Arsenal striker Eduardo is in danger of facing a two-game suspension after UEFA determined that he was guilty of misleading the referee after his blatant dive during Arsenal's Champions League playoff vs. Celtic on Wednesday.
Here is the dive, in case you missed it the first time.
If suspended, Eduardo would miss Arsenal's first two Champions League group stage matches against Standard Leige on Sept. 16, and against Olympiakos on Sept. 29.
Here are some other stories to get your Friday going:
Everton and Fulham get tough Europa League groups
Just a day after both qualifying for the Europa League group stages, English clubs Everton and Fulham were rewarded with very tough group draws.
Tim Howard and Everton will face a group that includes Benfica and AEK Athens, while Clint Dempsey and Fulham will meet Roma and FC Basel in its group.
Here are all the Europa League groups:
Group A-Ajax, Anderlecht, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Timisoara
Group B– Valencia, Lille, Slavia Prague, Genoa
Group C– Hamburg, Celtic, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Rapid Vienna
Group D– Sporting Lisbon, Heerenveen, Hertha Berlin, FK Ventspils
Group E– Roma, FC Basel, Fulham, CSKA Sofia
Group F– Panathanaikos, Galatasaray, Dinamo Bucharest, Sturm Graz
Group G– Villarreal, Lazio, Levski Sofia, Red Bull Salzburg
Group H– Steaua Bucharest, Fenerbahce, FC Twente, FC Sheriff
Group I– Benfica, Everton, AEK Athens, BATE Borisov
Group J– Shakhtar Donetsk, Club Brugge, Partizan Belgrade, Toulouse
Group K– PSV Eindhoven, FC Copenhagen, Sparta Prague, CFR Cluj
Group L– Werder Bremen, Austria Vienna, Athletic Bilbao, Nacional
Group play begins on Sept. 17th.
Transfers galore as transfer window nears close
The European transfer window is set for Aug. 31 and clubs are completing transfers and loans at a blistering pace.
Here are just some of the transfers to go down today:
Arjen Robben to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid
Dmytro Chygrynskiy to FC Barcelona from Shakhtar Donetsk
Sanli Tuncay and Robert Huth to Stoke City from Middlesbrough
Alessandro Diamanti to West Ham from Livorno
Stephen Warnock to Aston Villa from Blackburn
Pascal Chimbonda to Blackburn from Tottenham
The European transfer window closes on Tuesday.
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What do you think of these developments? Think a two-match ban is fair for Eduardo, or unfair? Which Europa League group do you think is toughest? Excited to see Clint Dempsey and Fulham take on Totti, DeRossi and Roma? Can you see Robben helping Bayern Munich out of its early-season funk?
Share your thoughts below.
Adam M and Aces,
Sorry, there are two soccer subjects that just get my blood boiling. In game video replay discussions and condoning violence of any sort involving fans.
I respect your opinions on making the game better I just respectively disagree with them.
That aside, it is sheer ridiculousness to argue that Celtic lost because of the referee’s decison. I like Celtic. I root for Celtic. But I also knew Celtic’s Champion’s League run ended when they drew Arsenal for their play in matches. They were never going to overcome the two goal deficit. Let’s be real here
Posted by: Tony in Quakeland | August 28, 2009 at 12:54 PM
I think that is 100% spot on. And I’m a West Ham fan thats excited to see Alessandro Diamanti!
*same old Arsenal, always cheating*
Posted by: nicholas s | August 28, 2009 at 01:21 PM
Sounds like this is a tottenham fan, one who is still feeling the hurt of missing out on champions league over some bad lasagna, stop hating, Arsenal are class, tottenham are lilly white pansies.
fraud-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English fraude, from Anglo-French, from Latin fraud-, fraus
Date: 14th century
1 a : deceit, trickery; specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b : an act of deceiving or misrepresenting
Eduardo clearly committed fraud. In Banking and life in general it’s illegal. Apparently in Football it’s just part of the game. If there are no consequences it will only get worse. Just ask the Mortgage industry.
I think it’s funny that the English have video cameras in the underground, on the streets, and just about everywhere but they won’t allow video to prevent fraud on the Pitch while a game is in session.
@Posted by: nico | August 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
They review other fouls all the time. In fact wasn’t Taylor given a few extra games when he had the hatchet job on Eduardo? There have been a number of red cards that have been given additional games so tacking on penalties after the fact is not new at all.
@Posted by: golfstrom | August 28, 2009 at 12:34 PM
UEFA has jurisdiction over the Champions League punishments, they don’t meddle with domestic league punishment and leave it up to the individual FA’s. (in fact I think their bylaws might even prohibit such meddling) so that is why you don’t see them investigating dives in the Greek 94th division.
Oh and the calls for banning him the whole tournament are a bit much and it doesn’t equate to steroid use AT ALL. People embellish in all sports. It’s sad as hell and pathetic but it’s not as bad as roid use or match fixing etc. 2 game ban is appropriate. I would however, like to see the penalty for a dive the ref catches increased to a straight red. A yellow is too soft a penalty and not a strong enough deterrent in the least.
ugh, MB def needs play time before these next qualifiers. in a major way. for those of you who think Bradley isn’t that good, who is going to be better in the center?
