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CUNEYT MAY HAVE HIS CAKIR AND EAT IT AT WEMBLEY

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By Christopher Davies

CUNEYT Cakir, the Turkish referee who sent-off Nani in Manchester United’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid at Old Trafford, has emerged as favourite to take charge of the all-German final at Wembley between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Cakir showed Nani the red card for a challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa in the 56th minute when United were winning 2-1 on aggregate. Two goals in 13 minutes saw Real advance to the semi-finals, Sir Alex Ferguson blaming United’s defeat on Cakir. Ferguson was so incensed he refused to attend a post-match press conference, incurring an £8,500 fine from UEFA.

The decision to dismiss Nani was widely criticised, but crucially the Turk was supported by Pierluigi Collina, the match officials’ assessor at Old Trafford and an influential voice on UEFA’s Referees Committee. Collina gave Cakir a mark of 8.2 for his display at Old Trafford, the Italian’s only criticism of the referee was that he should have also shown Rio Ferdinand the red card for appearing to sarcastically applaud him inches from his face as they left the pitch.

Cakir, 36, is highly rated by FIFA, too, as world football’s governing body appointed him to handle the potentially explosive 2014 World Cup qualifying tie between Croatia and Serbia in March which passed off without any controversial incident. He also refereed the 2012 Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Corinthians, which the Brazilians won 1-0. In the last minute Cakir sent-off Gary Cahill for a challenge on Emerson.

Also among Cakir’s red card list are Steven Gerrard during England versus Ukraine last September when he also handed out nine yellow cards, Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews against Italy at Euro 2012, Chelsea’s John Terry against Barcelona in April 2012 and Mario Balotelli in Manchester City’s Europa League tie against Dynamo Kiev in March 2011.

But his no-nonsense approach has won him admirers at UEFA and he is set to return to England for the Champions League final at Wembley on May 25.

*THIS has been on Planet Twitter, but if you have missed it…it is an incredible choice of photograph for Johnny Giles’ Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Giles

IAN WILLARS OBITUARY

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THE DUKE – AN OLD SCHOOL REPORTER WHO MADE YOU SMILE A WARM SMILE

By COLIN TATTUM

IAN Willars, a former Birmingham Post & Mail journalist and chairman of the Football Writers’ Association (Midlands), has died aged 75.

Ian, or ‘The Duke’ as he was known, was a legendary character in Midlands football and cricketing circles, and beyond.

He was an old school reporter, a fine and concise writer, who got stories through his contacts and through trust. It wasn’t just what he produced in the newspaper, but the stories behind the stories, the scrapes, the fun. Ian was a bon viveur and charming, never sour, company. Whenever you met him and asked how he was, the answer was always the same: ‘In beautiful condition’. He had that effect on you – he made you smile a warm smile.

Ian was a major figure in my formative years at the Mail, he took me under his wing as a cub reporter when I first popped up in the Colmore Row offices on work experience. Along with the then sports editor Ian Johnson, he was a major influence. The two of them seemed to look upon me kindly and look after me, educating me in the ways of the sports hack’s world back then in the late 80s – and it was a different world.

No mobile phones, no Internet, no set-piece and sanitised press conferences that are the staple of Sky Sports.

The Mail had resources too, we had a big staff. We even had our own pub on site, the Printer’s Devil and – wait for it – a snooker room. They were great, fun-filled days, Ian would bestride the local scene, and I can never recall anyone having a bad word to say about him. He would always pass on little tips and advice, some of which, although they seemed so simple at the time, still matter.

Never more than 25 words in every paragraph in your story, he would say. Never forget who you are writing for.

And when managers would get uppity at criticism, he used to puff on his pipe, look over his reading glasses and remind anyone in earshot: ‘We see ’em come – we see ’em go’.

Those around Ian in his heyday and on the countless trips he made all over, covering our local sides in Europe or with England, plus Warwickshire and Worcestershire, will have many, many anecdotes and tales about The Duke which are better than mine. But I would nevertheless like to share a few, which always make me chuckle.

In 1988, he was covering the European Championship in West Germany and I took two weeks holiday, got a rail card (which was only £50) and travelled around watching as many matches as I could. Ian, already in situ, knew I was coming out and got a message back asking if I could get him an advance on his expenses, in petty cash.

‘Tell them it’s for hotel valeting – I need my trousers pressed’. That was code for beer money.

I would turn up at the various hotels he was booked into with the official touring party, crash out in his room to get some much needed sleep, and then the next day be introduced to the great and good of Fleet Street, and England’s players, who used to stay in the same accommodation as the press.

One evening I remember he called me down to the hotel bar in Dusseldorf and said: ‘Right, there’s this lovely young Fraulein I’d like you to meet’. I got chatting to her and thought my luck was in.

Next thing I know Everton’s Gary Stevens plonked himself down on the other bar stool next to her and, for some reason, she swivelled her chair and started fluttering her eyelashes at him. Can’t imagine why. Ian just laughed that mischievous laugh of his.

