He’s at it again…

So my least favourite footballing bureaucrat is at it again. Today the muppet that is Sepp Blatter has come out with this nonsense. As I’m aware of the situation, there has to be a set number of English born players in any given Champions League squad already. Blatter has identified a ‘problem’ that there has been too many English teams in recent Champions League semi-finals and finals.

For the past three years there has been an English finalist. This year there is two. For Blatter, that is too many. It apparently does not show the strength of the English game in comparison to other leagues, but shows that English teams are too dominant because they are reliant on foreign imports. Blatter seems to ignore the period in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s when Real Madrid pretty much bossed the competition because they had bought the best players in the world for outrageous fees. That isn’t his concern. His concern is sticking his nose into English football to limit it’s potential on a European stage. This really annoys me.

I think the concern should be not with limiting the impact of English clubs, but instead with improving the quality of the game in other countries. Blatter, in his limited wisdom, thinks otherwise. People across the world rate the Premier League as the best in the world (even allowing for a club like Derby), the nature of the league, with its fast pace and competitive spirit I believe is second to none. Looking at the top leagues in other European Countries and I’m not so sure the same can be said. Italian football, now back on our tv’s after a long absence, is watchable, but lacks the blood-and-guts passion of the English game. Spanish football likewise seems a tad, well, pedestrian. The less said about the generally poor state of German football the better. Greece (the reigning European Cup holders) have a league, which, if we are generous, is on a par with our Championship.

To me it seems everywhere else has got the problems, but not in England. Our football is so strong that there was three Championship sides in the FA Cup semi-finals. Now how much our strength is down to foreign imports is a matter of much concern, and I think this is the issue Blatter was trying to combat. I disagree from a club perspective. Foreign imports are a necessary part of our game, if only to encourage development of better English players. Theo Walcott, a rising star of Arsenal’s team, was taught by the best player in the world at the time, Thierry Henry. Foreign players serve to strengthen the leagues, and limiting their numbers would only detract from the game at a time when more and more money is being pumped into it by fans. They want to see good football, and paying the prices that they do, care little of the nationality of the players.

For me, Blatter has got it wrong. His concern should not be with limiting English clubs potential, but instead with improving foreign clubs potential.

Chitter Blatter…

Right, now I dislike Sepp Blatter. A lot. I think he’s just another suit in the world of football.  He frequently looks completely out of his depth, yet he still insists on sticking his nose into lots of different affairs.

Including the Martin Taylor affair. Now I stand very much on the side of Taylor here. I think it was a freak accident which broke Eduardo’s leg. I think he is genuinely remorseful about the whole affair. And I think he has his punishment, along with the guilt for the next 9 months or so. Basically, I would imagine that Taylor will not be able to escape his guilt until Eduardo is back playing and scoring goals for both club and country.  Taylor has apologised to Eduardo personally, he has apologised through the press. His manager Alex McLeish has apologised for the tackle. The Arsenal players (including Adebayor) have stated that they are willing to forgive Taylor for the tackle, accepting there was not the intent to break Eduardo’s leg. I think even Arsene Wenger has accepted it was just a freak accident. This, I feel, should be the end of the story.

Not though, if you are Sepp Blatter. Oh no.  Blatter, with another one of his great pearls of wisdom has decided that this isn’t the end of the matter. He thinks FIFA should intervene and impose a longer ban on Taylor.

Here are just some of Blatter’s comments:

“You have to have respect and what we witnessed there has nothing to do with football” 

“This is to destroy another player, and that is not the aim of our game” 

“Such players should not only be suspended for a certain time, they should be banned until they have realised they have done something absolutely wrong” 

 Blatter is keen to point the finger at Taylor and make an example of him. However I feel that he is jumping on the witch-hunting band-wagon. To me, the last quote is the worst. I firmly believe Taylor knows he has done something bad. I believe he is genuinely sorry for it.

With all due respect, Blatter doesn’t appear to know what he is talking about. At all. He spouts off about people and situations when he doesn’t know the full picture. To accuse someone of deliberately trying to injure someone else in that manner is digusting. And it is why Wenger retracted his post match statement.

For me, Blatter needs to look at himself and ask two things. Firstly does he believe that Martin Taylor actually went out onto that football pitch with the intent of seriously hurting Eduardo? Secondly does it do any good for him to stick his oar in and reinflame the situation as it looked to be dying down?

I think the answer to both questions is no. Blatter, however, does not seem to realise this.