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February 5, 2010
On Friday afternoon, Fabio Capello dealt with the biggest crisis of his England career with all the calm, poise and decisiveness that has characterised his reign to date. Summoning John Terry to Wembley - the spiritual home of football, complete with a statue of the great Bobby Moore - Capello took little time to rip the armband from a man who has become an embarrassment to the FA and possibly a liability to the national team. And contrary to what any Chelsea apologists, or those who claim the English media scented blood and overreacted, may tell you, Terry had to go, and Capello recognised as much. Having bided his time over making a decision, despite the hungry attentions of the press pack, it is hard to imagine that Capello has not carefully sounded out opinion from senior figures in the dressing room. Perhaps not directly, but through trusted aides. The fact that Capello felt it necessary to take the huge step of stripping Terry of the armband clearly indicates that the player did not enjoy universal support amongst the squad. If he had, then by taking Friday's course of action Capello would only have risked further disrupting the unity that has become so precarious in recent days. Instead he has sought to salvage remaining team spirit by imposing a new figurehead on his side, one who can represent the team in front of the media and sponsors and still command respect amongst the entire squad. That man is Rio Ferdinand. The Terry question has never been one of simple morals. If Capello was to purge his squad of those with any blemishes on their record then England's World Cup campaign would probably consist of just Theo Walcott playing keepy-uppies in South Africa. Morality is not the issue. Morale most certainly is. We know players indulge in all kinds of inadvisable behaviour and football's moral landscape dictates that conducting an extra-maritial affair is not a sacking offence, far from it. But by allegedly doing so with a woman that has a close bond with one of his team-mates, Terry has crossed a line that divides a cloistered and priviledged dressing room from the rest of the world. His actions have directly threatened the harmony of the squad and for a disciplinarian like Capello, that is unacceptable. Terry will still go to the World Cup, Bridge too perhaps, but having acted beyond the pale, even in the moral maze that is elite football, he no longer commanded the respect required to lead his team and that left Capello with an easy decision to make. February 4, 2010
Chelsea fans may be celebrating after having their two-window transfer ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but many will be left wondering what this means for FIFA's crusade against Europe's wealthy clubs picking up the game's brightest stars before they have penned a professional contract. After Chelsea were found guilty of effectively 'stealing' Gael Kakuta from RC Lens, leading to the transfer ban as well as a four-month suspension for the player and fines, there was a collective cheer among many fans. The clampdown had begun. Other claims against Premier League clubs began to surface, with most clubs appearing to be in favour of banning international transfers for players under the age of 18. As Chelsea have escaped any censure whatsoever over this affair it seems unlikely anything will happen on that front. It makes Carlo Ancelotti's calm handling of the January transfer window understandable; though no one wanted to see him run naked around Chelsea's training ground. Both Ancelotti and the league leaders must have been extremely confident that they would be able to trade freely in the summer, otherwise they would have had to spend big in the winter window. While stressing that the Court of Arbitration for Sport have cleared Chelsea of any wrongdoing, perhaps the most enlightening part of Thursday evening's statements came with Chelsea admitting they had paid compensation to the French club: "In an act of good faith and with a view to the possibility of future collaboration with Lens, and without recognising any liability, Chelsea has agreed to pay compensation costs for the training given to the player while at Lens, as mandated by FIFA in its original ruling." The compensation payment will remain undisclosed, but it is likely to be a sizeable amount. Chelsea may hope that this puts an end to the affair, but it amounts to settling out of court rather than being found not guilty by the CAS. Some of the mud will surely still stick. So, were Lens only interested in the money, and once that was forthcoming had no other interest in the wheels of justice and the good of the game? What will become of future cases like Le Havre's discontent with Manchester United over the signing of Paul Pogba, for instance? Perhaps a compensation payment will see similar complaints disappear, too. Lazio were also in a rage over the loss of Federico Macheda to the Red Devils, with president Claudio Lotito claiming they were "robbed" of one of their young stars and that "young players are treated like cattle." How is anything going to change now? This is basically what football boils down to: money. Lens may have fuming back in September when news of the ban broke, but now they have their cash they are happy. And it will surely be the same at every club. February 3, 2010