Also on duty covering England, at Italia 90, one of Ian’s briefs was to supply a regular diary chronicling the thoughts of a then relatively unknown David Platt. When Platt scored that volley against Belgium, putting England into the World Cup quarter-finals in the most dramatic of fashion, everyone wanted a piece of him. The interest went crazy. Platt was spirited away by England and Ian couldn’t get to him. No one, could, in fact. He was stuck, on deadline, and without a word from the new national hero for the next day’s newspaper.

Nevertheless, the Birmingham Evening Mail’s front page carried a Platt exclusive – ‘My dream goal’, screamed the headline. The Mail bigwigs were delighted.

And how had Ian pulled it off? ‘Well,’ he revealed later, drawing on his pipe, before smiling, ‘it’s what he would have said . . . ‘.

Ian also had a nifty trick to fool the bosses at the Mail base. He would bring two jackets to work; one to wear, one to sling on the back of his chair. The reason became clear – when you disappeared ‘over the road’ to the Queen’s Head pub in Steelhouse Lane, everyone assumed you were still around, just in a different part of the office.

Thus the ‘10.31 club’ was born – in the Queen’s a minute after it opened in the morning. And Ian would often say he was only there for some ‘intro juice’.

I doubt if we will ever see the like of Ian again. The new breed of football journalist is a different case, working in more cloying, less fun conditions. Ian, Ian Johnson and the reporters of that ilk used to joke that they were the ‘last of the BTJs’ – bar trained journalists.

What he would have made of social media, Twitter and the message board sages, I dread to think. I remember when we began using mobile phones, those huge housebrick things that you had to charge up for days.

Ian was in the press box at Bramall Lane shouting to make himself heard to the Sports Argus copytaker on the other end of the line, who was trying to type out his words of wisdom for his live ‘running’ report to go in that evening’s pink.

‘Duke’, someone noticed, ‘you’re holding the phone the wrong way round’.

I played for Ian’s Sunday football team, Boldmere Greens, when I first started out at the Mail. Everyone there found him engaging, a real gent and great company, just like those in his profession did.

I owe Ian a lot. Not only was he an excellent writer, very knowledgeable about football, cricket and extremely helpful to others, but he was a character who brought light into other people’s life, without ever being arrogant or superior.

Rest in peace, Duke.

This article is reprinted from Colin Tattum’s Birmingham City blog

BANNING FOOTBALL WRITERS IS A BRITISH HABIT

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

YOU’RE BANNED.

The sadly all too familiar words directed at football writers. Clubs, usually at the behest of the manager, exclude a reporter, even the newspaper, from press conferences and at times from match days. And there is nothing the Football Writers’ Association or anyone can do.

The joke in Manchester is that any journalist covering United who hasn’t been banned at some time is not doing his job properly. Yet excluding football writers is not funny, with Luke Edwards of the Daily Telegraph the latest to be given a banning order by Newcastle United who were upset at his claim that the club’s significant French contingent have yet to fully adapt to the needs of English football.

Edwards wrote: “The tension is believed to be down to the fact some individuals have been more interested in complaining about tactics and worrying about their own personal agendas rather than helping the club to survive in the Barclays Premier League. That has infuriated those who are deeply concerned by the manner in which the team have imploded since losing to Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Europa League earlier this month.

“Telegraph Sport understands that there is concern that the large French contingent on Tyneside do not care as much about the team’s demise and have failed to grasp what is needed to succeed in English football.”

Newcastle sent the newspaper a solicitors letter demanding a retraction and the removal of the article from the Telegraph web site. Until that happens “both Luke Edwards and any representative of the Daily Telegraph/Sunday Telegraph will be banned from attending St James’ Park and from attending any Newcastle United pre-match press conferences and all Newcastle United player interviews at the training facilities.”

Edwards, who previously worked on the Journal, said: “I’ve been covering Newcastle for 12 years now. My sources are 100 per cent trusted and reliable.”

Something, somewhere is wrong at Newcastle who were 66-1 to be relegated before the January transfer window when the club signed four more French-speaking players. As 2012/13 comes to an end, Newcastle are facing the prospect of Championship football next season but the club deny that having a majority of French players in the side is a contributory factor though many had voiced their concern that “Le Toon” could have a negative effect on the team.

Football writers are not cheerleaders, they are not programme editors always having to fly the flag for clubs or putting a positive spin on things after a seventh consecutive defeat. It is worrying that clubs can ban newspapers for not being supportive and Edwards said: “It is a danger. It’s indicative of an industry that’s trying to get greater control over the messages that come out and what is written about their football clubs and their products.

“Clubs expect the local paper to be like fans and show loyalty and not criticise them. And they can actually be a lot more sensitive to criticism from local newspapers. I think every sports journalist out there, local or national, will take an interest in this because it could happen to them.”

