You know what, I'm really on the fence about this one. If the roles had been reversed and we were on the receiving end of it I doubt whether we'd be moaning too much and feeling sorry if it was say Rooney who had dived and now up before the beak.
I like Wenger's anger but to say it's a witch hunt is a bit embarrassing. It's just the SFA putting their noses in that's got UEFA to charge him. Also for Wenger to try and say that the slight brush on his leg may have made him go down is again silly.
But what I do like the idea of is AFC following through on the threat to pester UEFA to look at other examples in future games. If say it's clear that Vermaalen is held at a corner when he would have had a clear header on goal and the ref doesn't see it then surely that must be cheating as well?
As as has been said, huge precedent has been set and if it's followed through in ALL games here and abroad then none of us can really argue with it.
Breaking News....Eduardo charged
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franksav63
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Copy and Paste from the Irish Examiner.
IN the great tradition of ‘Private Eye’ – translation: in an act of shameless ripping off – we begin today with an abject apology.
"In common with many other newspapers, we may have given the impression in the past that Arsenal’s Eduardo was a gifted football player and a great humanitarian. And, following on from the dreadful injury he sustained when playing against Birmingham in 2008 – a broken leg and dislocated ankle which was so graphic even Sky Sports put ratings to one side and refrained from showing replays of the Martin Taylor tackle – we may have misled readers into thinking that here was tragedy on an almost Shakespearean scale: a fine young sportsman cut down in his prime, the cruellest of blows not only forcing him to miss the then upcoming European Championship finals but very possibly putting his whole career in jeopardy.
Headlines such as ‘A Nation Mourns’, ‘Beauty Felled By Beast’ and ‘Our Eddie: Please Pray For Him’ might have suggested to the impressionable that we stood foursquare behind the wounded Gunner as he began his long trek back with no guarantee that this plucky and, frankly, devilishly handsome young man, would ever again regain the heights to which his sumptuous God-given talents had deservedly taken him.
"However, we now accept that our initial characterisation of Eduardo as probably the world’s greatest role-model and martyr since Gandhi was somewhat inaccurate and that, following on from his truly horrific act of simulation at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, it is rather truer to say that he is a liar, a cheat, a low-down bum, a disgrace to his profession and the personification of all that is ugly in the beautiful game today. Furthermore, it has been brought to our attention that Eduardo – who always looked a bit shifty to us, if we’re being honest – is a Croatian first and a Gunner second. Actually no, it’s worse – he’s a Brazilian first, a Croatian second and a Gunner third. In other words, he is a foreigner with bells on, which probably explains everything. Meanwhile, as we earnestly hope that football’s governing bodies do what that tackle failed to do and remove Eduardo from the game for life, we would like to express our deepest sympathy to Glasgow Celtic FC, that grand old club of scholars and gentleman, who would now surely be odds-on for a Champions League triumph in Madrid next May were it not for the way in which the course of justice was so perverted on Wednesday night in North London by one dastardly, no-good Croat."
Indeed, and if you think that’s all a bit far removed from reality then just check out some of the thoughts of the game’s great and good in the rumbling aftermath of Wednesday’s incident.
Here’s UEFA boss Michel Platini:
"I know why players do it, I’ve dived myself. We did it because we knew the referee wouldn’t see it and because there were no cameras. However, with our plan to bring in five officials, you will be spotted."
Better again – hilariously, in fact – here’s the response of Arsene Wenger: "Eduardo might be cautious because of the injury he had. He might have jumped out of the way."
And let’s not forget the heartfelt of the Scottish FA for a retrospective ban on the player. This being the same Association which led the civilised world in condemning the outrage that was Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal which helped to do for England in the 1986 World Cup. Quite.
Ever had the feeling that everyone is missing the point? Which, at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious for the umpteenth time, is simply that anyone with access to a television set last Wednesday knew, within seconds of the incident occurring that Eduardo had dived to claim an illegitimate penalty. So why shouldn’t the referee have had the same access as the rest of us to that instant and conclusive evidence? A quick word in his ear from someone up on high sitting in front of a screen and the penalty would not have been given and Eduardo would have received a yellow card for his impudence. (A pretty effective deterrent against diving, by the way).
Cue disgruntlement from Gooners and jeers from Celtic fans and on with the game. Instead, we’ve had another long, drawn-out post-mortem with all the usual suspects spouting all the usual nonsense while the elephant continues to sleep peacefully in the corner.
To repeat: judicious use of video technology is clearly and convincingly the answer to a number of the game’s ills but football’s governing bodies continue to bury their heads in the sand even when, like Michel Platini, their own words betray the real truth of the situation. Look at that earlier quote of his again: players in his time dived because the "ref wouldn’t see it and because there were no cameras".
The solution is obvious then: bring in the cameras. Er, no, says the bould Michel, bring in five match officials. And so, apparently borrowing from the GAA, UEFA are using the Europa League to try out umpires behind the goal. (And what do you bet they won’t even allow them to wear their own gear under the white coats?).
Says Platini: "I am convinced if you have referees close by, that will prevent players from simulating and players will take the right decision. I have always said better to have more referees than a multiplication of disciplinary procedures."
