One of our readers has kindly alerted me to some rather interesting information about the Scottish FA and their recent influence in all things UEFA related. As we know the Eduardo decision is a very strange one, it was a borderline dive for one thing, there was some contact and the Celtic keeper did make an uncontrolled lunge for the ball, so to see him banned for two games in the context of much worse dives routinely going completely unpunished is bizarre. Something smells fishy.
Interestingly the last time a player was banned for diving was way back in 2006 and the Scottish FA were heavily embroiled in this as well, what a coincidence. In fact the very same Gordon Smith was pushing for the player to be banned, Mikoluinas of Lithuania was the hunt victim that time. Lithuania were not happy with this punishment and in fact argued that Gary O'Connor should also have been banned for feigning injury in the same game, it appears double standards were applied yet again in the interests of serving the mighty Scottish FA.
The Scottish 'conspiracy' has also been touched upon by Arsene who has hinted that the Scottish FA's power in UEFA was largely the reason why Eduardo was charged for diving. The Scottish FA has also been rather key in the stupid resistance to goal line technology and the expansion of the European Championships to 24 teams. The Scottish FA seem to be out to represent themselves and they appear to have a bit too much power to affect the decision making apparatus in UEFA. How can they be so keen to ban someone in retrospect using video technology directly contradicting the referee's decision at the time, but also their policy is against the use of technology in sport because it takes the human element out of it? Selfish interest appears the name of their game to me.
Whatever the ins and out of the Scottish FA's role in all this malarkey, it is quite clear that politics have no place in these affairs, a disciplinary system should treat everybody the same, the club they play for, their nationality and the media exposure of events should not come into it. Even if takes that Eduardo did dive, there was no contact and it was complete 100% cheating, he should still not be charged because they need to treat everyone the same or charge no one. The video clip above shows one of Ronaldo's blatant dives, each one of these should not get a two match ban and it shouldn't matter where the dive takes place, whether in our outside the box. Any dive should now see a two match ban, wherever it occurs and whoever does the diving, this situation is clearly farcical as things currently stand.
There are clearly malignant things going on inside FIFA, UEFA and the FA, certain people have far too much influence and this is stifling progress for the game. The game of football will never move on into the 21st century unless these vested interests are taken on and crushed, for all of us who want fairness and consistency it appears there is a long way to go before the likes of Blatter, Platini and Smith will embrace proper reform and progress; these hypocritical cretins want an inconsistent system that can be manipulated as they see fit, they simply want to hang onto their own comfortable positions of power.