Perhaps the most frustrating is when a reporter is banned for writing a story that is totally correct but the club were angry the news leaked out. Clubs demand accurate reporting yet still show the red card to accurate reporters.

Kaylee Seckington, who covers Crawley Town for the Crawley News, was banned from speaking to players and manager Richie Barker after he was unhappy with two headlines.

Alex Thomson of Channel 4 News believes newspapers should show solidarity and boycott clubs who operate bans. He wrote in a recent blog: “It’s this bizarre thing in British football where reporters or even entire organisations are banned (i.e. censored) for doing their job, in a way which would surely never be tolerated in any other media field in Britain. This is what the nastier and more corrupt regimes around the world do – pick on individuals and organisations, safe in the knowledge that the rest, the herd, are far too cowed and terrified to do one goddam thing about it.

“So after Syria, corrupt West African despots and so on, I see something similar in the way big British football handles its craven media. I refer to the practice of football clubs simply banning any journalist, paper, broadcaster who dares write something seriously critical about a club.

“There are some long-established abusers of press freedom. Cities where this is as accepted a part of life as rain. Celtic and Rangers share a shameful pedigree in this: for years they’ve felt able to ban reporters with impunity and nobody seems to lift a finger in protest. Where’s the boycott of Old Trafford, St James’s Park, Ibrox and Celtic Park? Where’s the solidarity? Where’s the sense that a free and fair media matters a hell of a lot more than a bunch of football managers who think they can come over all Stasi because they’re so damned precious they can’t take any stick?

“It’s pathetic. It’s inexcusable. It’s another reflection of the tawdry morality in modern British football. And the media from Sky Sports (with their oh-so-cosy first question in the press conference) and the BBC to local papers should call time on this. Where is the Football Writers’ Association? Next time this happens wouldn’t it be a fine thing if there was nobody at the manager’s press conference and no cameras or radio at their match?

“Banning reporters should become a breach of contract and regulation which it is the clear duty of the FA to impose upon the game which looks more powerless and weak every time this happens””

The FWA have put forward the idea of an arbitration panel comprising representatives from the organisation plus English football’s major stakeholders to rule on disputes. Legally a club can ban anyone from entering their premises though such treatment of football writers and their newspapers is a practice that is not widespread in Europe.

Gabriele Marcotti, the England-based Italian sports journalist who writes a column in The Times each Monday, said: “Italy would not ban a newspaper. In Italy we have a strong newspapers and journalists guild. People wouldn’t stand for it or some of the stuff that happens here, like assistant managers going to press conferences or managers having private briefings.

“I think it’s ridiculous [to ban papers]. If a  newspaper was banned in Italy I think what would happen is that people would boycott the next press conference. When Jose Mourinho was coach at Inter Milan he banned an individual journalist. At his next press conference the moment he sat down everyone got up and walked out. In Italy we tend to sink or fall together.”

Guillem Balague, who is part of Sky Sports’ La Liga coverage and the magazine programme Revista De La Liga, said: “In Spain they don’t ban you but they have another way of making sure you don’t get stories. Clubs would just give them to others.

“There was an incident with Mourinho who took a journalist aside and into a room where there were six people. He started to have a go at the reporter because stories had been leaking from the camp and Mourinho wanted the writer to reveal his source.

“It’s interesting here that even though you cannot access clubs who control who says what yet they still they feel the need to ban.

“But banning in Spain? No. It’s a bit of a medal though, isn’t it?”

BALE HUMBLED TO JOIN FWA “LEGENDS”

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Photography: Action Images

Scroll down to watch a video of 2013 Footballer of the Year Gareth Bale or Click Here for more exclusive FWA video content

Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale revealed he felt humbled to have taken his place among the “legends” of the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.

The Wales international, 23, topped the poll of journalists for 2012/2013 with a narrow victory over Manchester United forward Robin van Persie, who was last year’s recipient when at Arsenal.

Bale’s 25 goals in all competitions have helped take Andre Villas-Boas men into the quarter-finals of the Europa League and kept them in the race to secure a return to the Champions League via a top-four finish in the Barclays Premier League.

The FWA accolade has been running since 1948, when Sir Stanley Matthews was the first recipient of a long list which includes the likes of England World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore, the Charlton brothers, George Best through Kevin Keegan, Eric Cantona, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Christiano Ronaldo.

“When you look at all of the past winners, the legends of the game, this is a massive honour, and to be on the list with them now is a massive privilege,” Bale said as he received his award from FWA chairman Andy Dunn, chief sports writer for the Sunday Mirror ahead of a gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on May 9.

“You always dream of things like this, whether they come true or not is another, but now that it has, it is a massive achievement for me, but one I could have not done without my team or my manager.

“The team has been fantastic this season and we have played some very good stuff, it is always easier to play in a really good team.

“The manager has been fantastic for me, playing me in different positions where I am able to find the space and actually show my stuff. “I have really enjoyed my football and been able to play well.”

