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Arsene Wenger cut an unusually angry figure in his weekly press conference on Friday as he described Uefa’s decision to charge Eduardo with 'intent to deceive the referee' as "a complete disgrace". For a man more prone to the diplomatic approach it was a very forceful reaction and, it must be said, a wholly understandable one.
His complaint that Eduardo has been made a scapegoat and that the focus on the Croatia striker has reached the levels of a witch-hunt is not hyperbole. When was the last time that a simple dive provoked such a hysterical reaction?
Uefa's decision to single out Eduardo is a strange one indeed. This was a moment that, in the context of the tie and with Arsenal leading 2-0 from the first leg, was fairly incidental. But the media reaction and focus has elevated this event, the kind of which occurs in any number of games on a given weekend, almost to the level of a diplomatic incident.
SFA chief executive Gordon Smith led the calls for retrospective punishment and, indeed, he has form in this regard having also lambasted Lithuania’s Salius Mikoliunas for a blatant dive against Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier at Hampden, with the player subsequently receiving a ban.
Such is his apparent distaste for divers it is tempting to speculate that Tom Daley must have grievously wronged him in some way in the past. Playing his iPod too loudly on the bus perhaps?
This is not to say that leading a campaign to eradicate simulation is not a worthy cause, of course it is. But Wenger will be acutely aware that without the furore generated from North of the Border, and had Eduardo taken a tumble against Fiorentina or Lyon, then there would have been nothing like the public outcry we have seen.
Players dive. Didier Drogba has admitted as much, Cristiano Ronaldo has a taste of the theatrical about him, Steven Gerrard has been known to throw himself to the ground and Arsenal fans should know better than most that had Robert Pires not dropped to the turf against Portsmouth in 2003-2004 then they may not have gone the season unbeaten.
None of these are excusable, but why single out Eduardo for special treatment? He doesn't even have a notable track record of simulation.
Wenger is right when he says that Uefa have opened a door that they now may struggle to close. If Eduardo is punished for 'intent to deceive the referee' then are we to demand retrospective bans for players who claim a corner when they know full well that the ball came off their opponent?
What about players who feign injury only to enjoy a miraculous recovery, or those who keep quiet when such offences occur? After all, Uefa’s law states that: "Players may be suspended for two competition matches, or for a specified period, for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgement and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision."
Presumably, Uefa are currently on the phone to Bristol City to ensure that the entire team that witnessed Freddie Sears' 'goal' for Crystal Palace are on the receiving end of a two-game ban.
Their law, which they so infrequently choose to invoke, demands a level of honesty and fair play that, sadly, just does not exist in the modern game and probably never will.
Back to the Eduardo case and, furthermore, why is the spectre of a suspension hanging over the striker when, if spotted by the referee at the time, this is an offence that commands a yellow card at the very most? The possible punishment does not fit the crime, and Eduardo is not deserving of the public lynching he is receiving at the moment.
This should not be construed as a defence of simulation, more a recognition that one player has been singled out for extreme and unusual punishment for an offence that occurs on a weekly basis. It shouldn’t, but it does.
If the laws of the game are changed and a blatant dive incurs a red card then so be it. That may be the way forward. All players will be similarly affected and, presumably, similarly dissuaded from indulging in a dramatic flourish.
But Uefa have undermined the authority of their referee and called on video replays when usually they shun them. Will every diver in the Champions League this season be banned for two games? As Wenger says, the lack of consistency and logic is bemusing.
Eduardo is far from being an angel in this whole controversy, and it is stretching credulity to suggest that there was decisive contact from Artur Boruc, but that does not mean that he should be treated like he has committed a cardinal sin.
The judgement cast down from the media and Uefa has been out of all proportion in this case.
Comments
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Posted by Tim in Denver on 08/28/2009
Top article John. It is ludicrous, this hypocrisy from everyone, about Eduardo. Some English journalists have even gone so far as to claim he took a dive because Eduardo is not English. Racism indeed. Let us not forget too that a Celtic player put his hands around the neck of Eduardo and that the match referee, having reviewed the video, has said he made the correct call. What UEFA is doing is overruling their own referee as well, which is something they claim to abhor. All in all UEFA and English journalists, Celtic players, and SFA officials will end up with more egg on their faces than Eduardo.
