UEFA GET IT WRONG Shame again
ENGLAND stars have been warming up for tonight’s clash with Scotland by messing about with watermelon balls in the pool. But if England lose, the only melons on show will be those in Three Lions shirts on the pitch. Scotland have not beaten England since the last century and it would take a seismic shock for this statistic to change. That will feed accusations of English arrogance, granted.
But England have the greater resources, finances and subsequent talent pool – which all adds up to what should be a comfortable win for the host nation. These are just facts. Famous last words, eh!
IT LOOKS like nothing can stop the runaway gravy train being driven by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
There was a little wobble earlier this week, when Christian Eriksen had the temerity to have cardiac arrest and almost die on the pitch during Denmark’s clash with Finland.
For a moment the football world was on pause as paramedics battled to save his life.
Then normal service resumed – along with the game – and UEFA saw their flagship competition continue on its merry way.
Within two hours of Eriksen’s collapse, his Danish team-mates were back on the pitch with tears in their eyes to lose 1-0. Who’d have thought it, eh?
Ceferin did his best impression of someone who cared when he said the scenes “put everything in life into perspective”.
But the “perspective” he refers to remains a mystery to most people, including Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who now regrets not being stronger and refusing to agree to let the match be completed.
Schmeichel said: “We were put in a position that I personally feel that we shouldn’t have been put in.”
Denmark forward Martin Braithwaite insisted the decision to resume had been the “least bad” option.
Never mind that. How about UEFA showing some genuine leadership and choosing the best option?
The sensible decision would’ve been to abandon the game at 0-0 and award a point to each team. Call it a draw, if you like.
But this is UEFA we’re talking about, the governing body which allowed Champions League games to take place on the same night the 9/11 atrocities in America changed the world.
The same governing body that stands to make almost £2.5billion from this summer’s tournament.
Sadly we’ve seen once again how loudly money talks in football.
Given the pandemic, never has it felt more fitting to realise that in the great scheme of things, football doesn’t matter much. Ceferin has other ideas.