“Maybe people are finally seeing that MB isnt that good.”
He’s alright, but not good enough to have a guaranteed starting spot…
Maybe people are finally seeing that MB isnt that good.
why a picture of Denilson in the story? Eduardo is kind of a chump. I’m an Arsenal fan but that shite is bad for the game. Robben going to Bayern puts them in the hunt now.
Seems like someone else would pick up MB if he’s unhappy. Talented younger players are always in demand…
now bmg wins again without bradley. he may be riding pine for a while.
Go Stoke! Great to pick up Tuncay and to a lesser extent, Huth (the Goon).
i have no problem with the banning of stars like Ronaldo, Drogba, etc. A cheat is a cheat and doesnt deserve better treatment since he is a star player. Id rather see fans who show up for a game to support their club rather for an individual player.
Lets get clean up this filth(diving) out of the beautiful game for good!
It was a terrible dive, and myself and every other Arsenal fan in the room felt sick about it (kinda like Eboue’s dive in the final 3 years ago).
If UEFA is going to suspend him, I’m ALMOST ok with that, but for two things.
1. If a player is adjudged by the referee to be guilty of a dive, the punishment is a yellow card. If you retroactively punish a yellow card offense with a suspension, that completely changes the rules. Are now referees now supposed to be dishing out reds for diving in the box? Think about what a disaster that would be.
2. I have absolutely no confidence in UEFA to consistently apply this new precedent they are setting. In the group stages we are inevitably going to see dives from the likes of Ronaldo, Robben, Drogba, Inzaghi, Dani Alves (underrated as a cheat), hell, as much as it pains me, Van Persie has been guilty of that in the past. Are UEFA going to be suspending all these guys and risk ruining the tournament? I highly doubt it.
If you’re going to suspend him, fine. Maybe this is the time that diving is finally stamped out of the game. But given UEFA’s track record of hypocritical cowardice, I don’t see it happening.
i dont know why some of you are questioning the suspension soley due to the fact that the ref didnt catch it. Sure if he was caught, he probably wont get suspended (though FIFA SHOULD crack down on them too) but Eduardo got away with it and even scored a goal off it. Cheating is cheating and FIFA needs to actually have each football region that cracks down soley on diving.
bradley suspended by the club? ughh, the kid needs to learn to chill out. I hate these situations with German coaches, who demand military-like obedience. Stupid crap like this has happened with Clint Mathis, Wynalda, Heath Pearce. Now this. That would be really bad for the national team if Lil Bradley saw little action in a World Cup year.
Look at the 1:59 minute video of the play. Look at seconds 41 and 42. From that angle I can’t tell it is a dive. The referee is looking at it from that direction (maybe a bit more from the left). I also can’t tell where the ball is in relation to the end line.
I just thought I would point this out for a little potential referee perspective.
I am done on this topic I promise.
haha my question this morning is anwsers takes that Richie B
this little bradley news is a bit disconcerting
Aces,
Do you not understand the fact that a penalty call in soccer is an opinion call of a referee that is determined based on certain criteria? If you want to make every penalty a scientific decision determined by technology you have to have a definitive scientific formula that you can universally apply. If not you are changing nothing.
The thing that really pisses me off is when a bad call occurs there is this over reaction that every call is horrible and if we don’t make modifications that in my opinion would ruin the game soccer is never going to live up to this perceived glory that the call of the moment is holding it back from.
I hope they suspend the ref for not being able to distinguish a dive from a real PK.
How many times refs get PKs wrong? Should we review them all? What about suspending players for fouls that actually hurt other players but don’t get called? How may times a marker “cheats” a ref by fouling a dribbler and not getting called? Should we suspend them all?
Let the game be played on the field unless someone’s physical integrity is threatened.
(not an Arsenal fan)
Suspensions for divers? Ha.
Boy, the world we be a lot more boring place when Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and many others are forced to watch for two games every time they fall down near a challenge.
Aces,
“Instant replay is only used in MLB,NFL and the NBA for calls that have exact criteria.”
MLB – Instant replay is used for home runs. If the ball travels to a certain point it is a home run. There is no discretion involved. Balls and strikes are not reviewable.
NFL – Holding,pass interference and other penalties are not reviewable no matter their impact on the outcome of the game. Instant replay is used to make not judgment calls.
NBA – Time related calls and exact location calls are reviewable. Yes technical fouls and flagrant fouls can reviewed which you could argue would have some opinion basis involved. But discretionary calls such as charges and shooting fouls are not reviewable.
It is not my opinion it is the rules of the NFL, MLB and the NBA that discretionary foul calls should not be reviewed by instant replay. A foul call in soccer is a discretionary call. That is not my opinion that is a fact.
bradley got suspended by his coach for not taking his benching well in todays BMG game…dont know how long its sposed to last…dont have link…watching on golTV
Bradley isnt playing for his club team this evening, and he’s not even on the bench? Anybody know anything?