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Posted by Joe on 08/28/2009
I agree completely. It would be sad if UEFA decided arbitrarily to throw the book at an individual because the media and the SFA flew into hystrionics. They certainly don't intend to enforce that rule in every instance from now on, so it would be horrible for them to enforce it now.
Not to mention over-ruling their own ref on a decision that he saw and continues to stand by.
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Posted by Abe on 08/28/2009
I'd have to disagree. I think more players need to be charged when they pull stunts like Eduardo did. Does UEFA have a problem being inconsistant when players simulate? Yes. Does it give an excuse to players when UEFA actually gets off their lazy bums and disciplines them? NO.
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Posted by Lester Graham on 08/28/2009
Your problem is that you are expecting logic and a consistent dispensation of justice to rule the way. UEFA can do what they want, when they want and how they want. They have no clear rule of justice that they follow. As with all things in this arena, politics lead the way. The SFA chief has some pull in UEFA and he feels his country has been wronged, so he uses that pull under an honorable flag to have his justice dispensed. I guarantee the next person to dive, and not receive a card, will not see this level of scrutiny. Any claims will be "rubbished" by UEFA when Arsene Wenger or anyone else points it out. A lot of the problems are due to the old guard and their insistence on not using video technology. I personally believe they enjoy antagonizing managers, fans and media.
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Posted by Alfian on 08/28/2009
Hello all,
i'm an Arsenal fan to say the least, and i definitely felt after watching the replay, Eduardo did, in fact, dive. Like you said, a dive is a dive. Everyone does it at some stage or another. In cases like Cris Ronaldo, a dive is more of a routine, like going to the supermarket on a sunday morning. He should probably have been banned permanently at this rate.
I second Arsene's forceful approach. why Eduardo?
the only reason i can think, SFA chief exec. Gordon Smih must have bilateral relations with UEFA. Agreed?
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Posted by Drew on 08/28/2009
Absolutely agree 100%. The tie was over. People are making this out like Eduardo stole the Champions League title for Arsenal or something. It seems to be getting more outrage than West Ham-Milwall which is absurd.
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Posted by Scott on 08/28/2009
I just watched it again on youtube, and certainly a bad dive.
BUT you cant really judge it in slow motion and in replay. It happens in a split second, and who didnt think that Boruc wasnt about to hammer Eduardo? When you think you are about to get floored and go loose and fall, you are a lot less likely to get injured. A broken leg for Eduardo is nothing right?
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Posted by Edwin on 08/28/2009
A lot of good points. May I add one more, a very specific situation. If I recall properly, it is the incident of Fowler and Seaman where Fowler went down, knowing that it is not a penalty and told the ref so. Will he be charged with a dive? Obviously not! So this video review by UEFA is purely base on the reaction of the player, and if I carry it a bit further then if Eduardo didn't ask for the penalty and ref still awards it, what can he do. Is he honestly going to blast the ball over the bar, considering he is under employ in Arsenal and we are talking about a potential 30m. This first goal will settle the tie for good, and I don't think any player in the world will delibrately not score.
What happen if everyone tells the ref it is not a penalty? He awards it, 'The ref's decision is final' according to the rule book, not sure how this is applicable with reviews possibly coming in left right and centre. This has indeed open a path that is to dangerous to go down.
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Posted by John Menzies on 08/28/2009
Actually having been for many years a goalkeeper, I understand well that any slight contact with a player at speed can and does cause either an involentaty or reactive fall. For me there was some slight contact, and the result was totally predicable. Mr. Wenger is right to state the obvious, this is a witch hunt. Now where were they when Rooney tripped over his own shadow to ensure that Mr. Wenger did not celebrate 50 matches unbeaten?
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Posted by Steven Shank on 08/28/2009
Wenger is an idiot. The dive was obvious, and SOMETHING needs to be done about diving. It has become FAR too prevalent in the game, particularly in Latin American leagues...it's ridiculous. Arsene's attempt to show his support for Eduardo is touching, but out of place in this particular situation.
