Ernie Koh
allym286Inter's anti-football tactics
April 29th 2010 12:34
The Champions League semi-final clash between Barcelona and Inter Milan certainly didn’t live up to its hype, but, instead, showed football in a bad light.
Yet again Inter Milan were allowed to dive, cheat and time waste their way to a victory by a weak and poor referee.
Their spoiling tactics, while effective, killed the game off, and they have being doing this throughout their European campaign this year.
But it was the cheating by the players on the field which did most damage to the competition.
Countless times were the Inter players rolling around the floor, pretending to be injured, in an attempt to wind the clock down.
This usually happens towards the end of a match, but Inter felt it was appropriate to begin such a strategy from the very beginning of the match.
First up was Maicon, who feigned injury off the field, got up and walked back onto the pitch, only to fall down again. Wesley Sneijder, Lucio and the rest were at it throughout the match, which denied Barca the chance to get a free flowing game going.
Inter’s goalkeeper Cesar was booked by the referee in the first half after a series of time wasting exercises, but, surprisingly, was allowed to get away with the same offence on numerous occasions during the second half.
And i would not be at all surpised if it was their manager Jose Mourinho who encouraged his players to do so. He’s done it where ever he has been – Porto and Chelsea. Celtic fans can vouch for this claim.
There is little class or dignity in playing such a way. It is understandable to do it a little towards the end of the match, but not to the same extent as Inter.
It ruins the game of football which is supposed to be entertaining and enthralling. What Mourinho did was a crime against the beautiful game, and he should not be praised so nauseatingly by the English media, who, it seems, think his second nationality is English.
And I know what you are thinking. Barcelona have their fair share of cheats as well.
Sergio Busquets was shameful in his part in getting Thiago Motta sent-off, but Motta was already on a booking and a second yellow would have been a more suffice punishment than the straight red. This moment did not really chance the game.
Barca can have serious grievances about the tie. They were denied two penalties in the first leg and Milito’s goal was wrongly allowed. Then in the dying moments of the second leg, Bojan had a goal chopped off for handball against Yaya Toure when it hit him in the chest.
This is just a line in a series of bad decisions by the officials in the Champions League, and UEFA need to seriously look into the performance of referees this year.
But it was the play-acting by Inter Milan’s players that really stuck out last night. Let’s hope they do not resort to the same plan when they take on Bayern Munich in the final.
Yet again Inter Milan were allowed to dive, cheat and time waste their way to a victory by a weak and poor referee.
Their spoiling tactics, while effective, killed the game off, and they have being doing this throughout their European campaign this year.
But it was the cheating by the players on the field which did most damage to the competition.
Countless times were the Inter players rolling around the floor, pretending to be injured, in an attempt to wind the clock down.
This usually happens towards the end of a match, but Inter felt it was appropriate to begin such a strategy from the very beginning of the match.
First up was Maicon, who feigned injury off the field, got up and walked back onto the pitch, only to fall down again. Wesley Sneijder, Lucio and the rest were at it throughout the match, which denied Barca the chance to get a free flowing game going.
Inter’s goalkeeper Cesar was booked by the referee in the first half after a series of time wasting exercises, but, surprisingly, was allowed to get away with the same offence on numerous occasions during the second half.
And i would not be at all surpised if it was their manager Jose Mourinho who encouraged his players to do so. He’s done it where ever he has been – Porto and Chelsea. Celtic fans can vouch for this claim.
There is little class or dignity in playing such a way. It is understandable to do it a little towards the end of the match, but not to the same extent as Inter.
It ruins the game of football which is supposed to be entertaining and enthralling. What Mourinho did was a crime against the beautiful game, and he should not be praised so nauseatingly by the English media, who, it seems, think his second nationality is English.
And I know what you are thinking. Barcelona have their fair share of cheats as well.
Sergio Busquets was shameful in his part in getting Thiago Motta sent-off, but Motta was already on a booking and a second yellow would have been a more suffice punishment than the straight red. This moment did not really chance the game.
Barca can have serious grievances about the tie. They were denied two penalties in the first leg and Milito’s goal was wrongly allowed. Then in the dying moments of the second leg, Bojan had a goal chopped off for handball against Yaya Toure when it hit him in the chest.
This is just a line in a series of bad decisions by the officials in the Champions League, and UEFA need to seriously look into the performance of referees this year.
But it was the play-acting by Inter Milan’s players that really stuck out last night. Let’s hope they do not resort to the same plan when they take on Bayern Munich in the final.
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