthermore, you will be aware of an incident at Ibrox Stadium last season when a Celtic fan got on to the field and brought the Rangers v Maccabbi Haifa UEFA Cup tie to a halt.

For a considerable number of years, Celtic fans have been permitted to revel in a glowing reputation about their commitment to their club and the feelgood factor they generate. This is a myth, created and maintained by the club's publicity machine and the pro-Celtic media. UEFA also share some responsibility for allowing yourselves to be manipulated into presenting an award to Celtic fans for their behaviour at the 2003 UEFA Cup Final in Seville. As I recall this came at the end of a campaign which saw ticketless fans storming turnstiles, widespread forging of match tickets, pitched battles at airports and flights re-routed, then the Celtic crowd marred the final itself with their venomous jeering of the victorious Porto side, hardly the sort of conduct worthy of an award for sportsmanship.

There has for some time now been a widely held suspicion that, again led by sinister elements within Scottish society, UEFA has preferred to focus its disciplinary might on Rangers FC, allowing minor offences like the singing of certain songs to be blown out of all proportion, even fining the club despite originally finding the fans not guilty of 'discriminatory behaviour' at Villarreal in March 2006. Meanwhile, the systematic lawlessness of Celtic fans continues to be ignored. Your reluctance to deal swiftly and aggressively with the most recent incident can only be viewed as cowardice which reflects badly on UEFA and, indeed, the entire football family.

UEFA had a wonderful opportunity to establish the standards expected of spectators. Celtic FC should have been punished for their neglect of a long- running problem and the fans too are worthy of punishment for their reluctance to identify and isolate the perpetrators of the various unacceptable acts over the years. A hefty fine, the deduction of the points they won against AC Milan and the closure of Celtic Park are the actions which should have been taken if UEFA was to retain any credibility as a disciplinary force.

By allowing John Delaney any input on such a serious matter in which, given Celtic's traditional hamming up of their Irish links (indeed, the programme for the Milan game makes this very point) and the ownership of the club by a politically-attuned Irish billionaire whom the FAI has previously approached for cash for fund their operations, he clearly had an interest, your integrity is greatly flawed.

Ironically, your dereliction of duty came on the same day when comments attributed to Scottish FA Chief Executive Gordon Smith, regarding an 'agenda' against Rangers FC, were rubbished by UEFA spokesman William Gaillard. But by refusing to act strongly against Celtic FC, you have further fueled the perception that your organisation is incapable of acting even-handedly.

Yours in sport,
L. B. Blue Esq.

(followfollow.com)

[Jeff]

wow! That's a quite a strong letter, BMW. followfollow.com? J

[Blacktop]

Originally Posted by Jeff

wow! That's a quite a strong letter, BMW. followfollow.com? J

It sounds weird saying this, considering the stupidity of his actions that night for which he was vilified around the world, but since the verdict and the subsequent popping up of articles like the ones above, it seems that Dida is looking somewhat more, well.....sympathetic?

[SANT]

A great chat earlier today in Gazzetta dello Sport with Silvio Berlusconi.
You can find it there, or in acmilan.com

----------------------------------------------
AT PEACE WITH OUR CHOICES
10/16/2007 11:03:00 PM
MILAN - On the gazzetta.it videochat, Silvio Berlusconi spoke of his presidency as a dream. Ibrahimovic? 'It would have been a great purchase, but we were in the middle of the sporting trials.'

MILAN - Here are the some of the comments made by president Berlusconi during the gazzetta.it video chat moderated by Alberto Cerruti with viewer questions selected by Diego Antonelli:

"We've had a somewhat unlucky start to the season but we are recovering. Milan still have to be the kind of team who, from the first minute, makes it clear it wants to win and dominate the match, while still respecting the opponent."

Then came the question of an Inter fan, who asked for Berlusconi's opinion as a football expert on Zlatan Ibrahimovic: "He's a champion, we would surely have bought him if it weren't for that unjust penalisation we had to deal with last summer. We had already decided to buy Ibrahimovic as we had had many contacts. We thought he was the right player for us. I would have liked to see him play for Milan, but I'm not angry that he's at Inter now. Unfortunately we were involved in the Calciopoli trials. We felt too indignified by the situation, and were unable to act on the market. It was a missed chance, perhaps the only one. But we managed to get Ronaldo, whom I wanted, as well as Baggio. I am at peace with the choices we've made, and judging by the results, we made excellent choices. Totti? Any team would want him, but you know the way I feel about it, you cannot buy or sell club symbols. Actually I also said this about Alessandro Nesta when he was at Lazio, but they experienced some economical problems and were forced to sell him. He was about to move to Juventus, but then Milan stepped in and Nesta was happy to move to Milan in the end."

