Samuel in Brand New ControversyThe people of Catalonia are a precious lot. They insist on speaking a language few can understand, they sponge of Castilian tax payers and they never get their round in. Or so say the people of Madrid - but certainly not ‘La Liga Loca’ who has always had a lot of time for the frenchies to the east of the capital.
Samuel Eto’o is firmly in the Catalonian bad books after asking a journalist, at a press conference on Monday, to repeat a question in Spanish, having failing to understand it in the original Catalan.
Not an unusual - or indeed unreasonable - request you’d have thought from someone still learning the language. Unfortunately for the goal machine, Eto’o’s apparent blunder has occurred at the same time as Barca are running with their “more than a club”, “Catalonia is not Spain” (branding) campaign.
Despite the fact that the Cameroonian striker’s consistent goal scoring prowess has helped deliver two league titles and a Champions League victory to his club, he has been accused of showing a lack of respect for all things Catalan.
In response to calls for Eto’o to make an fawning apology - not something he is inclined to do often - the grumpy forward claimed in his defence, that he is learning the language - it is in his contract to do so - but struggles if questions are asked to him quickly.
He also revealed that club president, Joan Laporta, speaks to him in the local tongue on a regular basis. Joan Laporta - the embodiment of all things Catalan and the man who knowingly recruited a card carrying Francoist to his board and then fibbed outrageously about it.
Did Eto’o slip up? Or is it a big fuss over nothing? Click on comments or
email here for your say
**********
Lamikiz to the Slaughter...Athletic Bilbao still continue to make the news - although not in the Real Madrid obsessed footballing press. On Tuesday, president Fernando Lamikiz - currently as popular in the Basque country as José María Aznar at a Batasuna barbecue - resigned his from his position. It was a bit of a surprise, as the day before, the board had decided on mass to hang - at least until the end of the month, despite massive fan protests. However, it seems that a scapegoat was needed and it was to be Lamikiz.
Until a decision is made on when to hold new elections, Ana Urkijo steps into the hot seat. For those wondering how an actual, walking, talking woman has broken into the incredibly male dominated world of Spanish football, her father was a former director of the club. Family is still stronger than chauvinism in Spain. But only just.
**********
Fernando Torres To Leave Atletico in JanuaryWith great fanfare, Atletico Madrid have announced that their striker, captain and all round big baby, Fernando Torres, has renewed his contract at the club until 2009. However and it is a really big ‘however’, his buy out clause - previously at around 500 billion euros - has been dropped to a very Man Utd tempting 40 million euros.
**********
In Other News...Real Madrid’s Guti looks set to renew his own contract 2010 - with more than enough cash thrown in to keep him in bleach for the next four years.
Deportivo, a very, very unlucky club when it comes to injuries, have lost striker Rodolfo Bodipo for the season after his did something very bad to his cruciate ligament in a pre season friendly.
Atletico Madrid have opened up a brand new museum displaying memorabilia from the past including photos from their La Liga winning glory days, shirts from the years gone by and the actual envelopes used by Jesus Gil and his family to smuggle in Marbella tax payer’s money to fund the club, a few years ago. Allegedly.
**********
Quotes, Quotes, Quotes“I think eight goals is plenty” - Levante manager, Juan Roman Lopez Caro, declares that his team are no longer going to be the whipping boys, after conceding eight in the first two games.
“We have good players, but we weren’t a team, we didn’t support each other” - Real Madrid’s geriatric midfielder, Emerson, repeats a very, very, very familiar refrain after their 2-0 defeat to Lyon.
“It would be a lie to say that relations (with the club) are currently at 100%” - Valencia defender, Roberto Ayala, still has to make his own tea after nearly walking out on the club, over the summer.
“I will never forget tonight because of the goal and because of the ten bottles of water I had to drink for the drugs test” - José Antonio Reyes’ urine may have dried up. His goals certainly haven’t.
“Raul - Your time is over. Thanks for everything.” - Hugo Gattion writing in Monday’s ‘AS’.
“I don’t understand why everyone has a go at Raul” - Fabio Capello soon will, though.
“I’m not going down the same path as with Raul” - The Real coach faces the Spanish Inquisition over his constant selection of Emerson.
