Thursday Round Up: Diame on Wigan, Ridiculous punishments and Sevilla threats

One sometimes wonders what exactly a player expects when they make the move to certain cities to play their football. Clearly players want to test themselves at a higher level, but would you really fancy swapping Madrid for the joys of a wet and cold evening in front of a half empty stadium in Wigan.

Mohamed Diame, who signed for Wigan for around £3m in August 2009, has clearly been wondering the same following a recent interview, where he gave his impressions of Wigan and life in England:

“The truth about life in Wigan is that there is nothing to do. It is a crappy place. The town is tiny and there is no atmosphere. I go into training, I return home afterwards, and that is all I do.”

One wonders whether having come from Madrid, he expected Wigan to be a hive of cultural activity, but it gives a clear message to all aspiring footballers looking for a move abroad – visit the town before you sign.


However, that was not the only problem that he has with Wigan. Strangely, Wigan turns out to be slightly colder than Madrid as well:

“There is absolutely no comparison between Wigan and Madrid. I was happy there – it was a capital city, and I guess it is the same as any capital. After training, I was able to go for a peaceful stroll. It was never really cold over there. But as for here – don’t get me started. When it snowed, I felt like the temperature was minus 15 and feared I was going to turn into an ice cube.”

To be fair to him, it probably was minus 15 given the winter we have had, but it is no real surprise that it is difficult to compare Madrid and Wigan. Even Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, had to accept that describing Wigan as having come from a mining and coal background.

However, Diame had one final observation to make on life in Wigan:

“It is rare to see truly beautiful girls when you go out during the day. In Madrid, I had the idea that all the women were beautiful.”

Clearly Mohamed isn’t overly enthralled by the allure of the northern birds. Compared to Madrid, can you really blame him?

* * *

The footballing authorities around the world continue to demonstrate that they have never considered the idea of using any semblance of common sense in decision-making. Last Saturday, Lionel Messi scored a penalty to make it 3-0 to Barcelona. No surprise
there.

However, as he peeled away to celebrate, he pulled up his shirt to reveal a message scrawled on a T-shirt. For this celebration, the Spanish federation decided to fine him €3,000 and retrospectively award him a yellow card under their regulations against messages on shirts. So, what could this message have been that it required such punishment? A political message? A message that could have offended certain groups?


Nothing as strong as that. The message simply read, “Feliz Cumple, Mami.” A happy birthday message to his mother. A simple gesture from a child to his mother.

However, apparently that is no longer allowed. It is almost as ridiculous as the rule that players should be booked for celebrating with the crowd. The idea that a simple sharing of jubilation with the fans who make up the lifeblood of a club and a cynical and potential dangerous challenge should be worthy of the same punishment is simply absurd.

Emotion and common sense no longer have a place in football. Players should score important goals and simply turn around and quietly walk back to their positions. Or at least, that is what it seems the authorities would prefer.

* * *

Clubs and managers often resort to winding up their opponents ahead of big games or employing more subtle mind games to put their opposition off their game. However, Sevilla have taken it one step further. Ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg with Real Madrid, the players mocked up a quick video where they appear to appear topless and smearing themselves with war paint.


All the while, a threatening voice speaks in Portuguese, warning Mourinho that “we will leave you without the title.” There is no denying that it is slightly creepy, and indeed, Martin Caceres actually looks quite bloodthirsty covered in what appears to be blood.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to have the desired effect as an early Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid the all important away goal in a 1-0 victory. Maybe next time, they should spend more time preparing for the game than making these ridiculous videos.

Real Madrid Red Card Fiasco

Jose Mourinho is no stranger to controversy. Supposedly circumventing a touchline ban by hiding in a laundry basket and arguably playing a part in the forced retirement of top referee, Anders Frisk, with his comments after Chelsea’s defeat in Barcelona are just two of the many controversial incidents that Mourinho has found himself at the centre of. And once again, he is back in the headlines.

It started in the 87th minute of the Champions League game in Amsterdam. Real Madrid had put on a masterful performance to crush Ajax and found themselves 4-0 ahead and through to the knockout phase. Xabi Alonso, already on a yellow card, placed the ball down to take a free kick. After gently wandering back to about a fifteen yard run-up, he proceeded to fake taking the kick six times before Scottish referee, Craig Thomson, decided to show him a second yellow card. There was no look of disappointment from Alonso, who just turned and headed for the dugout.


Then less than three minutes later, Real Madrid had a goal-kick. For some unexplained reason, Sergio Ramos decided to take the kick. After placing the ball, he adjusted the tape on both socks, rolled them back down, faked to take the goal-kick once, at which point Craig Thomson showed him a second yellow card. With no complaints, Ramos shook the hand of the referee and headed for the dugout to join Alonso.

So the two players will serve a one-match suspension against Auxerre in a dead rubber for Madrid, and will be back with a clean slate for the knockout phase. Cynics might suggest there is something suspicious going on.

If we look closely at Mourinho through this episode, we see something interesting. Just before Xabi Alonso received his second yellow card for time-wasting, he spoke to Mourinho on the touchline. Moments later, he was headed back to the dugout. We then see Mourinho speaking to substitute keeper, Jerzy Dudek. Dudek then speaks to Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Moments later, Ramos is heading back to the dugout.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that there is definitely something dodgy going on. Real Madrid are denying anything untoward has happened. Ramos claims he did not deliberately get given a second yellow card. Casillas has claimed that Dudek was enquiring about his stomach problems, and that he told Ramos to keep an eye on one of the Ajax strikers. Mourinho has claimed that Thomson was at fault and has questioned the standard of Scottish refereeing.


