Uefa Disciplinary Debacle
Heartbreak For Fletcher and Abidal
The Champions League is the jewel of the European football crown, a competition showcasing the very best talent that attracts the biggest global audience the sport has ever witnessed at club level.
So why do Uefa, the organisers of this great competition, attempt to undermine the concept of fair play ahead of the dream final between Manchester United and Barcelona with their unjust and antiquated rules regarding disciplinary and suspension?
Wrong Reds
United midfielder Darren Fletcher and Barcelona’s Eric Abidal will both miss the showpiece event in Rome on May 27 following red cards in their respective semi-finals.
Both dismissals have been proved incorrect following television replays, with Fletcher clearly nicking the ball away in his challenge with Cesc Fabregas and Abidal making little contact with Nicolas Anelka before the Chelsea striker proceeded to trip himself up.
In the domestic game both red cards would be rescinded and both players would be eligible to play in their clubs next game. Yet Uefa's bizarre non-appeal rule means both players will miss the biggest game of their club careers.
Imbalance
There appears to be no rhyme or reason behind this ruling with Uefa using video evidence to punish players for misdemeanours missed by the referee during a game but refusing to do the same when a referee makes a poor decision.
The rule could be in place with the intention of not undermining a decision a referee has already taken but Sir Alex Ferguson himself initially believed Italian referee Roberto Rosetti had made the correct decision against Fletcher until he viewed the replay
Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo has come under huge pressure following a number of poor decisions during the Chelsea – Barcelona game but few would have doubted his decision to dismiss Abidal at the time from his position.
Yet video replays clearly show both decisions to be wrong so why not use the available technology and give these two players justice and a right to play in the Champions League final!
Video Evidence
The call to use video evidence during the game splits the football world with some believing it would slow the pace of the game while others believe it would prevent incidents just as this and be a proactive approach rather than reactive.
However, not to use it to give players justice after the fact when it is already used to punish players in the same circumstances is lob-sided and unfair.
Stubborn Uefa
United have launched an appeal on compassionate grounds to have Fletcher’s dismissal overturned while Barcelona are expected to follow suit but neither club expect Uefa to budge.
So two honest professionals will probably miss the biggest game of their lives when they have done nothing wrong while Uefa stick to a policy that must in turn stick in all football supporter’s throats.
The Champions League is the most envied club tournament in football and the platform for some of the best football talent. Surely it deserves rules to match its stature.
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