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Posted by Branson on 08/28/2009
I think it's absolutely unnecessary. it is beyond belief! i personally do not condone diving but this is ridiculous. For the UEFA to be swayed by the barrage of media attention is not something that i expect happen.
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Posted by scott on 08/28/2009
What the hell is wrong with everyone who agrees with Mr. Wenger and Mr. Brewin? Eduardo may not be a "criminal" or even a cheater, but there can be no doubt (none whatsoever unless you are simply delusional) that he cheated on Wednesday when he took a dive. Instead of crying about how this is unfair for Eduardo, Wenger or Arsenal, we should be applauding the action of UEFA and encouraging them to be more proactive and thorough in the future. Hey Wenger and you too Brewin, why not forgo the long-winded, tenuous and, quite franky, weak-minded arguments and just say, "he should not have done that." Wenger, you'll get more respect, and, Brewin, you'll have to think of something else to write.
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Posted by Frank on 08/28/2009
Eduardo deserves a two game ban, not alone did he cheat but his celebration after was nothing more than disgraceful.
The Celtic players had every right to be furious.
What sort of example is this to younger players?
If you want to talk about hypocrisy then look no further than Arsene 'I think it was a penalty' Wenger.
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Posted by Vasil on 08/28/2009
Eduardo fell down with no intention of diving. Either he was touched by the keeper or he lost the body control. Arsenal did not need a penalty in this game, neither did Eduardo.
The UEFA disiplinary action, means that either the the referee punished him for diving with a card or Eduardo was supporting his error of judgement, which is not the case. ( He did not request a penalty, it was given).UEFA has to prove the intent of diving, which is not obvious for me. We can discuss as much as we want, but UEFA should not replace the decision that belongs only to a referee.
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Posted by Patrick Li on 08/28/2009
Wenger did agree that it was not a penalty. Don't muddy the water.
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Posted by Ryan on 08/28/2009
I don't believe it's fair to all of the sudden start punishing players for diving. It wasn't fair to Mikoliunas and it won't be fair for Eduardo. It looked like a dive to me but I think that UEFA should stamp their foot down and make it very clear that punishment will come to those who dive from now on. It doesn't really make sense to punish someone for diving with a two match ban when the usual punishment is a yellow card...
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Posted by Alex on 08/29/2009
A Yellow card is what he should have been given for the dive. There shouldn't have been a penalty shot in the first place. It should have been a free kick to Celtic and thats it.The fact that there was a pk is the refs fault. This doesnt make sense that eduardo should be given any ban as the exactly the same thing has happend before hand to a number of players without punishment. If the decision was made due to Celtic fans or management whining about the loss then thats kinda sad.
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Posted by wan on 08/29/2009
First of all, Referee decision are final. That is the rules in the referee book. UEFA should abide by the referees decision. Referees are appointed to referee a game bases on their performances. Who appoint the referee for the game? There is a referee, a linesman, a 4th official to watch out for divers, but if all six eyes cannot see it, UEFA in calling for a ban are trying to cover up for their own weakness. If player had dive and appeal for a penalty then it is wrong on the player side, but in this case, it was given by the referee!
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Posted by Mr. M. Stone on 08/29/2009
I must say as a long-time Arsenal fan I was disappointed with what looked on TV like a dive. However, I have seen many cases in every sport where a couple of slow-mo action replays from many different angles still didn't reveal what really happened. I may be being naive, but if he did fall to ground easily, perhaps it was more to do with the fear of another horific broken leg injury. BTW I fail to recall, did John Terry ever get punished for blatantly spitting on Carols Tevez in the 2008 Champions League Final (I'm not being a smartass, I genuinely missed whether he was punished.)
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Posted by Piyush on 08/29/2009
Well they have to start somewhere don't they? So why not with Eduardo? It was an important CL game, the whole world was watching and it was a crucial point in the game when he 'won' that penalty. He cheated, he scored, and it was game over from then on. He has to be punished. Period.
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Posted by Anon on 08/29/2009
Eduardo deserves what he got for diving. Now Arsenal and Arsene will need to live with playing two champions league games without him. Guilty after the fact or not, this act clearly did not benefit Arsenal at all. UEFA has set a precendence of over-ruling referee decisions esp when it comes to diving - so expect more of complaints similar to the ones from Celtic to come from other clubs. Question to ponder is:- If this had not involve a high profile game that may cost millions of lost $ revenue to the losing club, would UEFA had care to act?