But the question remains – should UEFA really do anything? There is an argument that they have brought the game into disrepute by their actions. But at least they acquired the second yellow cards through time-wasting. They could easily have just fouled Ajax players to get second yellows, potentially putting the Ajax players at risk of injury.

It is not as though this type of thing has not happened before. The highest profile occurrence was England captain, David Beckham, deliberately getting himself booked against Wales in a World Cup qualifier back in 2005. He admitted that he had picked up a rib injury and knew that he would miss the next match anyway, so by picking up a yellow card, he got his suspension out of the way in a game he would not have played in anyway. A smart move, until he explained it to the press.

Indeed, back in 2006, Lyon pair, Cris and Juninho Pernambucano, were fined a combined €25k for deliberately getting booked to miss a dead rubber group match.


It would be a surprise if UEFA took any further action than just fining the two players. They have already set the precedent for this in the Lyon case, so are likely to just follow that. It is a farcical situation, but it is hardly the worst thing ever seen on a football pitch. The commentator last night described it as blatant cheating and that they should be punished with a longer suspension.

As far as I am concerned, it was clearly not in the spirit of the game, but any further punishment other than a fine would be ridiculous. If football’s governing bodies are not willing to extend bans for terrible and dangerous tackles, but are happy to do so for a stupid bit of time-wasting, what does that really say about the state of football today?

DW

Spanish football faces financial implosion

Spanish football is currently riding a wave of euphoria following the success of the national side in South Africa. Andres Iniesta’s late goal in Soccer City in Johannesburg sparked wild celebrations throughout the country. However, there is another wave that is growing, and it is one that is threatening to wash away any positive feelings in Spanish football. And that is the financial situation that is threatening the very existence of La Liga.


Just as Spain are currently the darlings of the international scene, Spain’s flagship club side, FC Barcelona, have drawn admiring glances from all corners in recent years, both for their attractive style of football, but also for the sensible and responsible manner in which the club has been run. ‘Mes que un club’ is their motto – ‘More than a club’ – and it is seen as not just a business, but an integral part of the community.

However, recent weeks have seen more unsavoury issues cropping up. The new club president, Sandro Roselli, had hinted at financial problems during his election campaign, and these have come to the fore in spectacular fashion. The club has experienced major liquidity problems that have led to the players not being paid for last month. They have been forced to approach the market for an additional €155m to cover their working costs, which they received from a group of Spanish banks. They have also been forced to sell Dmitro Chygrynskiy back to Shakhtar Donetsk for €15m, having paid over €25m for him less than 12 months previously. The more interesting aspect of this deal though is that manager, Josep Guardiola, wanted to keep the player, but the club sold him over his head to relieve the cash-flow problem.


Increased wage costs are a large part of the reason for the problems at Barcelona. In 2008, wages were just under €170m, but these have rocketed by 55% up to €262m in 2009/10. Some of this increase can be attributed to greater bonus payments as a result of the remarkable success that the club has experienced in recent times. Unfortunately, revenue has only increased by 33% over that same period. This means that wages now account for almost 64% of income. Furthermore, a major worry is that the short-term debt of €392m that the club faces far exceeds their working capital of €110m. There are some worries around the club that they may have to default on some of their loans during the close season.

However, it is not just Barcelona facing financial difficulties at the current time. The economic conditions in Spain at the moment have led to many clubs being forced deep into the red, and some to the brink of bankruptcy. The worst recession in over 50 years, the collapse of the real estate market and the dramatic increase in wage and transfer costs have all contributed to the current financial crisis in La Liga.

The financial statistics paint a damning picture. The 20 clubs in La Liga have a combined debt of €3.53bn, having recently overtaken the Premiership as the most indebted league in the world. Revenue growth in 07/08 and 08/09 has slumped from 10% to 4%, whilst operating costs have risen to €1.7bn, outstripping income of just €1.46bn – a significant difference of €240m. Only 3 clubs – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Numancia – made an operating profit. Labour costs represent 85% of total operating income of the 20 clubs.

As we can see, the situation is worrying, and getting worse. A major reason for the financial disparity in Spain is the negotiation of TV deals. Each club negotiates their own TV deal, rather than the collective bargaining agreement that is commonplace in other countries. As a result, Real Madrid and Barcelona rake in around half of the €600m pot of TV revenue between them – more than double that of the 3rd placed team, Valencia, and almost 19 times that of lowly Xerez. This leads to the big two having more money to spend that the other clubs, who often overspend in order to try and bridge the gap.


Despite the wishes of the other clubs to move to a collective bargaining agreement, the government and sporting bodies have shown no inclination to accede to their demands. This has led to the dramatic threat by a number of the richer clubs to break away from La Liga, creating a new and separate first division. This would clearly cause absolute chaos in Spanish football, and is likely to eventually lead to a change in the negotiations.

Potential new regulations are being debated where clubs will be limited to not spending more than 70-75% of their income on wages and transfer fees. This would include the powers to exclude any offenders from competitions. Whilst these new regulations would help, they still provide plenty of room for offenders to avoid them, and it seems as though they have come too late. With Valencia’s recent problems, and 5th placed Mallorca entering administration on the brink of bankruptcy, these issues should really have been addressed sooner.

Spain’s victory in the World Cup will provide a boost for Spanish football, but it needs to be harnessed in the correct manner to help to provide a financial benefit for the game in the country. Otherwise, the growing financial problems in the country are threatening to not only lead to the destruction of individual clubs, but could also rip apart the fabric of the league itself in Spain. And nobody would like to see that.