Berlusconi then went on to talk about Kaká: "Kaká is doing fine at Milan and has never shown any intention to leave. As long as he is proud to wear this shirt, there is no economical reason that would take him away from us. There is no sum of money we couldn't refuse for him. Pato? I haven't yet seen him during training, but I've seen videotapes of him playing with Internacional Porto Alegre and Brazil before we bought him. But Ancelotti, Gattuso, Maldini, and Ronaldo, whom I spoke to only yesteday, assure me he is a champion."

The next questions verted on the defence: "We have a lot of defenders, ten of them for four positions. Nesta? He's not old, sure we have Maldini, but Maldini is a phenomenon who laughs at his ID card. Compared to other teams, we love our champions to the last. Costacurta is part of the technical staff, other former champions of ours are coaching in the youth sector, I consider them almost as younger brothers, we are a family. I'll miss Maldini when he won't be playing anymore. But there are many players that Milan are considering for the defence."

Here are some of the other themes discussed by Berlusconi: "As a Milan fan I'm living this presidency as a dream come true ever since I took over this club, and I hope this dream can last as long as possible. Unless one of my sons steps in and tells me I'd better start being a spectator. My daughter Marina? It's not true she limits my investments on Milan, I have complete jurisdiction. In my first Milan side as a fan my idol was Degani, but also Puricelli, who had a golden head. But nowadays everyone wants to be like Kaká: he's young, he's good-looking, very ethical, and he interprets his role at Milan the way we like to see. Gourcuff? He still has to mature as a man, but I'm sure he will end up fine. Pirlo? He is quiet and his behaviour off the field doesn't attract a lot of attention outside the pitch. But considering the way he plays, the way he dominates and conducts the team's play, he deserves the Golden Ball."

On Dida: "I consider him a great goalkeeper. The whole team united around him, after Glasgow. It's hard to understand what goes through the mind of a player when those things happen. It can also happen to a great champion to make a mistake. But let's remember he insisted on playing in Glasgow despite a problem to his shoulder. We owe Dida one of our Champions League victories, the one in 2003 in Manchester against Juventus. It was him against Buffon: Dida made us win the trophy. Football? For me it's a passion, a metaphor for life, it's not a business, otherwise it would be a business in pure loss... And I've never wanted to acquire a club that wasn't Milan. Did I want to buy Inter? That's completely untrue, it never crossed my mind."

On Braida and Galliani: "At 99% I'm always satisfied with their work. I feel very secure about Braida, while Galliani is the most transparent, honest person around. He's an open book and has to be thanked by all the fans. Ronaldinho? For Barcelona he's an unsellable player, but if Barcelona would put Ronaldinho on the market, Milan would be first in line to get him. Ronaldo? The appointment for Ronaldo in top form on the pitch is in Tokyo. I talked with him, t And since he has cut his hair he improved ten times compared to before, he shouldn't cut them again. Sheva? He asked to be sold due to family reasons, I feel very connected to him, I have affection for him, but football is like women, a bit irrational. After Ancelotti? We haven't thought about it yet, we'll think about it."

Berlusconi also answered a question regarding the construction of a stadium onlyelling him to be patient and careful. Ronaldo is a strong player, the injury that happened to him could have happened to anyone. for Milan: "I'm in love with San Siro, so I don't agree, we have the best stadium around. On Sunday 7 October for example, I would have liked to go to the Olimpico to see Lazio-Milan, but the pitch is very far from the stands in that stadium, while at San Siro you have more close contact with the players. Many things have already been done to improve this stadium, many services have been added, even though there are still no shops. But if we were to build a stadium all for ourselves, what would remain of San Siro? A cathedral in the desert and that is not a good thing."

[Warro Bantan]

Nice words from il presidente! (I kno, a bad mix of Spanish and Italian)