I do not reckon that Sir Alex Ferguson is a fan of 90’s alternative music, but I recommend that he has a listen to Welsh band Manic Street Preachers’ 1998 hit, “If You Tolerate This”.

Ferguson’s support for the Eduardo ban leaves a lot to be desired. In a previous article, I have argued that the two-match ban for the Croatian striker is a witch-hunt and I cannot believe that as a fellow manager, you can actually support such a decision by UEFA. Ferguson’s statements will eventually come back to haunt him.

Let’s all agree on this. Manchester United XI is not team of angels. Like every other team in the world, United had enjoyed their fare share of good fortune through simulation inside in the penalty box. Cristiano Ronaldo comes to mind, though the mercurial Portuguese is no longer with the team. However, I cannot believe that the reason why he was sold was because he was a follower of the Art of Diving.

Days after Ferguson made that statement, Wayne Rooney claimed in the media that he is an honest player and does not dive. A couple of days later, England Captain John Terry went one further to claim that English players do not dive in general.

Both statements were subject to much ridicule, especially in the British press.

The bigger joke of all was the nature as to how England won a penalty against Slovenia in a friendly at Wembley the very weekend after these comments came to light. Inside the box, Rooney tugged the shirt of a Slovenian defender, tripped and injured him but was awarded a penalty for his troubles. To add salt to injury, the referee booked the defender. For the record, the penalty proved to be decisive as England won the game 2-1.

Fair play to Rooney, he wasn’t exactly “diving” to earn this penalty. But the fact is he had “deceived” the referee by not informing him that he was in fact the perpetuator of the foul. In my eyes, this is no different from simulation.

There are few certainties in life (except death and taxes), but I have no doubts that Rooney would have done the same in a United shirt. Hypothetically, if he had done the same in Champions League match, should he not be subject to a two-match ban like Eduardo? I will love to see what Ferguson would have to say about that if that really had happened.

Sir Alex, if you tolerate this your children (players) will be next.

By banning Arsenal striker Eduardo for two matches for apparently “deceiving the referee” in a UEFA Champions League Play-off match, UEFA had just opened the Pandora’s Box and they know it.
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The Premier League – Month of August Review

The international break could not have come at a better time. After such a pulsating start to the 2009/10 Premier League season, the two-week break between league games will serve as a breather for both club managers and fans (of course, for most of the players it’s business as usual with the World Cup qualifiers).
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In 1873, Jules Verne wrote about how Englishman Phileas Fogg travelled around the world in 80 days. In this day and age, 80 days is an eternity, especially in football terms and 80 days is exactly the amount of time which has passed since Barcelona lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Rome when the first Group Stage games kick off.

New rivalries will be formed, old rivalries will be rekindled and as usual there will be highs and lows before the new Champions can be determined on 22 May next year.
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