I hope there will be more suspensions like that for divers.
Re: Dive + suspension
this is fantastic news!
MLS needs to get a Review committee to do the same! too bad we’re behind on this one, but if MLS adopts this quickly, we can expunge the diving that defaces our beautiful game!
cheers to UEFA! c’mon MLS!
“Clearly this play ruined not only that game, not only Celtic, but all of Scotland’s chances in that tournament.”
“Diving is the equivalent of using steroids or any other method of cheating.”
–Lets not over-egg the pudding now
Sorry this is off topic, however,….
Where are The Special One, The Boy, and It? I know Setanta is all but dead, but c’mon! Special 1 TV was pure gold…Ives, any idea??
I’m no Celtic fan; just a soccer fan. I doubt anyone thinks Celtic would have won this game had the ref called the dive. It’s just that diving CAN cause a different result and everyone has seen a game where it did. Eduardo has become a scapegoat for all the times a dive took place and wasn’t called. The actual “charge” is deceiving the ref into calling a foul which is why the ref is not being reprimanded. The only thing bothersome to me is the lack of consistency in reviewing these situations but it will be worth it if it stops or slows down the cheating.
CSD
“The goal keeper was between the referee and the player that the referee felt was fouled. It was physically impossible for the referee to see where the assumed contact was.”
your opinion
“If the only replay available was from the referees angle most observers would have thought there was contact from the goal keeper on the player even in slow motion”
again, your opinion
“Also you will need to determine in all cases and instances the exact amount of force that is required to bring a player to ground.”
your opinion
“Instant replay can not be used for discretionary calls. Instant replay is only used in MLB,NFL and the NBA for calls that have exact criteria. The receiver forced out of bounds rule in the NFL was changed for that very reason. Fouls determined by judgment are not reviewed and they can not be reviewed with any consistency”
and….your opinion
While Celtic would probably not have advanced at the expense of Arsenal, that penalty changed the complextion of that game. Up to that point, Celtic was hanging in there. If they go to half, 0:0, or 1:0 up, who knows what would have happened.
At the end, a better team did advance, but that ref did the game injustice. And I don’t agree that Eduardo was trying to avoid contact due to past injury. I would have believed that more if he was trying to jump up to avoid contact with the goalkeeper. But instead, he went down in a dramatic fashion way before the goalkeeper got close. I’d suspend him for a game or two, and I’d order the ref to have his eyesight checked — he missed an obvious dive.
Actually, this year, it looks like both the CL and the Europa League may look a bit more interesting — you’ve got new blood in the CL and a lot of more established teams in the EL. Sure, the newer CL teams might initially be fodder for the large teams, but they can always win a match or two at home and make things interesting. That’s the potential drama that has been missing for me in the European tournaments in recent years.
CSD
“The referee was behind the play and there was a very large man between him and the ball and the point that perceived contact was made from his angle.”
Sounds opinion-laden to me.
Did you watch the game on the tele and have extra camera angles we regular cable viewers are not privy to?
Instant replay can not be used for discretionary calls. Instant replay is only used in MLB,NFL and the NBA for calls that have exact criteria. The receiver forced out of bounds rule in the NFL was changed for that very reason. Fouls determined by judgment are not reviewed and they can not be reviewed with any consistency.
Hey Ives,
It is pretty interesting to see the responses that diving gets from a large portion of your readers and I am wondering if there is a dividing line along heritage.
I do not know how close you are to your Peruvian side and if you lived any amount of time in the country soaked in the culture. But it is obvious that there is a very different outlook in Latin America on that aspect of the game and everybody knows it is there and they accept the fact that they will live by the sword and die by it too.
They call it ‘picardia’ (cunning, craftiness) and is considered part of a player’s repertoire and you can see kids developing some of those ‘tricks’ since very early. People will even laud a player’s craftiness when their team gets a favorable call.
I am not saying diving is right or wrong. I am just pointing out that a whole lot of people in this world has a different way of looking at the same issue and wonder what the fuss is all about.
Cheers
Is Michael Bradley injured? According to Soccernet, he didn’t even make the bench for ‘Gladbach’s game today.
Eduardo made a mistake, yes. But all you Celtic fans need to calm down. You were dominated from start to finish on both legs. Arsenal’s third goal did seal it, but do any of you honestly believe Celtic was going to come back?
CSD
I didn’t know you were at the game and spoke to the ref to be able to formulate those opinions. My bad.
Posted by: ACES | August 28, 2009 at 01:22 PM
What opinions? The referee was behind the play and there was a very large man between him and the ball and the point that perceived contact was made from his angle. It actually is rather simple scientific analysis.
According to CSD childlike logic=common sense. Apparently he was a smart kid.
So Adam what about all of the non calls in the penalty box?
Also you will need to determine in all cases and instances the exact amount of force that is required to bring a player to ground.
If I was 5 I might find your idea to be really brilliant but I am not so I don’t. You are taking one case that appears to be clear cut and applying it universally. You fail to consider the infinite other scenarios where your child like logic would not apply.