“Strangely, we played better with ten” - Sociedad manager José Mari Bakero, after his team’s 2-0 defeat in the Bernabeu. And no, they didn’t.
“I’ve been a rebel. I’ve been up against an established power. I’m not going to stop anyone who criticises my leadership of the club.” Multi-trillionaire, lawyer and freedom fighter, Ramón Calderón. A man who, this week, received a grovelling note from the president of a local supporters group apologising for a sign criticising his management of the club.
“It was one of the most elegant penalties I’ve ever seen” - Pablo Aimar looks set to recreate Zidane’s World Cup final effort some time this season.
“Roman is special. He needs to feel very comfortable at a club” - Aimar again on his delicate Argentinean team-mate, Riquelme.
“To have numerical superiority, is definitely an advantage” - Zaragoza coach, Víctor Fernández, shows those years at manager school haven’t gone to waste.
“I believe it’s a symbolic gesture” - Fernando Torres on the inclusion of a 40 million buy out clause on his new contract.
**********
A guest blogger, writesThanks to James Walker-Roberts who writes in to applaud Torres’ decision to stay with Atletico Madrid....Take it away, James.
Crime does pay but so does loyaltyWhat with all the talk of bungs, bribery and corruption it seems ironic that one thing that goes missing in the media is loyalty and goodwill and no-one has exemplified these qualities more recently than ‘El Nino’, Fernando Torres. For a supporter of the club, for supporter read follower as it is rather difficult to support a club from hundreds of miles away – especially when Sky seem intent on showing very Real and Barca no matter how low the opposition or insignificant the match (needed to get that out…)…. anyway as I was saying, for a supporter of the club, even one so distanced as myself,the loyalty that Torres has shown to Atleti just makes those hairs on the back of my neck – you know the ones – stand to attention and weep with proudness.
Now while this may sound a bit soppy, and it does even amaze me how much this shaven haired, tattooed assassin has helped me see my feminine side, it is deadly true. Indeed, over the last couple weeks there has been one
man who has helped me put Torres’ actions into perspective, the notorious villain Mr A. Cole. His constant displays of disloyalty, petulance and greediness have provoked exactly the opposite reaction of when one
thinks of F.T. – for those of you not so emotionally involved think of your loyal elderly pet dog and then flash, just quickly, to the big cheese himself Peter Kenyon…I think you get the picture.
It is not the fact that Cole says the offer of £55,000 a week that it is was a p*ss take and felt like a slap in the face (although this did of course contribute) which riled me so much but the fact he dares to say ‘ I was
naïve to believe my years of loyalty counted for anything’! Loyalty!
Loyalty!! How can ‘loyalty’ disappear just like that, one minute he loves the club he has always supported club the next…poof (no pun intended), no wait no he doesn’t he’s had a change of heart. Loyalty is what Torres, admittedly with a few ups and downs along the way, has shown to Atletico. As one of the most highly rated players in Europe no fan could blame him if he did leave Madrid but he decided to stay, for his love for the club and for the fans.
That’s enough of the hate campaign though, however if anyone wants to‘discuss’ it further please let me know (if you happen to have a couple of hours to spare), and to the point - why is the media obsessed with reporting
the negative news and hiding the positive stuff?
I mean, I wonder how many people reading this are aware Torres has recently signed a new contract for Atleti, tying him there until 2009, probably more than those who know of the massive amount of community work Brighton and Hove Albion does in Baghdad.
It may be said that ‘positive news’ doesn’t make good news but why shouldn’t it when, after all, what everyone seems so keen to promote are positive things in the game of football? So why don’t they do it instead of giving
some greedy **** (call him what you will) the back pages of the papers for days on end? One expects that it is probably for the same reason why nothing will happen following the FA investigation into corruption except a few slaps on the wrist and pocket money fines.
It would be refreshing to see something done though and while I’m not expecting to see Torres face gracing the back page of any paper anytime soon one can only hope that sometime soon more attention will be paid to the positive aspects of football rather than the negatives.
P.S. You can rewrite the definition of the word irony if Torres declares his desire to leave Madrid tomorrow.
James Walker-Roberts**********
All blog content, copyright of La Liga Loca 2006