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Posted by Finn on 08/29/2009
For me diving is the worst part of the game and should be identified as what it is: "cheating". But of course it is hard to "prove" intent, except where the dive is so blatant that some action has to be taken for want of condoning it.
This case falls into that category and more should be looked at with some retrospective view, maybe under the "bringing the game into disrepute" law.
Wenger's reaction is hardly suprising, the sad fact is that despite building teams that have played quite beautiful football, he has always been comfortable that his players cheat. His inability to "see the incident" and this type of reaction does nothing more than endorse the practice. Could anyone imagine the reaction of Fergie or Wenger if a player went to the referee and said "No ref, he didn't make contact it's not a penalty"
If the highly influential managers of the top clubs in the EPL and Europe condone this, how do we expect their players to have different ethical standards.
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Posted by Stephen on 08/29/2009
Ok, on video replay it was an obvious dive. No contact, and the way that Eduardo "fell" made it clear he was faking it rather than a reaction to the goalie sliding in.
I am a big Arsenal fan but I do think Eduardo deserved a yellow. I DO however find it odd why they are suddenly targeting him for attention. Superstars with names bigger than him have flopped their way to goals.
I think that the main problem isn't the flop, but that there is no video replay on the spot for the referee to make a decision with. The video replay system in American football where managers get a limited number of times to make the referee check video replay should be implemented here.
Again, IMPLEMENT ON-THE-SPOT VIDEO REPLAY UEFA. Controversies like this would have been averted.
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Posted by Dustin on 08/29/2009
If Eduardo receives a 2-match ban for that incident, then Cristiano Ronaldo should sit out the the 09/10 season.
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Posted by Amar Amdan on 08/29/2009
i second wenger on the question that why does Uefa suddenly uses video replay to overrule referees' decision.Uefa is against the idea of introducing video replays in settling disputes in gamesironically, this time, Uefa obliged. but why now? why eduardo?why arsenal?why in a foregone conclusion for a champions league qualifying tie?there are a lot of whys here.are we saying that Uefa is going to be strict on this that they would review every diving incidents (my guess would be one in every game)and punish the culprits?lets think about the failed divers who attempt to fool the referee but did not,and didn't even warrant a yellow card.would Uefa look into this?wenger is spot on by saying that Uefa is opening too many dangerous doors here.to me this looks amateurish of Uefa to succumb to media and SFA pressure.what concerns me the more is that Uefa had in a way branded poor eduardo a diver who to my knowledge,had only won a penalty by diving ONCE!C.Ronaldo,a more obvious target maybe Uefa?
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Posted by Colin on 08/29/2009
The critical questions are (1) is it fair to apply different rules to differnt games and players? If you truly think this improves the game, then move on to looking at video evidence. (2) Is the video conclusive that there was no FOUL ON EDUARDO - note that contact is not required for there to be a foul? Law 12 of the Rules of the Game states that an offence is committed if one player trips or attempts" to trip another player. This rule recognizes that, sometimes, a player behaves in a manner which uses excessive force or in a manner which threatens injury, so as to force the player with the ball to give it up. How often have we seen players go in with bad tackles, without winning the ball, and only to cause injury to the other player? Eduardo - Taylor is a prime example. Google the name of Ben Collett. (3) In this regard, you would note that BORUC RUSHED OUT TOWARD EDUARDO AND DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO REACH FOR THE BALL WITH HIS HANDS. What was he trying to do, if not to trip Eduardo?
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Posted by Steven Su on 08/29/2009
For those who said Arsene is an idiot, you are all hypocrites and obviously not a fan of football and Arsenal. We all agree that diving is not condoned in football and should be wiped out from the game. However, we already have punishment for it which is a yellow card & no more if the referee or his assistants spotted it during the game. To use video replays after a game which had ended is just ridiculous especially since Mr Platini and Blatter continue to refuse any use of technology which is bonkers and for reasons only known to them. Controversy sells maybe?
