The Champions League Final

[Guest Knightrider]

Liverpool for me, English Northern club with good supporters and traditions with a manager I like and players in Gerrard and Carragher who I also like.

[Guest Alan Shearer 9]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Are we going to see aminutes silence for the fans who didn't get tickets?

 

Or a protest against the ticket policy?

 

Here's hoping!

 

[Guest zicobones]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

[midds]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

[Guest toonbaz]

i would personally love to see milan go 3-0 up in the first half again and then come out in the second half and hit another 3 past them.

i feel liverpool would be the least worthy champions for a long time if they won it, they kill the game of football with there style of play, i just hope milans superior quality will overcome this.

[Guest kingdawson]

These idiot Milan Players still feep running there mouths before a ball has even been kicked. Liverpool dont play the most enjoyable football but i take them over a bunch of egotistical cheats any day of the week.

[Mowen]

You think the Milan players are cheats? Why?

[Guest kingdawson]

You think the Milan players are cheats? Why?

 

The club as a whole is a cheat. How anyone can support a team to win a competition they shouldnt be in in the first place is beyond me.

[Guest zicobones]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

[Mowen]

Maybe so, but I wouldn't criticise the players just because of something that's happened above them. As a club, I'd probably rather Liverpool won, but I'd prefer the Milan team won - they play better football.

[Guest zicobones]

Maybe so, but I wouldn't criticise the players just because of something that's happened above them. As a club, I'd probably rather Liverpool won, but I'd prefer the Milan team won - they play better football.

 

who started this better football bollocks its everywhere i see it balls to that u can play the most attractive football ever in football history and still get beat where does that leave you

[Guest kingdawson]

Maybe so, but I wouldn't criticise the players just because of something that's happened above them. As a club, I'd probably rather Liverpool won, but I'd prefer the Milan team won - they play better football.

 

Agreed altough Milan's style of football is vastly overrated imo.

[midds]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

[Guest Northern Boys Love Gravy!]

You think the Milan players are cheats? Why?

 

The club as a whole is a cheat. How anyone can support a team to win a competition they shouldnt be in in the first place is beyond me.

 

I agree, last season didnt they get deducted 17 points, which made them finish roughly mid-table, but they appealled and got the points reduced to 7 or something which made them get into the last Champions League position, and they also had to start in the very 1st round. Its just a little bit silly sometimes.... I mean if there are rules, surely they should stick to them. Its like, if you just appeal 9/10 you'd get your punishment reduced. I just think that the higher people just need to stick to their original punishments that they give. Right?

[Guest toonbaz]

Maybe so, but I wouldn't criticise the players just because of something that's happened above them. As a club, I'd probably rather Liverpool won, but I'd prefer the Milan team won - they play better football.

 

who started this better football bollocks its everywhere i see it balls to that u can play the most attractive football ever in football history and still get beat where does that leave you

 

this is true however as a nuetral i'd rather see the team playing the most entertaining stuff to win.

 

[Guest kingdawson]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

[Guest kingdawson]

You think the Milan players are cheats? Why?

 

The club as a whole is a cheat. How anyone can support a team to win a competition they shouldnt be in in the first place is beyond me.

 

I agree, last season didnt they get deducted 17 points, which made them finish roughly mid-table, but they appealled and got the points reduced to 7 or something which made them get into the last Champions League position, and they also had to start in the very 1st round. Its just a little bit silly sometimes.... I mean if there are rules, surely they should stick to them. Its like, if you just appeal 9/10 you'd get your punishment reduced. I just think that the higher people just need to stick to their original punishments that they give. Right?

 

100% right mate.

[midds]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

 

It was the 'blinkered' bit I was getting at but I'm sure that's still about half an hour away from rolling over your brow tbh. Slow penny drop and all that. 

[Guest zicobones]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

 

It was the 'blinkered' bit I was getting at but I'm sure that's still about half an hour away from rolling over your brow tbh. Slow penny drop and all that. 

 

hey don't be like 

[midds]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

 

It was the 'blinkered' bit I was getting at but I'm sure that's still about half an hour away from rolling over your brow tbh. Slow penny drop and all that. 

 

hey don't be like 

 

Don't be like what? 

[Guest zicobones]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

 

It was the 'blinkered' bit I was getting at but I'm sure that's still about half an hour away from rolling over your brow tbh. Slow penny drop and all that. 

 

hey don't be like 

 

Don't be like what? 

 

i've just come on here to chat with you good geordies no offence meant mate

[Guest kingdawson]

Not surprising, seeing as you're absolutely clueless about football

 

no it seems he's not blinkered

 

If it was a Man Utd vs Milan final, who would you prefer to win?

 

Just curious like. 

 

errr milan but man utd are our deadly rivals we aint yours are we 

 

You've answered my question exactly as I thought you would. 

 

God help us all if 'pool win it again. Can they get any more arrogant? 

 

He's telling the truth tbh. Of course he would prefer Milan over Manchester united, questions a bit silly tbh.

 

It was the 'blinkered' bit I was getting at but I'm sure that's still about half an hour away from rolling over your brow tbh. Slow penny drop and all that. 

 

Still a silly question tbh.

[midds]

 

Still a silly question tbh.

 

Jeezzie Chrizzie...

 

Give it anther 15 minutes and it might just register...

 

[ChezGiven]

As Kingtwatson said.