Having failed to clinch a deal for Kaka in January 2009, Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook claimed AC Milan “bottled it”. "He clearly was for sale but we never got to meet with the player,” Cook said at the time. “The behaviour of AC Milan got in the way." It was a curious remark. City’s £100 million deal for Kaka was understandable for an ambitious, mega-rich club looking to reach parity with the big four, but it was always unlikely. For one thing, Brazilians rarely seem keen to move to England for whatever reason and Kaka, like Cristiano Ronaldo, had long seemed destined for a move to Real Madrid. Cook, who arrived after 12 years with sportswear giant Nike, confirmed he had tried to negotiate with Kaka’s father on setting up humanitarian projects for the player, but said “financial demands came to the fore”. The suspicion then, as it is now, was that Cook hadn’t quite come to terms with the fact that City remain a work in progress on the field. The point was brought home once more last month when Santos youngster Paulo Henrique Gansu suggested he was unhappy about City potentially getting first option on his signature as part of the Robinho loan. "I don't want to play for Manchester City,” he said. “I'd prefer to play for a big club in Europe such as Milan, Real Madrid or Barcelona." For Cook to insult Milan seemed naive to say the least and eyebrows have been raised ever since. Reports have emerged in the national press that Cook’s position at City is under scrutiny. The Milan remark was not Cook’s only PR error. He had previously claimed former owner Thaksin Shinawatra - the former Thai PM accused of, among other things, corruption, tax evasion and authoritarianism - was “a great guy to play golf with” (perhaps Kaka’s father had been less than convinced about the motive behind the proposed humanitarian projects). More recently, the sacking of Mark Hughes in December was justifiable but its handling was wretched, and Cook attracted plenty more criticism after his explanation as to when exactly Roberto Mancini had been offered the post. While trying to help City become “the biggest and best football club in the world”, Cook was last month helping Mancini strengthen in defensive midfield. Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago was the big target but, after early negotiations showed few signs of progress, they turned to Parma’s Kenya international McDonald Mariga. The move, according to Kenya PM Raila Odinga, fell through as City did not leave enough time to force through a work permit. When it emerged that Mariga would not arrive, City went back in for Gago. However, as Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano revealed this week, the bid was made so late in the day that there was no conceivable hope of the move being concluded. "They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed," he told El Pais. "They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes." Some of the criticism that has come Cook’s way may well have been unfair and it is likely that many of the situations involved more complexities than we have been privy to, but the regularity of the avoidable bad press is alarming and it is hard to imagine that City’s owners are content. The club’s public image is souring and, unlike Peter Kenyon's time at Chelsea, targets have not been secured. If City are to become the biggest and best football club in the world, they may well be looking at someone with a background in the sport to help take them there. January 26, 2010
Having helped fight a relegation battle with Maidstone United in the Isthmian League Premier Division in 2007-08, Chris Smalling now finds himself at the centre of a tug of war between two of English football’s most successful sides. Smalling, who joined Fulham in June 2008 for a fee thought to be worth around £10,000, made his first Premier League appearance in the final 13 minutes of the 2008-09 season, introduced as a substitute during a 2-0 defeat to Everton. Seven months later, in Fulham’s final match of 2009, he made his first Premier League start, a match Chelsea won 2-1 thanks to Smalling’s 75th-minute own goal. His only other Premier League appearance to date came on January 5, as a substitute during the 3-2 defeat to Stoke. Despite his limited playing time, persistent press reports this month have suggested Arsenal were lining up a bid in the region of £8 million. Roy Hodgson played down those reports last week; Arsene Wenger admitted monitoring the player but said “there is no truth in it at the moment”. Still just 20 years old and having made so few Premier League appearances, many were bemused at the initial talk of a big-money move, yet Smalling warrants a closer look. Having shown real promise in his four UEFA Cup appearances, the Chelsea defeat - the unfortunate own goal aside - brought him widespread acclaim as he always looked capable of battling Didier Drogba and co in what is considered the biggest match of the season at Craven Cottage. Standing at over 6' 4", he is a cultured, pacy, ball-playing centre-half. Reports on Monday that Fulham had accepted a bid from Manchester United, then, would seem to point towards him being an eventual successor to Rio Ferdinand. Nemanja Vidic has been heavily linked with a move away in the summer - and it remains entirely possible that Smalling is viewed as an indirect replacement for the Serbian - but, in terms of his playing style if nothing else, 'the new Rio Ferdinand' seems a more apt tag. When Smalling might be expected to step up to the first-team at Old Trafford remains to be seen, but Ferdinand - now 31 - looks increasingly injury-prone and, if United continue to endure injury problems anything like those suffered in the first half of the season, it is highly likely that he would be thrust into action sooner rather than later. The bid, interestingly, comes amid reports of financial meltdown at Old Trafford and, given the suggested cost of the move, indicates that Sir Alex Ferguson may not have been as economical with the truth as he has been in his transfer dealings when he suggested the club’s lack of activity was down to a lack of value in the market. Should Vidic leave in the summer, of course, talk of financial crisis will appear much closer to the mark. Given Smalling’s inexperience, it would undoubtedly be a risk to expect him to form a key part of a title-challenging defence, but the potential is clearly there. He has already made three appearances for the England Under-21 team and, with domestic players in greater demand due to changes in Champions League rules, the move could yet represent great business for both United and Fulham. December 21, 2009
