The Lead
This is one of those extraordinary days when each broadsheet/tabloid has run with their own headline, and each are interesting indeed. The Guardian/Independent has gone with the Clattenburg story, as Scotland Yard dropped their investigation yesterday, which drew the ire of Society of Black Laywers head Peter Herbert:
Herbert said in a statement: “It would appear that there is a cosy little agreement between Chelsea FC and the FA not to report these matters to the Metropolitan Police but to have them dealt with solely by the FA.
“The FA have a dreadful record of indifference on hate crime generally; failing to challenge anti-Semitism at Tottenham Hotspur and at other grounds; eventually finding John Terry made a racist remark but remarkably found him not to be a “racist”; whilst the derisory penalty of a four- or eight-match ban [Luis Suárez] is believed to be a suitable punishment for what in any other industry would be summary dismissal for gross misconduct.”
I don’t know much about the SBL, but this is edging slightly into conspiratorial territory, and paints the alleged victims as Chelsea dupes. As far as the FA’s record though, to my mind Herbert is spot on.
The Telegraph meanwhile has gone with an exclusive, alleging that Tottenham Hotspur’s private investigator fraudulently obtained private phone records for West Ham’s director Karren Brady in their quest to secure the Olympic Stadium as a future home. Juicy, although kind of a dead end piece.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail have gone their separate way with a story on Joe Hart trying to hit a jumbotron like scoreboard like thingie in Sweden ahead of today’s friendly.
Not to be outdone, the Mirror features remarks from Zlatan Ibrahimovic telling Stevie G he should get the hell out of Merseyside.
Missing from all the papers is an unexpected good news story from Manchester United:
Man United debt drops 18% in 3 months to £359.7M after NY listing. Commercial revenue up 24% & on course for £350M-360M in financial yr
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) November 14, 2012
Wahey, I guess!
Canada
Steve Bottjer says Canadian MLS teams fail because they lack coaching stability.
England
“In football, the hero and legend status is given out far too easily for me.” -Steven Gerrard on calling him a legend.
More bad news for Chelsea. The club and FA are accused of a cover-up involving Clattenburg.
Richard Williams says why the Premier League is bad for England.
Italy
Pogba happy with his performance but says he can do even better.
Italian coach wants to improve his country’s FIFA ranking with friendly today.
Prandelli says Balotelli can prove his worth against France.
La Liga
Real Madrid youth academy graduate, Esteban Granero, says the school prepared him for well for elite level.
Falcao happy at Atletico, but a future trade is still possible.
Fransesc Tomas argues that Neymar is Barcelona’s solution to their offensive needs.
Germany
Huntelaar to stay with Schalke for now.
In the absence of key players, Joachim Loew says this is the time for newcomers to sign.
Bundesliga Fanatic podcast discuss the significance of Germany’s friendly and teams that will surprise in the first Liga.
Bit and Bobs
Goalkeeper’s mistake costs him a goal. Watch the video.
Pele is stable after undergoing hip surgery.
Thanks to Alima Hotakie for compiling today’s links.
Ok, I’m confused to say the least. The JT saga was drawn out by the FA because they apparently had to wait for the legal proceedings to finish. JT wasn’t indicted by the courts, but was indicted by the FA. Now the police won’t charge Clattenburg because ‘no witnesses have come forward’, and the FA is expected to return their verdict in 48 hours. While I understand the criticism that the punishments doled out by the FA may have been lenient, none of Suarez, JT, or Clattenburg were ever indicted by the courts. It also seems odd that Chelsea’s chairman said they had an obligation to report the incident to the FA- yet no obligation to co-operate with the police investigation? Seems to me that Chelsea and the SBL have their own agendas that have nothing to do with this ‘incident’. I might be wrong, but something doesn’t add up here.
IIRC, most cases that ever get to courts are because of complaints made by someone who attended the game, not any of the players. Off the top of my head, the only times I can recall a player going to the courts is around an injury lawsuit over a reckless play on the pitch.
The Cantona episode involved an “assault” with a civilian, not a willing participant in a contact sport, so that was a different set of circumstances.
SB
So, if someone watches a replay or a highlight and reads lips after the fact, they’ve got a better case than a player who may (or may not) have been victimized? If the FA finds Clattenburg guilty, does he get a four to eight match ban? If he’s found innocent, what repercussions does Chelsea face? I’m betting nothing happens due to a ‘lack of evidence’. Sorry, but I’m calling bullshit on this situation. If Mikel (or Mata apparently) were actually racially abused- or verbally insulted in any manner by Clattenburg- they’d have lost their minds at the time. That’s my opinion. Mikel was mad about the Hernandez goal being offside- understandably, I might add- but walked away after being verbally abused/ racially insulted? I don’t think so.