 

http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200607/story/0,,2084139,00.html

 

The loophole that allowed Milan to take Athens road

 

 

Calciopoli scandal should have resulted in the Rossoneri being barred from Europe this season

 

Richard Williams

Monday May 21, 2007

The Guardian

 

Pat Crerand believes the players of Milan should not be travelling to Athens this week in their attempt to gain revenge for their defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League final two years ago. To the former Manchester United and Scotland wing-half, the punishment inflicted on the Italian club for their part in last summer's referee-influencing scandal ought to have included their automatic disqualification from the competition, and he believes he has history on his side.

 

His mind goes back to a May night in 1969, when Milan arrived at Old Trafford for the second leg of the European Cup semi-final needing only to protect a 2-0 lead from the first leg at San Siro in order to dismiss the holders.

United had pulled one goal back after 70 minutes, through Bobby Charlton, when Crerand hit a cross from the byline that his colleagues believed had been prodded over the line by Denis Law before Mario Anquilletti, Milan's right- back, scooped it back into play.

 

"We knew it had crossed the line," Crerand said yesterday. "And even if it hadn't been a goal, it would have been a penalty because Anquilletti used his hand to pull it back. But the French referee saw nothing. We thought there was something going on."

 

Indeed, Roger Machin, the official in question, waved away United's furious protests and allowed play to continue. He had already had to cope with a five-minute delay while Fabio Cudicini, Milan's goalkeeper, regained consciousness after being hit on the head by a missile thrown from the Stretford End.

 

In Crerand's view, however, the official's refusal to allow a United equaliser was part of a dark and disturbing pattern that resulted, only last summer, in Milan being punished for an attempt to influence the selection of referees for their matches in the Italian league.

 

"I don't think they should be in the final," said Crerand, who now works for Manchester United's TV station. "It's the top club competition in Europe and one of the teams shouldn't be there. I think it's unfair. Milan shouldn't be there the same way that West Ham shouldn't be in the Premier League. It doesn't send out a very good message to the rest of football, does it? And this wasn't a one-off in Italy. It's been going on for years. I think they were getting at the referees when I was playing, too. In the first leg in 1969 we had some funny decisions. And we certainly thought the same in the second leg."

 

Crerand also mentioned the scandal of 1973, when Brian Clough's Derby County were denied a place in the European Cup final by a Juventus team whose general manager was later exposed, thanks to investigations by Brian Glanville of the Sunday Times, as having attempted to influence referees. The Golden Fix, as it became known, led to no serious investigation but its echoes were to be detected in scandals of later years.

 

Milan's involvement in match-fixing goes back to 1980 and the Totonero investigation into a betting ring found them guilty of bribing players and officials. After finishing third the previous season, Milan were punished by being relegated to Serie B, along with Lazio. Their president, Felice Colombo, was given a life ban, while three players received disqualifications of between four years and six months.

 

Last summer, Milan were implicated in the Calciopoli scandal, which began when phone-taps revealed the general manager of Juventus, Luciano Moggi, had been attempting to control the selection of officials for Serie A matches. Moggi's club suffered the harshest punishment, being stripped of their league title and relegated to Serie B, but Milan - along with Lazio and Fiorentina - were also found guilty of lesser charges.

 

In Milan's case, their refeering liaison officer, a restaurateur from Lodi called Leonardo Meani, was said to have made incriminating phone calls, one of which was to Gennaro Mazzei, the Italian Football Association's [FIGC] head of linesmen, after Milan had lost 2-1 to Siena. Meani criticised the appointment of one linesman in forthright terms: "I don't want him. I never asked for him nor wanted him." And he added a request for their next match: "On Wednesday, try to send two intelligent ones."

 

Although the charges were on a much smaller scale than those levelled against Moggi and Juventus, they were nevertheless enough to incur a retrospective deduction of 44 points from the total with which Milan had earned second place in Serie A in the 2005-06 season, plus an advance deduction of 15 points from the present season. On appeal, however, these were lowered to 30 points and eight respectively, the former being just enough to put them in third position, ensuring them a place in last August's qualifying round of the Champions League, while the latter made inclusion in next year's tournament a realistic ambition.

 

For Juventus, being erased from the final table of the 2005-06 season meant they would automatically be excluded from the Champions League and many felt the same punishment should be inflicted on the other clubs involved in the scandal. At the headquarters of Uefa, however, it was discovered that the governing body's rules did not allow it to override the decisions of a national association. If the FIGC deemed Milan fit to represent them, there was nothing that could be done.

 

"It was very simple," William Gaillard, Uefa's head of communications, told me. "Our executive committee could only take up the matter after the Italian sentences were confirmed, because there were many appeals. The Italian association sent us their list of clubs, which included Milan. Some of the committee had misgivings about the situation, but when we examined our statutes and regulations we saw that we could not do anything about it because, in matters such as this, the national association was sovereign.

 

"The only possibility was to change our statutes, and that was done at our congress in Düsseldorf in January. Now we have the power to intervene. If a team has been game-fixing or affecting results, and if the case is sufficiently grave, Uefa will be able to exclude them."

 

Welcome as the change may be, it came several months too late to exclude Milan from this year's competition, which they are now the bookmakers' favourites to win for a seventh time on Wednesday. And there are those, such as Crerand, who will find it difficult to take comfort from the knowledge that, at least on paper, things will be different in the future.

 

"They're a smashing team, Milan, and maybe they didn't know what was going on," Crerand concluded. "Or would some of them have known? You'd have to ask them. Obviously the players want to win the top trophy, but if you do it unfairly, is it worth it?"