Bale was also named Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association.

“Hopefully there is a lot more (to come),” the Wales forward added.

“I have only just started in my new free role in the middle, so there is still a lot to learn in that position for me, I still need to kind of figure out a few things which is important.

“As I say to myself every season, I want to improve again, there are still things I need to improve, there are things which need working on in more areas than others, and I can do that.”

Chelsea’s Juan Mata was third in the journalists poll, with Bale taking the first place with 53% of the votes ahead of Van Persie. Bale becomes Spurs’ first winner of the FWA award since David Ginola in 1999, and the first Wales international to be selected for English football’s oldest individual trophy since Everton’s Neville Southall in 1985.

Tottenham head into the final two games of the Premier League season still hopeful of securing a top-four finish.

 


Bale said: “Everyone at Tottenham still believes, we know it is not in our hands, but there are a lot of funny things which can happen in football.

“The main thing is we need to concentrate on ourselves and hope that little bit of luck goes with us.”



Click Here to read & watch what Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas had to say about Gareth Bale, the 2013 FWA Footballer of the Year.



 

FWA Chairman Andy Dunn, of the Sunday Mirror, felt Bale was a deserved winner of the 2013 Footballer of the Year trophy.

“In a contest for votes which took so many late twists and turns, this young man’s penchant for the spectacular captured the imagination,” he said.

“Gareth is a player who is rising inexorably towards thte rarefied levels of world stars such as Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo.

“Twice the PFA Player of the Year and now, still some two months before his 24th birthday, the 2013 FWA Footballer of the Year.

“Let’s hope he lights up the Barclays Premier League for many seasons to come.”




Gareth Bale: Footballer of the Year 2013


Words: Jim van Wijk, FWA National Committee

IT IS AN HONOUR TO BE GARETH’S MANAGER

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Photography: Action Images

To watch a video of Andre Villas-Boas’ tribute to the 2013 Footballer of the Year and more, Click Here

By Andre Villas-Boas

Another season has gone by. A few players have stood out, a few players caught the eye and a few have been at another level.

Some, though, were simply outstanding.  And in that small group is Gareth Bale.

As a manager you can only get to know a player fully when you start working with him. You see what makes him tick, get to know his personality and his character intimately and you see what he enjoys to do or not to do on the pitch.

Gareth had an impressive impact on me and my staff for the obvious reasons that we all know: his power, his leap and the innate talent that he has.

Everybody has seen that during our games this season but it’s away from the public eye in training where I’ve been privileged to witness his brilliance.

I was amazed by his ability to stop, turn, accelerate and change direction at incredible speed yet still remain composed enough to slot in that cross, that final pass or the shot which could make the difference on any given matchday.

Can Gareth evolve and become better? Like every player and like all of us in our profession, you have to say yes.

In the same way as Ajax and Barcelona breed their young players, Gareth’s experiences as a left-back, a winger and a striker have allowed him to live and experience different situations in the game to which he has had to adapt.  When all of that knowledge becomes instinctive he will be able to further develop his game and we will continue to enjoy watching him play.

During pre-season in Baltimore, when I first approached Gareth to play as a lone striker his response was: “I can try, but it’s not my position.” How lucky can a manager be that out of an experiment you discover something that can work!

In my opinion, any single individual award that is won in a sport where you are so dependent on your team-mates is not always fair, but I raise a glass to the person who in their biggest moments of glory is able to recognise the importance of the ones that surround them on a daily basis and are able to share that glory with them.

Gareth has done exactly that with all of us at Tottenham Hotspur when he joined that elite group of players to have added the Footballer of the Year award to recognition by the PFA.

That is down to Gareth’s humbleness and transparency as a person and makes him stand out as a great sportsman.

Congratulations Gareth it is a pleasure to work with you and an honour to be your manager.







This article is in the brochure for the Footballer of the Year Dinner at the Lancaster London, May 9.

Bale named FWA Footballer of the Year

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By Christopher Davies
Photography: Action Images

Gareth Bale has been chosen as the Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.

Bale is the first Tottenham Hotspur player to win the award since David Ginola in 1999 and the first Wales international to be selected for English football’s oldest individual trophy since Everton’s Neville Southall in 1985.

Last year’s winner, Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, was second with Chelsea’s Juan Mata third.

A delighted Bale said: “It is a huge honour to receive the Footballer of the Year award from the Football Writers’ Association.

“It means a lot to win this award when you consider the number of players that have been outstanding for their clubs in the Barclays Premier League this season.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be playing in such a fantastic team and I owe a lot to my team-mates and, obviously, the manager who has shown such faith in me.

“This award has been won in the past by some of the greatest names in football and I consider it a privilege that the FWA have selected me to be named alongside them.”

It has been a vintage season for Bale, 23, who has scored 29 goals so far – 24 in 40 appearances for Spurs and five in eight games for Wales.