In Eduardo case, he dived but he didn't do it deliberately & most probably a fall from an anticipated tackle. Don't forget, his career almost finished because of a nasty tackle and to say he's cheat now is just unacceptable. There are other habitual divers (C. Ronaldo for a perfect example) who weren't punish and to punish him now because of the media coverage is an outrage & will only open up a pandora box for things to come.
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Posted by RSgerry on 08/29/2009
So, Eduardo to get two games then, eh? Didn't Taylor get three games for breaking Eduardo's leg? An injury that could easily have finished a players career?
Great points made in the article and finally some balance to the entire affair.
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Posted by Luckystryker on 08/29/2009
Coming from a United fan, this whole thing reeks of a farce as long as its only one player in one game who gets slapped a 2 game ban. Unless there is a clear shift in providing retrospective bans to players who simulate, it doesn't justify doing it for one player. One can even sympathize with Eduardo for potentially trying to break a fall which might have brought back some really horrific memories.
Again, diving stinks, but punishing one guy once a game doesn't smell like roses either. Get your act together UEFA. Video review all calls where the ref is not sure. Cricket does it. American Football does it. Tennis does it. If you are too much of a stickler for "Tradition" then retroactive justice is not exactly "Tradition" either...
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Posted by ahmed on 08/29/2009
i wached the game clear dive but then celtic didnt have any chance against good side arsenal so they took all their frustration on players regarles as liverpool fan celtic sucks bad realy bad
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Posted by Yusufu on 08/29/2009
Clearly EUFA is reacting to the cries from the SFA. I can guarantee anyone that had the SFA not made a lot of noise about the issue as they did, EUFA would never had bothered with any video reviews. Again what this tells us is that some people have more power in influencing decisions than others. I say this because I remember very well how other managers and players have complained about diving by opponent players, but those complaints had always fallen in deaf ears. No diving incident has ever even been reviewed as far back as my memory goes.
I completely agree with Mr. Wenger that this is a witch hunt. Let's not forget that Eduardo just recovered from a broken leg, so he will be very sensitive to any kind of contact and will do everything to avoid contacts. Like Mr. Wenger argued, EUFA will have to prove intent to deceive the referee, something I am not sure they can prove.
But on the whole, I agree that this is a witch hunt, and it is a path down a dangerous road.
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Posted by wongyeng on 08/29/2009
This is ridiculous! Give Eduardo a break man! His career was almost ended by a horrific and ugly tackle some 9mths ago, something that was somewhat swept aside rather gently with minimal fuss.
Some other more prolific professional "divers" from top sides (no names mentioned :) ) are constantly on the prowl and getting at most a caution for their theaterics...
The question which UEFA needs to come clean here is "WHY EDUARDO ?" AND "WHY ONLY NOW ?"
Put yourselves in this guy's position.. Imagine having dragged urselves out of a potentially career ending injury, I m sure the first thing that comes to ur minds would be to try to avoid being "brutalised" again... Maybe this was indeed what went thru Eddy's mind, which left him going to the ground relatively easily...
I do not condone "diving" but let's be consistent in meting out punishments shall we!
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Posted by Romario on 08/29/2009
If Eduardo had dived in a match that Celtic went on to win would he be banned?
If you ban a player for diving after a game, shouldn't UEFA review all dives each week and issue bans?
Why should a player be punished for the ineptitude of the match officials?
If Rooney or Gerard had dived against Celtic would this be the reaction of the SFA?
Have Rangers (Milan Baros!) or Celtic players never dived in a match?
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Posted by peter on 08/29/2009
what's all these unnecessary reaction for? Is it because Celtic and the SFA couldnt admit the gulf in class between the 2 sides? Arsenal could have played with 10 men or put out their entire reserve side and they would still have won.
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Posted by Nesh on 08/29/2009
Alright....it is dive by eduardo...So from now on people who dive have to be punished. Ok fair enough. But why drogba, ronaldo, and many others diving n not getting punished? Some of the players have the cheek to dive n argue for penalties as well...But eduardo did not claim for penalty but the ref decide to give it. So i agree with wenger that that eduardo is made a "scapegoat"...
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Posted by Arsene Fauzi on 08/29/2009
i guess in future, there will be no refrees in football matches.
As you guys know that now the refree's decision is not final.