It's finally official: Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. Earlier this month the diminutive Barcelona forward won the prestigious Ballon d'Or for the European Footballer of the Year by the biggest percentage of votes since it was created in 1956 and on Monday night he was deservedly crowned the FIFA World Player of the Year. The 22-year-old was runner-up to AC Milan's Kaka in 2007 and second to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, but last season's unprecedented treble of the UEFA Champions League, Spanish league title and Copa del Rey meant there could be only one winner in 2009. Although Ronaldo and Kaka, who both now play for Real Madrid, were also on FIFA's final five-man shortlist, such was the dominance and breath-taking beauty of Barcelona's football this past year that the biggest challenge to Messi came from Blaugrana team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta. A case could be made for any of the Catalan club's representatives to be crowned winner, but the FIFA gong is an award for individual brilliance and while Xavi and Iniesta's intricate and imaginative passing in midfield provides the platform for team-mates to dazzle, Messi is the figure that opponents fear. The 2009 Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United was billed as Messi v Ronaldo - we all know who won that one. The little Argentinian outclassed Ronaldo, even scoring a rare header, as Barcelona won 2-0 in Rome and Messi confirmed he was ready to succeed his opponent as the World Player of the Year. On Saturday, Messi scored the winner, in extra-time, as Barca scooped the FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Estudiantes and if we include a few other glorified baubles, such as the European and Spanish Super Cups, it makes a remarkable haul of six trophies for 2009. Messi is the key player in this year's most successful team and based on that alone it would be difficult to overlook the left-footed forward. Add in the fact that he scored 23 goals in 27 Primera Division starts last season and the statistics back up the FIFA award. But most impressive of all is that when you strip away all the facts and figures Messi still stands out an artist amongst draughtsmen. The image of the diminutive forward cutting in from the left-flank and slaloming through an impossible amount of defenders on his way to goal is one of the greatest in football. When the Argentinian has the ball at his feet there is an air of expectation and apprehension that very few footballers, and no amount of statistics, can invoke. Messi has already been burdened with the labelled of the 'new Maradona'. The Argentina international still has a long way to go to reach those lofty heights but he is yet to falter as all of the previous heirs to El Diego's throne have done. The FIFA World Player of the Year award is a step on the road to emulating the Argentina legend and is just reward for a humble player who always extols the virtues of the team rather than his own remarkable skills. December 19, 2009
In hindsight, it was one of the more obvious managerial changes in the Premier League. While there have been precious few top bosses removed this season – Paul Hart at Portsmouth being the first – Mark Hughes has been on borrowed time at Manchester City since the world’s richest club revealed its ambitions. December 18, 2009
The knockout phase of the Champions League is peppered with mouth-watering ties after Friday's draw in Nyon served up some high-profile reunions: David Beckham will return to Old Trafford with AC Milan, Jose Mourinho heads back to Stamford Bridge with Inter and £29.7 million striker Karim Benzema returns to Lyon with Real Madrid. Chelsea's clash with Inter is the one that really whets my appetite. This tie has a back story of such depth that there is sure to be fireworks ahead of kick off, not least because proud Nerazzurri boss Mourinho has a point to prove to the man who booted him out of Stamford Bridge back in September 2007 - Blues owner Roman Abramovich. It was Mourhino's mouth, as much as anything, which repeatedly landed him in trouble as Chelsea boss and the Portuguese has not changed his ways since resuming a trophy-laden managerial career at the San Siro. In his first season he guided the Nerazzurri to the Serie A title but upset almost every opposing manager, not to mention the Italian press, along the way. One such disgruntled counterpart was AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is now the man in charge at Chelsea. The Milan rivals endured an ongoing feud in Italy and when Ancelotti left Serie A to join Chelsea, Mourinho declared: "Ancelotti is no friend of mine". The Inter manager's modus operandi is to get under the skin of his Champions League opponents (remember