Andy Dunn, chairman of the FWA and chief sports writer for the Sunday Mirror, said: “In a contest for votes that took so many late twists and turns, Gareth’s penchant for the spectacular captured the imagination.

“He is a player who is rising inexorably towards the rarefied levels of world stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Twice the PFA Player of the Year and now, two months before his 24th birthday, the FWA Footballer of the Year.

“Let’s all hope he lights up the Barclays Premier League for many seasons to come.”

In a poll that saw a 91 per cent turn-out from the FWA membership, Bale won 53 per cent of the votes ahead of Van Persie.

Apart from the top three, thee were a wide range of votes for the likes of Leighton Baines, Pablo Zabaleta, Michu, Michael Carrick and Rickie Lambert.

Bale made his debut for Southampton on April 17, 2006 in the 2–0 victory over Millwall aged 16 years and 275 days, becoming the second youngest player ever to play for the Saints, after Theo Walcott, who was 132 days younger. He joined Spurs in May 2007 for a fee that was initially a down-payment of £5 million rising to £10 million based on appearances and success but, later agreed at £7 million.

The Cardiff-born player was hampered by an ankle injury in his first season, which restricted him to just 12 appearances. By 2009 Bale had established himself as one of the Barclays Premier League’s brightest young talents, the lanky left-back eventually switching to a midfield role with devastating effect. Bale’s forward move came when Benoit Assou-Ekotto returned from injury to become Spurs’ first-choice left-back. Bale was too good to be dropped so Harry Redknapp played him further upfield and the player he thought would become a world-class full-back has laid claim to that tag as a midfielder.

It was two stunning displays against Inter Milan in 2010/11 – Maicon look away now – that underlined Bale’s potential as an attacking force and alerted a European audience to his speed, strength and skill. At San Siro, Spurs had played with 10 men for 80 minutes following the dismissal of Heurelho Gomes and were heading for a 4-0 defeat until a brilliant second-half display of pace and power by Bale saw him score an unforgettable hat-trick, the last two goals in stoppage-time. The 4-3 defeat felt more like a victory for the visitors because Bale’s late burst had left them stunned. The comeback provided the platform for Spurs’ run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Chris Hughton, the Norwich City manager, was at Tottenham as Bale tried to establish himself at White Hart Lane. Hughton said: “He went through a period of a couple of seasons where he had injuries and then burst on to the scene. He perhaps doesn’t have the close technical skills of a Ronaldo, Messi, Xavi or Iniesta. He is a different type of player. As an effective player he is absolutely a top, top player. Gareth can cross the ball as well as anybody. He has an incredible, unusual power and pace that can go past players at ease. He can score. He has a prowess in the air.”

Bale has always had a burning desire to be the best and admits he has learned a lot from the managers and coaches at Spurs, particularly since his move to midfield. He plays from the wing rather than on it and said: “I needed to improve myself as a player so I spoke to the coaches at Tottenham about it.

“Things had got to the stage when I was standing on the wing, playing well, with a lot of freedom, hurting teams and being targeted by defences. Being stuck outside was not good all the time. You need to mix your game up and give opponents things to think about.

“It was a case of teams putting two players on me, staying really tight and trying to mark me out of the game which is not difficult when you’re stood right out there with not much room. So I’ve had to adapt my game. The full-backs can’t follow you inside and the strikers occupy the centre-backs, so it gives you that bit of space – if you get into lots of pockets you’re able to turn and run at defenders, it’s just as good as being on the wing.”

Inevitably Bale’s form has seen him linked with most of Europe’s traditional powerhouses. No doubt Real Madrid and Barcelona would love to take Bale to La Liga, PSG to Ligue 1, Juventus to Serie A, Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga while closer to home it would be foolish to think the Manchester clubs wouldn’t love to have the newly crowned Footballer of the Year in their side. Any team would want such a breathtaking talent, though Bale has made no signs that he is anything but happy with Spurs as they make a final push for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Bale, named Player and Young Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association last Sunday, will be presented with the trophy at the Footballer of the Year dinner at the Lancaster London on May 9.

LUIS SUAREZ – WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE LIVERPOOL STRIKER?

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IS BITING AN OPPONENT IN THE LAWS OF THE GAME?
Not specifically. Thankfully it is so rare the International Football Association Board, FIFA’s law-making body, have not seen fit to include biting in Law 12 (fouls and misconduct) but it would come under violent conduct and if a referee saw a player bite an opponent it would be a red card offence

BUT SPITTING WAS MADE A SENDING-OFF OFFENCE, WASN’T IT?
Yes, the offence was included in the Laws in the wake of AIDS. In Law, “a player, substitute or substituted player is sent-off if he spits at an opponent or any other person.” While the chances of infection through saliva or biting are minimal it is obviously a health risk. This is why players with blood wounds, usually the head, must have the wound covered and if there is blood on the jersey it must be changed. In 1999, the Football Association banned Patrick Vieira for six games after the Arsenal midfielder spat at West Ham’s Neil Ruddock. At Euro 2004 Alexander Frei of Switzerland was banned for three games for spitting on the neck of Steven Gerrard during England’s 3-0 win.