There will be cameras everywhere and every decisions in the game will be decided by the UEFA official from the comfort of his own home.
With this, UEFA can save money from the refree's wage and there will no more be refree abuse....
good idea huh.
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Posted by Raphael on 08/29/2009
I'm an Arsenal fan too - you know what, if UEFA clearly stated that every disputed penalty (even in just the Champion's league) from now on would get the 'inquiry' and potential two-match ban, and that Eduardo was unfortunate in being the catalyst/first player to be done under this new rule then I could live with it, even applaud UEFA's stance. I happen to think Eduardo dived and regardless of the player or the team, I adhor diving.
But without that clear statement of intent, this is the worst kind of knee-jerk over-sensitivity to media prodding - the sort that invariably leads to accusations of bias (even easier with Platini's obvious issues with Wenger/Arsenal) and confusion as to what the actual rules are.
Another player is going to go tumbling in the box under minimal contact sometime this season in the Champions League and UEFA will look ridiculous if they don't mete out the same treatment - but I'm not taking any bets that they will.
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Posted by Patrick on 08/29/2009
I only have a problem with the Uefa action if this is a one and off case, because diving happens all the time. I think in cases where the ref clearly made the wrong decision, the player should be subject to punishment after video review. If this is a new policy and Eduardo is the first of many they hit with it, fine. If they don't continue to enforce this consistently, then it is not fair to the player or his team.
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Posted by Joseph on 08/29/2009
I am a Celtic supporter and I find all the bleating and bellyaching a bit monotonous. We were never going to come even close to beating Arsenal. Maybe we should concentrate on improving our team and our league rather than kidding ourselves regarding one incident during a two match mauling at the hands of an unequivocally superior team in almost every respect.
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Posted by Joseph on 08/29/2009
I am a Celtic supporter and I find all the bleating and bellyaching a bit monotonous. We were never going to come even close to beating Arsenal. Maybe we should concentrate on improving our team and our league rather than kidding ourselves regarding one incident during a two match mauling at the hands of an unequivocally superior team in almost every respect.
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Posted by steelGuns80 on 08/29/2009
scott...eat your word quickly, what do you mean by the word cheat? does UEFA president support video technology? NO. Retrospective evidence is not part of UEFA law and the guys at the helm of affairs in UEFA do not support it and why rely on it? It simple logic, this is an after-match scrutiny, all dives by divers in the game should be reviewed and punished as long as they all have video evidences and that would mean Ryan Babel will be punished for his dive against Arsenal in CL semi final. "Unjust law is no law". You are going to kill the passion, the beauty of the game if Mr. Platini continues along this ugly trend of retrospective evidence punishment.
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Posted by r0y on 08/29/2009
i think that not fair..
eduardo is cheating...
i think fifa should take serious for this problem to eduardo..
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Posted by Jt on 08/29/2009
@scott
the reason why everyone thinks this is ridiculous, and why we are not applauding uefa, is because we know that uefa is not going to be consistant. uefa is not going to be banning everyone who dives, uefa is not going to always use technology to make the right decisions.
you could say its a small step forward, but all it is, is small selective steps on the same spot. ie, still remaining in the same spot, and pounding every once in a while on some unlucky player and club.
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Posted by Humphrey on 08/29/2009
Whatever the situation at hand, i say they are pushing for 5 men in charge(1 ref, 4 lines men). why then not TV technology instead.... or should it be UEFA incharge of games, instead of the match refs.
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Posted by piken79 on 08/29/2009
It is simple really, the English press made a big deal of this because Arsenal are a foreign team in England. Wenger and his players will always be targeted because he does not have enough English players...whatever they do is multiply 50x especially if it is an offense.
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Posted by Richard on 08/29/2009
All said and done this is very absurd because in the first place Eduardo did not protest protest or request for the penalty.What was the linesman doing? Why do the match officials communicate for?
This will not have been an arguement if it was an English player or playing for Manchester united or Liverpool. Nothing has been mentioned about the ref or match officials but Eduardo,Wenger and Arsenal.I can assure you if it was a premiership game and it was against Arsenal then Almunia would have been showed a red card for his reaction.Did we hear any story when Rooney tripped at Highbury in the box and was awarded a penalty against Sol Campbell.Uefa itself has always favored the spanish clubs when it comes to this because we all watch Laliga and Messi.
