Philosofooty

By Alexandra Zazzera, writing from Brussels. (Photo: Ryu Voelkel)

Alexandra or “Ally” makes her debut for the AFR Team fervently supporting her Arsenal on one of the grandest nights since the opening of the Emirates. Arsenal and Barcelona both play beautiful football, but can you support both teams tonight? That is the question. The answer is no.

When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League commenced in Nyon, everyone was well aware of the ties that could be produced. As the teams got paired up and the possibility became more and more likely, it happened; Arsenal against Barcelona. Wenger against Guardiola. This was destiny, it was inevitable. The two most flowing and skilful of sides in the world at the moment, pitted in a battle which will most likely produce the favourite to go on and win the entire competition. This is the stand out tie in the draw, and one which is as heavily anticipated as any final could ever be.

It is for that reason that it is maddening to hear some people announce proudly that they believe they will remain entirely neutral throughout the match. To remain neutral, while a match of this quality between two teams so intertwined off the pitch is going on, seems like madness. Look back to 2006, to the final of this very competition between these two sides. There had been a lot of hype surrounding that game and also a lot of tension. Thierry Henry was suspected of wanting to leave North London for the warmth of Catalonia, Barcelona to be exact.

The match began on a sour note, when a rampant fan gallivanted onto the pitch and flung a Barcelona shirt with Henry’s name on at the star striker. The match itself was a game full of incident and fantastic football, yet there was a feeling of injustice lingering, Lehmann’s rash dash out of the box might well have been the reason Arsenal were defeated that night, and it was this game that sprang to mind last year when once again, these teams were thrown together.

Last year’s tie was disastrous to the Arsenal morale, with the depleted team bereft of their captain being completely outclassed by none other than Lionel Messi. Yet it is this issue that has raged for a while, taking over much of last summer and a bit before. Cesc Fabregas, and his Catalonian roots. Many fans have been outraged by the actions of the Barcelona board, meaning a feeling of resentment is ever-present, and accusations being flung without cease. In this lies the main fact, one cannot love each of these teams to equal measure, it is simply impossible. While it follows that one may be enchanted by the similar type of play, the similar ethos and general way in which the clubs are taught to play, the high tension between the two sets of fans is still very much present.

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By Afroza Begum, writing from Singapore

If you had tried telling any Liverpool fan when Kenny Dalglish stepped into the picture as Liverpool’s new manager that a bomb much bigger than the plight that Roy Hodgson had left the club that finished 2^nd in the league and was facing the worst luck in football history, they would have told you it couldn’t possibly get any worse. But the morning Liverpool fans heard the signing of Luiz Suarez, a talent that had been scouted for months – to not only add boost of confidence in the team, but also to add the needed support of another striker, they had to deal with yet a bigger disappointment. Their pride of prides, the one fans all over claimed as the “Scouser lad who was born in Spain” – Fernando Torres handed in his transfer request to the club.

The act certainly threw everyone off guard; fans were voicing their anger, their frustrations; their sheer emotions of shock – not at why he wants to leave, but why does he want to leave now. Everyone was aware that Torres had not been pleased with the form of the club and it had shown in much of his body language in recent games. The too many broken promises under the previous owners might have been a little too late to fix. But that still did not explain the decision to request for transfer just 3 days before the windows closed. The supporters, having had to deal with the toughest first half of the season, fighting for their club back, seeing the most disappointing season through did not expect this big a blow, not from a man they thought of their own.

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By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Montreal

Arsenal fans have been increasingly frustrated with the duo’s performances in the recent weeks, especially following their important involvement in the Gunners’ two-game cup ties against lower-league clubs Leeds and Ipswich. Arshavin and Bentdner have indeed not had the best of seasons so far with most of theirs last appearances in the league coming from the bench. The humiliating defeat at Portman Road in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final hence resulted in a furious backlash from angered Gooners, directed especially towards Bendavin (let’s just hope that name doesn’t stick). I believe however that their style of play makes them especially easy to target and scream at from your couch - and I’ve done my share of that - but looking at the big picture, is all this criticism justified? 

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By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Montreal

The top-of-the-table clash between Arsenal and Manchester City may not have been the goalscoring display we had hoped for, it certainly has given us a lot to talk about based on the teams’ performances. The game ended in a 0-0 draw but there was nothing boring about it as City survived countless Arsenal attacks in what was truly an impressive defensive performance. Mancini’s approach was however met with much criticism, which I though was justified and I will attempt to explain why. Indeed I believe the midweek game not only showed that the Gunners are Alex Ferguson’s biggest worry but also that Manchester City are simply not ready to lift the Premier League trophy. 

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by Amit Katwala, writing from London

I’ve been watching a lot of rugby lately. I’m not the biggest fan of the sport, and a lot of the time I have no idea what is going on, but one thing has impressed me.

Rugby referees, from what I’ve seen, are excellent. They seem to play a much more involved role in the game than football refs, helping play flow by being vocal, assertive and authoritative.

Of course, they are no doubt helped by the players, who are generally respectful, polite and rarely crowd around when contentious decisions are made. Also working in their favour is the video referee, who can be called upon for such incidents.

In my view though, one of the key things football should take from the way rugby is refereed is accountability for decisions. As in football, the referees wear headsets and microphones which they can use to communicate with their assistants.

The important difference is that in rugby, these transmissions are broadcast to the spectators through radio headsets they can rent, and to the television audience. So fans can hear a referee explaining to the players why he has made a particular decision, and even the players reaction if he is standing close enough to the ref’s microphone.

In a sport like rugby, with a myriad of rules and regulations governing scrums and the like, this is absolutely crucial. But its introduction to football could help make refs more accountable for their decisions, and might even stop players from shouting abuse at referees for fear of looking bad on TV.

Scottish refs went on strike for this weekends matches, claiming their personal safety was under threat from fans, and that their integrity was being called into question. The controversy all kicked off when Celtic had a penalty awarded, and then rescinded by the referee in last month’s league match against Dundee United.

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