WHAT POWERS DO THE FA HAVE IF A PLAYER IS FOUND GUILTY OF BITING AN OPPONENT?
Without being pedantic, it is an Independent Regulatory Commission appointed by the FA that is responsible for any punishment. Basically, there is no limit to the sanction they can hand out.

BUT WHAT IS A LIKELY PUNISHMENT?
It goes in a player’s favour if he apologises and the club are seen to be pro-active with internal action…

THIS DIDN’T REALLY HELP ERIC CANTONA…
True, Manchester United banned him until the end of the season, four months, after his kung-fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan and the disciplinary commission extended this, handing Cantona an eight-month suspension. The FA weren’t too happy, but strange as it may seem, they have no hands-on control over such bans. A difference is that what Cantona did was against the law of the land while what Luis Suarez did is a football matter (so far).

SO FAR?
Anyone who is aware that a crime has been committed can report it. It is not essential for them to have been personally affected by the crime. Since 2011 the same procedure has been followed in criminal cases in every canton. The police investigate what has happened. At the end of the investigation, the public prosecutor’s office that has jurisdiction over the case decides whether there is enough evidence to bring charges. This is what happened with John Terry.

OK…BUT WHAT IS SUAREZ’S LIKELY BAN IF FOUND GUILTY?
He has “previous” and was suspended for seven games for a similar offence while he was an Ajax player which may be a yardstick for our FA. The governing body will be keen that the disciplinary commission ensures any sanction acts as a deterrent.

NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST JERMAIN DEFOE FOR ALLEGEDLY BITING JAVIER MASCHERANO SEVEN YEARS AGO…
The video evidence, while damning, may not prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Defoe bit the Liverpool player. Referee Steve Bennett cautioned Mascherano for a foul on Defoe who reacted, so under the FA regulations the incident was dealt with and they were powerless to take any further action.

BUT IF THE POLICE…
This is unlikely especially as Ivanovic told Merseyside Police he does not wish to make a complaint. But still a possibility.

ALL RIGHT, BUT DUNCAN FERGUSON WAS GIVEN A THREE-MONTH JAIL SENTENCE AFTER HEAD-BUTTING JOHN McSTAY OF RAITH ROVERS WHEN HE WAS WITH RANGERS…
Ferguson was neither sent-off nor cautioned for the offence by the match referee. However, the Scottish Football Association took action after viewing a video recording of the assault. The striker was on probation for a previous offence at the time of his latest indiscretion which broke the terms of his bail.

LIVERPOOL HAVE FINED SUAREZ “AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT” – WHY DON’T THEY MAKE IT PUBLIC?
Football still operates in a secret world and many feel supporters, who are told by clubs how important they are, should not be kept in the dark. Under Professional Footballers Association rules a two-week fine is the maximum apart from exceptional circumstances.

HOW EXCEPTIONAL DOES IT HAVE TO BE?
Manchester City wanted to fine Carlos Tevez four weeks’ wages after he was found guilty of five breaches of contract after refusing to warm up against Bayern Munich. The PFA refused to back the four-week fine and City, who were not best pleased, had to reduce it to two weeks.

VOTING FOR THE FOOTBALL WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION’S FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR OPENS ON APRIL 25. DOES LUIS SUAREZ HAVE ANY CHANCE OF WINNING THE AWARD NOW?
It will make for a lively discussion at the FWALive event later that day.

Michael Calvin on Millwall and FA Cup Violence

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What distresses me is that people had taken their children to Wembley for their first big game and the kids were so terrified they don’t want to go to football again – Michael Calvin

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

NOBODY saw it coming, not least Michael Calvin who spent a year virtually living with Millwall to write “Family – Life, Death and Football.” Families may argue, but fight?

The images of violence at the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan Athletic at Wembley were a chilling reminder that while improved stewarding, policing, all-seat stadia and CCTV have done much to make English football safer, hooliganism is still bubbling below the surface. What Pele called the beautiful game showed its ugly face over the weekend with 12 Millwall “supporters” arrested plus 29 at the Newcastle v Sunderland Tyne-Wear derby.

Calvin refuses to call those who disgraced the club, the FA Cup, English football and the sport in general “fans” or “supporters”. “They don’t deserve that dignity,” he said. “They are louts.

“It is wrong to even attempt to defend the indefensible. The starting point for any debate must be to condemn the behaviour of those in the Millwall end who chose to fight among themselves, before rounding on the police. As we can assume that Wembley has almost as many CCTV cameras as the CIA headquarters hopefully it should be a relatively simple process to identify the troublemakers.”

Millwall’s history has given the club an image that will be difficult going on impossible to change despite the sterling efforts of the club. South-east London, where I grew up, was the last part of the capital to be modernised, a hard-nosed area with the Old Kent Road and Walworth Road still stuck in a tenement time-warp.

