SoccerSo much going on in the wide world of soccer

Beginning of Story Content

We've seen players taunting fans and stamping on opponents, administrative bodies making good and bad decisions, as well some great games in the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor's decision to taunt his former club's supporters in City's 4-2 victory over Arsenal last weekend wasn't vile or malicious, as it has been described in many reports. It was foolish, though, as every footballer in the UK knows that such behaviour will result in a suspension.

Adebayor is likely to have a one or two game ban tacked on to the three-game suspension he received for stamping on Arsenal's Dutch international, Robin van Persie.

Lucky Van Persie was not injured

I don't buy Adebayor's story that the stamp was unintentional. He wasn't attempting to play the ball, as it had already gone. He was lashing out, studs up, in an attempt to injure van Persie. That he didn't is down to good fortune more than anything else.

Two important decisions were made this week by governing bodies in football; one made a big mistake and the other was spot on.

UEFA's decision to overturn the two-game suspension handed out to Arsenal striker Eduardo for diving in their Champions League qualifying match against Celtic was weak. UEFA had a chance to make a strong statement that diving will not be tolerated in football and it got cold feet.

Diving is cheating

The message they have sent, albeit indirectly, is that cheating is acceptable. Make no bones about it - diving is cheating. It is an attempt to influence the outcome of a game by deceiving the referee.

Eduardo did just that in Arsenal's game against Celtic, tumbling to the ground under a challenge from goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Video evidence proved that there was no contact from Boruc and that Eduardo executed a dive that Alexandre Despatie would be proud of.

The whole episode stinks, from the overturned suspension to Eduardo's statement after the fact that he felt contact on his foot and lost his balance. It is no wonder that some players are held with contempt when they so blatantly lie to get themselves out of trouble. And now UEFA will be held with the same sort of contempt because it shirked its responsibility to uphold the integrity of the game.

Major League Soccer, on the other hand, gets two thumbs up for its decision to suspend league play during the group stages of next year's World Cup in South Africa.

One of MLS' biggest issues is credibility. For the league to be taken seriously around the world, it has to fall in line with the FIFA calendar. That means no league play on weeks designated for World Cup qualifying play, or the World Cup itself.

Until now, MLS commissioner Don Garber has said that it is not possible to schedule around the FIFA dates, due to stadium commitments, climate issues and the like. But he has seen the wisdom in shutting down league play during the group stages, as well as setting aside the dates of the World Cup semis and final itself.

Now if we can just bump up that salary cap…

Champions League off to a flying start

We saw some tremendous football this week in the first round of the UEFA Champions League. Road victories for the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid underlined their standing as tournament contenders.

For me the best matchup was one that didn't see a goal scored. Inter Milan held Barcelona to a 0-0 score line at home, and it was game of contrasting styles.

Barcelona was full of inventiveness, and their slick passing and intelligent movement was a joy to watch. Inter Milan, on the other hand, showed their Italian pedigree. They were compact, well-organized and difficult to break down - all hallmarks of the Italian style of catenaccio.

I'm a fan of Italian football, purely from a tactical standpoint. Done well, it is a thing of beauty. The Italians are better at shutting down an opponent than any other country in the world, and if they can make the transition from their aging stars to newcomers like Giuseppe Rossi up front, they could be one of a handful of teams to challenge Brazil for the World Cup next summer.

End of Story Content

Back to accessibility links