Right. And better to have one simple piece of technology than a multiplication of referees, say I.
IN the great tradition of ‘Private Eye’ – translation: in an act of shameless ripping off – we begin today with an abject apology.
"In common with many other newspapers, we may have given the impression in the past that Arsenal’s Eduardo was a gifted football player and a great humanitarian. And, following on from the dreadful injury he sustained when playing against Birmingham in 2008 – a broken leg and dislocated ankle which was so graphic even Sky Sports put ratings to one side and refrained from showing replays of the Martin Taylor tackle – we may have misled readers into thinking that here was tragedy on an almost Shakespearean scale: a fine young sportsman cut down in his prime, the cruellest of blows not only forcing him to miss the then upcoming European Championship finals but very possibly putting his whole career in jeopardy.
Headlines such as ‘A Nation Mourns’, ‘Beauty Felled By Beast’ and ‘Our Eddie: Please Pray For Him’ might have suggested to the impressionable that we stood foursquare behind the wounded Gunner as he began his long trek back with no guarantee that this plucky and, frankly, devilishly handsome young man, would ever again regain the heights to which his sumptuous God-given talents had deservedly taken him.
"However, we now accept that our initial characterisation of Eduardo as probably the world’s greatest role-model and martyr since Gandhi was somewhat inaccurate and that, following on from his truly horrific act of simulation at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, it is rather truer to say that he is a liar, a cheat, a low-down bum, a disgrace to his profession and the personification of all that is ugly in the beautiful game today. Furthermore, it has been brought to our attention that Eduardo – who always looked a bit shifty to us, if we’re being honest – is a Croatian first and a Gunner second. Actually no, it’s worse – he’s a Brazilian first, a Croatian second and a Gunner third. In other words, he is a foreigner with bells on, which probably explains everything. Meanwhile, as we earnestly hope that football’s governing bodies do what that tackle failed to do and remove Eduardo from the game for life, we would like to express our deepest sympathy to Glasgow Celtic FC, that grand old club of scholars and gentleman, who would now surely be odds-on for a Champions League triumph in Madrid next May were it not for the way in which the course of justice was so perverted on Wednesday night in North London by one dastardly, no-good Croat."
Indeed, and if you think that’s all a bit far removed from reality then just check out some of the thoughts of the game’s great and good in the rumbling aftermath of Wednesday’s incident.
Here’s UEFA boss Michel Platini:
"I know why players do it, I’ve dived myself. We did it because we knew the referee wouldn’t see it and because there were no cameras. However, with our plan to bring in five officials, you will be spotted."
Better again – hilariously, in fact – here’s the response of Arsene Wenger: "Eduardo might be cautious because of the injury he had. He might have jumped out of the way."
And let’s not forget the heartfelt of the Scottish FA for a retrospective ban on the player. This being the same Association which led the civilised world in condemning the outrage that was Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal which helped to do for England in the 1986 World Cup. Quite.
Ever had the feeling that everyone is missing the point? Which, at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious for the umpteenth time, is simply that anyone with access to a television set last Wednesday knew, within seconds of the incident occurring that Eduardo had dived to claim an illegitimate penalty. So why shouldn’t the referee have had the same access as the rest of us to that instant and conclusive evidence? A quick word in his ear from someone up on high sitting in front of a screen and the penalty would not have been given and Eduardo would have received a yellow card for his impudence. (A pretty effective deterrent against diving, by the way).
Cue disgruntlement from Gooners and jeers from Celtic fans and on with the game. Instead, we’ve had another long, drawn-out post-mortem with all the usual suspects spouting all the usual nonsense while the elephant continues to sleep peacefully in the corner.
To repeat: judicious use of video technology is clearly and convincingly the answer to a number of the game’s ills but football’s governing bodies continue to bury their heads in the sand even when, like Michel Platini, their own words betray the real truth of the situation. Look at that earlier quote of his again: players in his time dived because the "ref wouldn’t see it and because there were no cameras".
The solution is obvious then: bring in the cameras. Er, no, says the bould Michel, bring in five match officials. And so, apparently borrowing from the GAA, UEFA are using the Europa League to try out umpires behind the goal. (And what do you bet they won’t even allow them to wear their own gear under the white coats?).
Says Platini: "I am convinced if you have referees close by, that will prevent players from simulating and players will take the right decision. I have always said better to have more referees than a multiplication of disciplinary procedures."
Right. And better to have one simple piece of technology than a multiplication of referees, say I.
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franksav63
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I would like to bet that Eduardo receives no punishment as a result of this.
Either Arsenal's lawyers will tear UEFA a new arsehole or, and more likely I think, UEFA themselves will realise what a can of worms they have opened here and will quietly sweep it under the carpet.
I also think it would be interesting to see someone start questioning this sweaty *word censored* Gordon Smith and his influence on the UEFA board.
:awnker:
Either Arsenal's lawyers will tear UEFA a new arsehole or, and more likely I think, UEFA themselves will realise what a can of worms they have opened here and will quietly sweep it under the carpet.
I also think it would be interesting to see someone start questioning this sweaty *word censored* Gordon Smith and his influence on the UEFA board.
:awnker:
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OneBardGooner
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