“It’s a very complex club,” said Calvin. “It’s tribally driven and in many ways it’s a generational thing. The people who formed Millwall’s reputation during the Seventies and Eighties are now fathers and grandfathers who take their sons and grandsons to matches.

“Millwall’s attraction to me as a journalist was its very nature, it’s a proud working-class football club in an area that is slowly becoming gentrified. The reputation does attract a certain type of person. The images of fighting, terrified children and baton-wielding policemen are damning and demoralising for everyone who has a genuine feeling for the club.”

There have been inevitable calls for Millwall to be punished by the Football Association and Calvin said: “My early journalistic training taught me perspective boils down to the man on the Clapham omnibus. What would that reasonable person make of a libel case, or something like this? Reasonable people would surely say Millwall, as a club, did everything they could. I don’t believe they are in denial. Sadly, the majority have once again been tainted by the minority, perhaps as few as 50 people.”

Millwall’s average attendance at The Den is around 11,000, yet 35,000 followed them at Wembley. Calvin said: “Where did the extra 20-odd thousand come from? The statistical probability is that some of those had absolutely no affinity with Millwall at all. They were mates of mates or whatever.”

Football can no longer accept sponsorship from tobacco companies, though alcohol, the product that is responsible for making so many people turn to violence, still promotes itself through football, even the FA Cup. The early evening kick-off allowed more refuelling time than usual, the official Football Association Twitter site, unfortunately but blamelessly tweeting an hour before the kick-off of Saturday that 75,000 pints and 50,000 bottles of Budweiser will be sold at the two semi-finals over the weekend.

Calvin said: “High risk league games are invariably played at lunch-time. Television, understandably given the money they pay, want FA Cup semi-finals to kick-off at a time when then can maximise their ratings. What we have is a commercially driven kick-off time, but the fact remains the likelihood of that sort of trouble would have been significantly reduced had it been played at lunch-time. Also, had the semi-final been played earlier the Wigan fans would have been able to take a train home afterwards.

“Saturday was the car crash, the worst case scenario, a game watched by a massive global audience and it developed into a media frenzy. I don’t criticise anyone for writing the story, but some of the comments, calling for Millwall to be thrown out of the FA Cup, are just knee-jerk, intellectually flawed nonsense.

“What particularly distresses me about the whole scenario is that last Sunday, four or five people contacted me to say they had taken their children to Wembley for their first big game. The kids were so terrified they don’t want to go to football again.

“To say it was an internal squabble almost dignifies it. Those responsible were a bunch of drunken invertebrates fighting among themselves. It just happened to be at a football match. It could have been in a pub car park, a street brawl…anywhere. But football attracted them on Saturday and the fact they had been drinking all day compounded the issue.”

Ticket restrictions should ensure only verified supporters can buy them, though those who can remember easier access to watch a game will bemoan a society that must now be segregated.
The trouble involving Millwall followers could hardly have happened at a more high profile occasion, but there is a worryingly amount of football-related violence that is not reported nationally. Wembley and Tyneside were far from the only scenes of violence over the past year.

In February, 10 fans were arrested during and after the Crystal Palace v Charlton Athletic derby. Several rows of seats and the toilets in the away end were damaged while troublemakers smashed cars and damaged residents’ property as they made their way home. Chief Superintendent Adrian Roberts, who led the operation, described their actions as “mindless destruction.”

Six men were arrested on suspicion of affray thought following violence that erupted in the city centre after the Newcastle v Chelsea game on February 2.

Police made 19 arrests when Sunderland and West Ham supporters clashed before the game on January 12.

Last month 87 people were arrested in the build-up to the Blue Square Bet Premier match between Nuneaton Town and Lincoln City.

Thirty one arrests were made following violent scenes in Huddersfield on May 19, 2012 – the day of the Championship play-off final. The trouble continued in the railway station before spilling on to the tracks. Several men chased each other through the platforms and eventually down the track towards Deighton, causing 61 trains to be delayed and seven to be cancelled altogether. The disruption caused nearly 15 hours of delays and cost thousands in lost earnings.

Calvin said: “Occasionally football holds up a mirror to who we are and what we have become. This is England, our England. Every Friday and Saturday night pubs and night clubs can become battlegrounds. Wembley was a manifestation of the society we’ve become.”

*Family – Life, Death and Football by Michael Calvin (Icon Books, £8.99)

NEW DATE FOR MANAGERS’ LUNCH

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Please note that our annual NORTH WEST PREMIERSHIP MANAGERS LUNCHEON, sponsored by BARCLAYS, at The Manchester Thistle Hotel, Portland Street, Piccadilly Gardens will now be held on WEDNESDAY APRIL 24th, 1pm for 1.30pm. The change has been forced upon us because of re-arranged Premiership matches on the original date.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini, David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers, Tony Pulis and Roberto Martinez have all been invited along with a number of former managers and prominent personalities and, as usual, part of the event will involve interview opportunities for the Dailies and Sundays.

