Chelsea Have Conveniently Forgotten Their Own Past Actions
How else would you explain this:
Chelsea are to ask FIFA to investigate an alleged illegal approach for Arjen Robben by Real Madrid.
First things first - Chelsea and Madrid are not the first clubs to try and tap up players. Madrid have done it before with other star players, Chelsea tried to do it (and might yet succeed, almost 18 months on) with Ashley Cole, they poached Robben and Obi Mikel, then there was this ‘chance meeting’ with Rio Ferdinand…
And have we forgotten how Rooney was picked up from Everton by United? No, Manchester United isn’t clean as well.
But the issue here is not about who has done something wrong. The issue is:
How can Chelsea be so hypocritical as to be charged with trying to ‘tap up’ Ashley Cole, and then cry foul when someone else tries to do it to them? Pot and Kettle, as Dixon would say.
Oh wait…now that they know they can’t get away with it, they feel no one else should have the right to either.
And they’re going to take it to FIFA.
The organisation that went in the 2006 World Cup to stamp out rash tackles and simulation, and came out with diving being raised to an art form, most recently by the Portuguese, the Italians and the Germans (and to an extent, the French as well).
Yea, FIFA will surely sort Madrid out. The same FIFA which wasn’t able to do jack about the Obi Mikel case, in which Chelsea paid off United to the tune of 12 million pounds?
Here’s the full statement by Chelsea in case anyone’s interested - given by Peter Kenyon. Calderon had stated earlier that Mijatovic had talked to Abramovich about Robben.
“We are aware of comments regarding Arjen made by Ramon Calderon, the new president of Real Madrid, since his successful election.”
“The Arjen Robben situation could not be any clearer.”
”There have been no meetings or conversations between the Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic with any Chelsea officials, anyone mandated to act on Chelsea’s behalf or Roman Abramovich, about Arjen’s future.”
“Any indication that a transfer is possible is completely untrue. We will not be entertaining any offers for Arjen, he is not for sale.”
“Moreover, we note that Mr Calderon confirms that Real Madrid have spoken to Arjen. As a result of these various comments Chelsea will be writing to FIFA to ask them to investigate an illegal approach for our player by Real Madrid.”
At least this summer will be entertaining. Can’t wait for Capello to start at Madrid.
All the latest football headlines.
The investigation into the Cole/Chelsea affair came to the conclusion that Chelsea did NOT instigate an approach to Cole. Indeed, it was the player and/or his agent that approached Chelsea. Chelsea were punished for attending a meeting instigated by the player or his representatives. At the meeting, Chelsea confirmed they would be interested in the player. This is not the case with Real Madrid, who have made a clear illegal approach for Robben (and others). Chelsea\’s guilt in the Cole affair was in responding to an illegal approach, not instigating one.
These tapping up laws are completely anachronistic as proven time and time again by the real-world actions of clubs. They come from an era where players had virtually no freedom of movement and aside from this, they boggle the mind. It’s illogical to approach a club and make a bid for a player you don’t know wants to join you.
As to this article, Chelsea has tapped up a long, very long list of players, including both Makelele when he was on Real Madrid, and as of just about one month ago Roberto Carlos, so it’s laughable that a month after tapping up one of Madrid’s players they’re now writing to FIFA to complain. Has the money gone to their heads? Does this club have no shame?
I hear what you say but it all sounds like sour grapes on your part. Sure, Chelsea got done for tapping up and quite rightly so (given the current laws)but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t finger someone else if it is “apparantly” done to them.
We all know it goes on so the sooner it is all done openly and without recourse the better it will be.
Diving is also becoming an art form, Michael Owen being one of the best but unless referees start penalising the perpetrators regularly (with the help of CCTV if necessary) then it is just going to grow and grow, from the slow motion I saw last night Thierry Henry made a pretty good job of falling over a trailing leg and got France into the finals, what sort of penalty is that?
If you got in trouble for doing something and then later down the line you saw someone else doing the same would you not want them reprimanded too?