his spat with Barcelona?) and we should all look forward to the carefully crafted snipes Mourinho will surely utter in the build up to February's clash at the San Siro. The best of the rest surely has to be David Beckham's return to Old Trafford to face Manchester United - the club where he emerged as a youngster and spent ten trophy-laden years. The former England skipper is sure to receive a hero's welcome, but can Milan do what Inter couldn't last season and beat the Red Devils? Both sides are weaker than last term; the Rossoneri have lost Kaka and United are without Cristiano Ronaldo. The last time these two teams met it was Milan who triumphed but I expect the result to be reversed. In fact, despite the fact that two of England's three qualifiers are involved in the most high-profile clashes of the last 16, all three, including Arsenal, who face Porto, will expect to reach the quarter-finals. December 11, 2009
It’s a sad day when a player of such obvious potential is forced to retire at such an early age. After months – some would say years – of battling injury, West Ham striker Dean Ashton has been forced to call it quits after failing to recover from an ankle injury. As a young striker, Ashton briefly held the hopes of a nation before a challenge from Shaun Wright-Phillips during an England training session ahead the Greece game in August 2006 saw him crippled. He was set for his first start for his country after impressing for the Hammers, with then-England coach Steve McClaren earmarking him for greatness, but Ashton battled back fitness to make an impression in the 2007-08 season. Then, as injuries often do, he lapsed. Another training ground incident and the weak ankle was exposed in Gianfranco Zola’s first session in charge at the start of the 2008-09 season. He hasn’t been seen since. Ashton now faces a life without football – aged just 26. The possibility of legal action looms. Firstly, West Ham will be looking to the FA to hand out compensation in the region of £7 million in order to cover his insurance and amounts to the fee that the Hammers paid to Norwich City for his services back in January 2006. Then, there is the personal claim that Ashton may pursue against Wright-Phillips. Such player-on-player claims are not without precedent, with £909,000 the largest amount of ‘’vicarious liability’’ received by Bradford City’s Gordon Watson, who had a leg broken in two places in a challenge by Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray in 1997. Although it hardly seems worth it, given the striker will get £3 million from West Ham for a year’s wages. The mental anguish that one of the country’s best young prospects faces cannot be understated. It is a crushing blow to be forced to give up anything you love, but to retire from football in your mid-twenties is agonising. Having been on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in England after showing his potential with Crewe Alexandra and Norwich City, Ashton must now battle harder than he ever has before to maintain a career outside of the game. He will need time to come to terms with his difficult decision, but using his experience of the game and the skills that were so cruelly taken away from him, he can have an impact on the next generation of superstars. Injury occasionally robs us of players before they have shown us their best - Steve Coppell and Marco Van Basten to name but two in recent memory – but both have proved that there is life after the game. Ashton will forever be haunted by the ‘what could have been’ question, but hopefully he can bounce back and make a name for himself off the pitch. Carlos Tevez recently stated that he was considering early retirement because of the demands of modern day football. Perhaps looking at a tragic case like Ashton’s will help him reconsider. December 7, 2009
Ever wondered who the best player of the decade is? Well, now is your chance to put forward your case. The candidates have been decided and it comes down to six world stars, both retired and still playing, who have had a massive impact on the world game in the ‘Noughties’. November 18, 2009
We've got our collection of World Cup finalists as six more teams fell by the wayside, but what will be the fate of those managers who failed to carry the burden of their nation's expectations? Slovenia became the first European team to lose a play-off first-leg and still make the finals after a stirring display. They shattered Guus Hiddink's dreams of leading a fourth different nation to a World Cup. His Russian side capitulated with indiscipline costing them as both Alexander Kerzhakov and Yuri Zhirkov were sent off in their 1-0 defeat in Maribor. The only winner from a Russian perspective is going to be Hiddink. Despite failing to qualify, one of the most sought-after managers of the past few years is now going to be on the market again seeking pastures new. And Manuel Pellegrini, Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes should probably all shoot fearful glances behind them as the Dutchman is likely to want a return to club management after whetting his appetite during an enigmatic five-month spell at Chelsea last season. In stark contrast to his rival in the dugout this evening, Matjaž Kek has little experience of the glamorous arenas of the globe. But the man whose previous coaching positions had been with the Slovenian under-15 and under-16 teams masterminded an upset of a horrified Hiddink and it is he, not his widely acclaimed opposite number who will be enjoying World Cup football next year. Thierry Henry. Cheat. The words hardly roll off the tongue but