It's surprising when Platini comes out and say certain things because I thought he would have known better being an ex-player. What a disgrace! He's now talking about cutting City's spending power because Abrahamovic can't afford anymore.
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Posted by Adam W on 08/29/2009
This whole Eduardo situation is a joke. How many other players will do exactly the same thing in the rest of this season's CL games, and not get banned? Utter hypocrisy.
Mind you, if UEFA are to start using video evidence to hand out retrospective 2-match bans, CR7 will never play another game... so it's not all bad! ;-)
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Posted by Anonymous on 08/29/2009
if arsenal did not score in that penalty it would of been forgotten
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Posted by kKerron on 08/29/2009
Please tell me how come they talking about Eduardo but when it was C.Ronaldo no one made a comment abot it. Ronaldo dives a lot of times and got away with it.
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Posted by Larry on 08/29/2009
A very balanced assessment. In large measure the furour is self-serving (1) on the part of Celtic & the SFA to draw attention away from a mediocre Celtic performance; to suggest the penalty was a 'turning point' is laughable (2) on the part of UEFA / Platini to support their 5 official concept. However at this point I'm looking for a silver lining somewhere. Yes...Pires penalty v Pompey kept Arsenal's unbeaten run going. But Rooney falling over Sol's boot laces helped to end the string. But at the end of the day it still won't remove the human element where - in a big match - an official will make the wrong decision.
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Posted by johnny on 08/29/2009
Why have you not posted my assessment of this situation are you an arsenal fan.
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Posted by emmyl on 08/29/2009
y make a fuse over things that occur regularly in football?its part of the game and for the ref to ve given it shud nt be d players fault.for crying out loud these are d things that makes the game interesting as well as controversial. besides arsenal won the game by no small margin at the very first leg and 4 uefa to ve so strongly considered it means something is wrong btw ars n them if not personal.
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Posted by bl on 08/29/2009
In addition to the ban, the players must be fined to stamp out the dives. Without the money penalty, the players will keep diving. The ban itself will not be enough to make a player think twice before diving.
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Posted by Benjamin jamal on 08/29/2009
i agree,but it will be bad if Eduardo is banned because a lot of time other player like c.Ronaldo and other player do that and get away with it. Banning him will be unfair. it just a game. If Eduardo did not dived into the box, arsenal will stil win the macth.
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Posted by noelinho on 08/29/2009
funny how wenger is complaing, but when the incident first happened, he himself admitted that it was a dive. uefa is correct in their choice of suspending eduardo. diving can not be tolerated at such a high level.
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Posted by Nichole on 08/29/2009
Dear Tom:
Ypur blog has made more sense about the entire affair than the tonnes of things written and spoken about this ridiculous case as yet.
Your presntation, writing and logic trump reams and reams of newsprint wasted and television time bought for the inane ramblings of journalists and weekend football warriors.
Thamk you for your insight and your ability to present it.
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Posted by Sean on 08/29/2009
The policy of retroactive punishment should indeed be systematic to be credible but to be a fair process, the review also has to show beyond reasonable doubt that the player cheated. In this case, Eduardo appears to go down easily but the view from the rear suggests that some contact occurred. Anybody with reasonable experience knows there is a wide range of possible outcome to a running collision even if minimal. The side view of the incident is from the wrong perpective and not useful to help in reaching any conclusion.
I am honestly baffled at the number of fans and pundits who claim to have seen a dive when there is simply not enough information to be reasonably sure that indeed a dive took place.
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Posted by Aln Bill on 08/30/2009
The irony of Celtic's McGeady actually being sent off for one of his habitual dives this weekend is hilarious. (Although Celtic's Killen got away with a more blatant one in the last 5 minutes).
Type in almost any Celtic player's name into an internet Search Engine, along with the word "dive" and you will find a plethora of videoed and documented ridiculous cheating dives from their players.
The Scottish media has been complicit in this ludicrous pro-Celtic diving agenda. One can only guess why ...
Incidentally, this summer, two Celtic players were let off by the SFA after being caught on video trying to deliberately badly injure opposing players.
