Sepp Blatter doesn’t help matters
Last week was the week that Ashley Cole broke his ankle, Ryan Giggs broke his arm and Sepp Blatter broke his own record for inane remarks.
This week is the week that John Terry returns from what must have been an interesting few days with his unhappy but likely soon-to-be-very-rich wife in Dubai, and the European Champions League returns from an all-too-long hiatus.
Where to begin?
Perhaps, given the fact that Vancouver will be in the headlines for only a couple of weeks before the Canadian city again fades into international obscurity, Blatter is the place to start.
British journalists covering the Winter Olympic Games in Canada and knowing full well what they were doing, caught FIFA’s president without his media handlers present and asked what he thought about Terry’s alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of England and former Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge.
In typical open-mouth-insert-foot fashion, Blatter, who was in Vancouver as a member of the International Olympic Committee, ventured an opinion, bizarre as it was.
“Listen, this is a special approach in the Anglo-Saxon countries,” the soon-to-be 74-year-old Swiss said. “If this had happened in, let’s say, Latin countries, then I think he would have been applauded.”
Applauded?
So people in “Latin countries” approve of cheating on one’s spouse, do they, Mr. Blatter? So people in “Latin countries” cheer when they hear of someone stabbing a friend and teammate in the back, do they, Mr. Blatter? So people in “Anglo-Saxon countries” are prudish if they find Terry’s behavior unacceptable, are they, Mr. Blatter?
Perhaps FIFA and the IOC keep Blatter around simply as a sort of court jester, someone to get a laugh out of every now and again. There can’t be any other reason he remains in power.
Turn of an ankle
When Everton’s Landon Donovan and Chelsea’s Cole both stuck out a leg in midweek while going for the ball, the U.S. forward emerged unscathed but the England defender broke his left ankle.
Score one for the Americans ahead of their June 12 World Cup clash with the English?
Not really. There was no malice involved in the play, but Cole will be sidelined for three months, hurting Chelsea’s Premier League and Champions League chances, and putting in jeopardy Cole’s World Cup hopes unless he recovers in time.
Oddly enough, on the same night, Manchester United -- the only other team still realistically in Premier League race -- also lost a player as Riggs broke his right arm. He will be out for four weeks, meaning he will miss the first of United’s Champions League games against AC Milan and possibly the second.
Chelsea, which faces Inter Milan in the Champions League and which Saturday advanced to the English F.A. Cup quarterfinals, lost the midweek game to Everton, and a distracted Terry accepted the blame, saying Everton’s goals “were my fault.”
The former England captain was then given time off to go to Dubai with his wife, Toni, as they try to sort out the mess he has created. English media have reported that Terry paid former French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel more than a half-million dollars to remain silent about their widely reported fling. The question thus becomes: How much is Toni Terry’s silence worth?
Meanwhile, Donovan’s clash with Cole has put -- guess who? -- Bridge squarely back in the England starting lineup. The prospect of Terry and Bridge lining up side by side at the World Cup already has the English tabloids drooling.
Beckham all giggly
Giggs was one of David Beckham’s best friends when the two were teammates at Manchester United, so the fact that the veteran Welsh winger will miss United’s Champions League game against Beckham’s AC Milan on Tuesday is a disappointment to the on-loan Galaxy player.
Still, Beckham has been gushing forth the usual frothy quotes ahead of the much-anticipated game in Milan. These are from an interview he gave England’s Press Assn.
“Sometimes, emotion can get the better of you when you score, but I don’t think I would celebrate,” Beckham said of the possibility of notching a goal against his former team.
“I always wish I was part of Manchester United, it is just in me. Even though I am not there anymore, I’m still a huge fan.
“Coming to terms with not being a United player was certainly the toughest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. When you’re a Manchester United player and a Manchester United fan, you never want to play for any other club.
“I always want them to do well and be successful because the club still means so much to me. I’ve still got season tickets and I will always keep them because I love to watch every game where possible.
“I would love to take my sons one day. United will always be such a special place to me, so we will just have to see what the future holds.”
Quotes such as that are sure to leave AC Milan fans with a question or two about the extent of Beckham’s commitment to defeating Manchester United.
In fact, AC Milan Coach Leonardo, who has started Beckham on the bench the last two games, is not certain he will start this one either.
“We know it’s a very special match for him,” Leonardo said. “It’s very special to play in the Champions League against his own team, let’s say it like that. But . . . we have a lot of players in good condition. We’ll see how everybody is to choose the best team.”
Meanwhile, Beckham’s media handlers are smarter than Blatter’s and they stick closer to his side. It was no surprise, therefore, that Beckham, who preceded Terry as England’s captain, had nothing to say last week on Terry’s recent woes.
“To be honest, so much has been said about the whole situation I don’t even think I need to comment on it,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with me.”
Which is exactly what Blatter could and should have said.