those are the accusations heading the Frenchman's way after his "main de dieu" moment against Ireland stole a finals berth for the French. Though the streets of Paris will be overflowing with champagne, listen carefully and you will hear the simultaneous sigh of "merde" echoing amidst the empty bottles as fans remember that Raymond Domenech is somehow still in a job. A disastrous display at Euro 2008 has been followed-up by a shambolic qualifying campaign saved only by a cunning piece of contentious improvisation from his captain. Domenech received a barrage of boos from tennis fans at the recent Paris Masters and has been under widespread pressure from supporters and the French media alike. But it seems the misfiring manager will amazingly get another opportunity to prove his lack of tactical nous in the southern hemisphere. Giovanni Trapattoni has done a fine job with the Irish national team and was just 17 minutes away from one of the most famous results in Ireland's football history. That unlucky defeat to France in the play-off first-leg is the only stain on the wily Italian's record with the boys in green and he will undoubtedly be given the opportunity to continue his excellent work and spearhead Ireland's pursuit of a spot at Euro 2012. Ukraine boss Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko had a four-year spell with the Ukraine under-21s before being given the top job to oversee Andriy Shevchenko and co's bid for qualification. And it looks like he may be heading back to the youngsters with his tail between his legs after Dimitrios Salpigidis wrote the final chapter of Mykhaylychenko's Greek tragedy by handing him defeat in Donetsk. Otto Rehhagel will never be sacked from his job as Greece boss - the shock triumph at Euro 2004 has ensured that. But hats off to the tactically astute German genius, who continues to pull off surprises. This time, the veteran coach ensured a surprise finals berth for the Greeks who had only just manoeuvred past the mighty Latvia at the last minute to make the play-offs. A Ronaldo-less Portugal made the finals and Carlos Queiroz has salvaged what little was left of his managerial reputation. Excellent as an assistant, he has consistently underachieved as a head honcho but he gets a chance to prove me wrong at next year's finals, when he will have his prize asset (not Nani) on hand to help his World Cup conquest. However coach Hassan Shehata should not be packing his bags up yet as he has experienced this before after qualification failure in 2006. If he can bring home the Nations Cup there is a chance he can try for third time lucky in 2014. Meanwhile, Algeria coach Rabah Saadane will likely have a job for life after guiding les Fennecs to a first finals in 23 years. That he achieved it by getting one over on the old enemy Egypt means he is guaranteed a good table in the restaurants of Algiers for the foreseeable future. Nicknamed the "mother of all matches", the grudge match that was Algeria vs. Egypt did not contain the sparks of the thrilling final group game; but Algeria won’t care. Beating the back-to-back African champions 1-0 in Sudan, the unfancied Algerian side worked wonders to reach their first World Cup in 23 years and many will suggest that it was well-deserved. Not only did the Algerian side have the better of the qualifying group, they also had to suffer a violent attack as their team bus was stoned on the way to the stadium ahead of their 2-0 defeat in the final, all-important, qualifier. Now, victory five days later will taste all the sweeter as clashes between rival factions extended as far as France in the build-up to the game. Such was the animosity before the kick-off, FIFA appealed for "fair play and responsibility." At least 32 people were injured in skirmishes after Saturday’s game, while Egyptian businesses in Cairo had millions of dollars worth of damage caused by riots. The presence of 15,000 Sudanese police around the stadium - nearly one to every two spectators - calmed the atmosphere slightly, but FIFA would not have liked what they saw on the pitch within the first 30 minutes as four players were booked. Algeria were on the back foot after the initial scuffles, but a moment of brilliance from Antar Yahia - as the centre-back volleyed an incredible strike into the net just before the half - sealed the tie. So often, ties like this are settled by such a moment, and it won’t be one that Yahia will forget in a long while. Cue wild celebrations. But there was still work to do. A solid rearguard action saw Algeria keep out the Egyptian attack, with first-leg hero Emad Moteab going the closest. One could argue that Egypt coach Hassan Shehata had gambled by keeping Mohamed Zidan and Hosni Abd Rabou on the bench, but even their introduction for Amr Zaki and Ahmed Fahti made no difference. At the end of the game Algeria ‘keeper Faouzi Chaouchi climbed onto his crossbar to celebrate, bringing back memories of his counterpart Essam El Hadari, who had done the same when Egypt claimed back-to-back African Nations Cup trophies. However it will Chaouchi who will travel to South Africa, against the odds. Egypt will head into the 2010 version of the ANC with a heavy heart. Algeria are in the finals for the first time since 1986. |
- Terry had to go
- Settled out of Court
- Cook failing to provide the recipe for success
- Smalling move would make sense for United and Fulham
- Messi about more than just trophies
- Hughes falls foul of City’s instability
- Sparks will fly when Mourinho faces Ancelotti
- Ashton retirement a tragedy
- Player of the Decade
- Hiddink will remain a wanted man