Please confirm your acceptance to the secretary by email.

‘Those who work for Millwall must pull their hair out at times at the way the club are depicted’

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TOBY PORTER on the public perception of FA Cup semi-finalists Millwall

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

NO ONE may like Millwall, but Toby Porter certainly does care about how others view the club.

Porter is the sports editor of the South London Press and has covered Millwall for 11 years. Millwall have a stigma, mostly outdated and based on events from 30 or 40 years ago, but it is an image that the club will find difficult to shake off even though they have done everything to eliminate violence and racism with success.

As the Lions prepare for their FA Cup semi-final against Wigan Athletic at Wembley, the perception most have about Millwall does not affect the way Porter goes about his job, but on a personal level it is a different story.

He said: “In the first season I covered Millwall there were 187 arrests for football-related incidents. Since then there have been no more than 20 or 30 [a season] and consistently lower than that. Basically about a tenth of what it was.

“The 2002 playoff semi-final against Birmingham City [at The Den], where there was a lot of unrest, was significant in Millwall moving forward, making a decision to ensure anyone with a criminal background was not allowed in the ground or allowed to go to away games with the club.

“The reality is that the violence is much less than it was. There are still some elements drawn to Millwall because of the past, but the club could not have done more to eradicate violence or racism. Those who work for Millwall must pull their hair out at times at the way the club are depicted in a quite out-of-date manner by lazy journalists.

“Millwall’s main claim to fame was the 59-game unbeaten home run ended in 1967 [by Plymouth Argyle]. Most people would not have heard of the club apart from the bad stuff.

“For the media, there is no other hook to hang on Millwall. It doesn’t affect my job in any way because I know what the truth is. But inaccuracies should hurt any journalist and it affects me personally when I see the club depicted in an unfair manner, though that’s an emotional reaction.”

Bradford City of League Two reached the Capital One Cup final on the crest of a media wave with most neutrals hoping the Bantams would add Swansea City to their list of Barclays Premier League scalps, underlining the British affection for the underdog. Should Millwall overcome Wigan they are unlikely to enjoy such support, even against Chelsea or Manchester City, whose Russian and Middle Eastern financial backing causes such resentment.

Porter said: “The crucial period for Millwall’s reputation was the Panorama documentary in 1974.”

Millwall had invited the TV cameras into The Den for a programme about their supporters. Over the previous three years there had been a considerable drop in hooliganism, which was rife in English football at the time, and the club hoped the programme could show the benefits of responsible stewarding.

It backfired spectacularly with the BBC concentrating almost exclusively on the alleged thug element that followed the club. When Millwall and the police saw a review of the show they implored it should not be broadcast. Denis Howell, the Minister for Sport, met with Sir Michael Swann, chairman of the BBC, because of fears that the programme would succeed in encouraging rather than discouraging unruly behaviour. And so it proved.

The horrendous scenes at the 1985 FA Cup tie at Luton gave Millwall a scar for life and it is the image many people still have of the south-east London club.

That was then. When Millwall reached the FA Cup final nine years ago, there were zero arrests among their fans at the semi-final against Sunderland at Old Trafford or in Cardiff where Manchester United won 3-0 at the Millennium stadium.

Millwall are no strangers to Wembley in recent years – they made their debut in the Auto Windscreens Shield final in 1999, losing 1-0 to Wigan, the Lions cheered on by an estimated 47,000 of the 55,000 in attendance. They also reached League One playoff finals in 2009 (losing to Scunthorpe) and 2010 (beating Swindon).

This is their first FA Cup semi-final at English football’s headquarters and Porter said: “It means more to the older generation because for them Wembley was a long wait. Millwall have now been to Wembley four times in the last decade and a half whereas there had been none previously to that.”

Porter and the South London Press have enjoyed a close relationship with Millwall over the years and it would be difficult to find any football writer with a complaint about manager Kenny Jackett’s commitment to the media. “They give me all the co-operation a journalist needs,” said Porter. “It’s a very good, positive relationship and works best that way.

“Kenny is a considerate man. He likes to keep his cards very close to his chest when it comes to giving out information on the club purely because it makes his job more difficult if this becomes public. I understand that even though as a journalist I want every bit of news possible.”

Porter will be writing the bulk of the eight-page supplement ahead of the Wembley match which should boost sales of the SLP. “Since I joined the paper the only time sales increased drastically and were sustained was in 2004 when Millwall reached the FA Cup final.”

To paraphrase Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, Wigan are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. They are as likely to score three goals as concede three, though Porter does not see a goal-feast at Wembley.

He said: “In recent games Jackett’s made it hard to score against Millwall. They have had five clean sheets in the last seven matches and I think they’ll be difficult to break down. Wigan have some very talented players and I think it will be close.”