Celtic also seem to have a very cosy relationship with UEFA --- objects thrown towards Arsenal players in that game shoudl have seen a financial punishment re-instated, from a previous Euro disgrace.
Will there be ANY condemnation from the Scottish press? Unlikely.
You see, Celtic FC don't cheat -- they are ALWAYS the victims !!!!
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Posted by Mathew on 09/01/2009
Wenger is so correct about labeling the whole episode a 'witch-hunt'. I agree with Sean's credible input and i believe UEFA is undermining the referee's decision both during and after the game. Personally i feel, Arsenal has already paid the price from the penalty with the recent loss to Manchester United last Saturday cause the referee in my opinion was clearly influenced by all the Celtic backlash.
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Posted by Ken on 09/01/2009
Eduardo is not a theatrics of the calibre of Ronaldo.This guy just got his leg broken by a vicious horrible tackle.It's intinctive for anyone to leap off or avoid such situation again.In any case the English media always have a field day,forgetting the the SPL league protested to hide the incompetency of their teams at UEFA level.Celtice were outplayed by the kids of Asrnal.A shame really again for the SPL.
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Posted by Adam on 09/02/2009
Some time ago, I was the recipient of a traffic fine for tailgating in Los Angeles. When I pointed out to the officer that tailgating occurred with regular frequency on LA freeways, he agreed and commented "someone has to get it - I guess it is your turn." With ticket in hand and back on the tail of the car in front of me, I was left wondering whether or not the spirit of the law was served or the officer's quota.
There are better ways to address longstanding and systematic issues than launching random, here today-gone tomorrow public relation plays.
With respect to this issue, UEFA has the appearance of an anemic governing body with no fresh ideas nor drive for substantive change. It's amusing to see them simultaneously lay a huge egg and undermine their credibility at the same time.
Change can only come from the ground up. I would be interested in seeing the players propose a solution. What are the chances of that?
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Posted by Wilby on 09/02/2009
So in this case we are going on and on about Eduardo. I find it hard to take the 2 match ban and I think it's going to open a Pandora's box that UEFA cannot control. What I have not heard from them is what is going to happen to the officials for that match? Are they going to be punished too? The ref has stood by his decision. Does that not make him an incompetent fool that cannot be trusted to officiate another match? What says the UEFA?
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Posted by Fritz on 09/02/2009
I would just like to say that Eduardo cheated, no matter which way you look at it. It was the goal that knocked the stuffing out of the scotts, who may have lost anyway, who knows.He deserves the ban. The only thing that worries me is that by banning Eduardo we establish that an illegal action occurred, that being the case the game should be replayed. So if giving Eduardo two games off is the best they can do,they are better off to do nothing and let the world know he is a cheater. As far as other infringements that waste time the best way to cope with them and simulation is to have a sin bin. Imagine a player having to be on the side line for ten minutes and his team losing an important match because of it! His own team mates will soon stop him from being so stupid again
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Posted by magnus on 09/02/2009
If we are to put logic to test, the ref who awrded the penalty should be charged for incompetence, cos Eduardo never protested for penalty. were we expecting Eduardo to tell the Ref it was not a foul?. This is even more irritating, knowing that there are players whose trademark is diving, have they been punished yet?. We are all watching.
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Posted by Anonymous on 09/02/2009
If you want a correct decision solve it at the referee, he is the big boss of the game and once the decision made it the beautiful of this game. UEFA job is to find honess and capable referees.
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Posted by Dave on 09/02/2009
Eduardo did dive i dont want to see that in a game. The Uefa have said he did. If they see C Ronaldo dive or any one else are they going to get a ban as well. Even if it is in a semi finale or not. If not why bring all this to light, no one likes any one cheating. When Eduardo go down in a box next time are they going to say he dive again.
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Posted by diamond oscar on 09/03/2009
it was not good because even wine Ronny do the same thing last weekend when arsenal was playing with Manchester united. its the plan of the game. don't be stupid.
Posted by diamond oscar on 09/03/2009
it was not good because even wine Ronny do the same thing last weekend when arsenal was playing with Manchester united. its the plan of the game. don't be stupid.
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