By Walter Broeckx
It is fair to say that this was a very educative week on the referee front. And yet I will not go in to any analyses (unless I wander off during this article) on the decisions themselves. No I rather want to talk about how the media has been going on about the Turkish ref Cunyet Cakir.
I think that by now all the serious media in this country will have searched his bin bags to see what he is eating and drinking. I think we would have heard by now if they would have found something Spanish in his bin bag as further evidence on how biased this ref was against Manchester United.
His twitter account was found and look he followed Ronaldo and good grief even the Spanish tourist bureau. Correct me if I missed something as I didn’t go to every newspaper websites to find all the details.
Since last Tuesday the whole English press is on this manhunt of the ref that dared to send a Manchester United player off at Old Trafford. Ok it is fair to say that this is rather a rare event in general. So maybe the press is not used to it and so they started the which hunt on the person who was brave enough to do such a thing.
So they found “EVIDENCE” of his bias in his twitter account. And in another fact. The fact of his previous Manchester United games.
Of course if you don’t know this already you:
a) stay away from the serious gutter media
b) couldn’t give a sh*t about it
c) you are a visitor from another world.
But it is a fact that ref Cakir has done 3 games with Manchester United before.
- On 22/11/2011 he did the game MU – Benfica which ended at 2-2.
- On 15/03/2012 he did the game Athletic Bilbao – MU which ended at 2-1.
- And now he did the game MU – RM that ended at 1-2.
So 3 games done : 0 wins – 1 draw and 2 lost.
The cry of outrage can be read and heard all over the world. Those statistics prove that he is against Manchester United the media suggest.
And thus the media will go on searching his bin bags, look at his twitter account. Maybe by now they have tapped his phone and wired his house. And believe me if ref Cakir would dare to go on a holiday to the Costa del Nomatterwhere in Spain we will hear about it and it will be brought forward as another evidence of what a real biased ref he is.
I think it is amazing how one bad performance, because lets be honest after the previous games I didn’t hear much talk about this ref can bring the media up in the arms and start investigations as if a mass murder has been committed.
So I want to applaud the media for their efforts. And I want to encourage them to look further and to dig deeper. If ref Cakir is a dishonest ref and has a bias against Manchester United he should be exposed. In fact I think the media should do more work like this. They should pursue each and every biased and dishonest ref like they do with this one.
The only thing that is bothering me a bit is…well how shall I put it…the fact that the obsession of the media with this ref is a bit strange.
Because based on 3 games they claim to see evidence in him being biased against Manchester United.
And yet…and yet… a lot closer to home I have shown numbers that are based on more games from a certain ref. And numbers that are even more shocking compared to the numbers of ref Cakir. And yet no media hunt has started on this.
So for those people from the media I will show the numbers again. The numbers from Dean since 2009 in Arsenal games:
| Games | won | draw | lost |
|
17 |
1 |
5 |
11 |
| Since 2009 |
5,88% |
29,41% |
64,71% |
And compare this with the normal Arsenal numbers in all the games:
| Arsenal | won | draw | lost |
| PL |
53,45% |
26,60% |
19,95% |
And yet apart from one short article I don’t see the media looking further in to this. I don’t hear the media cry in outrage and shout cheat. Like I said apart from one article the silence is deafening.
And that is what is bothering me. When Manchester United gets done by the ref or even when they think they are done by the ref the media declare war on this ref. But when Arsenal gets screwed over and over and over again by a certain ref (and he is not alone – I have more shocking numbers) the media ignore it.
Maybe because well ref Cakir is a bloody foreigner. And so he surely must be a cheat. And maybe because the other ref(s) are English and so they cannot be but honest people? I don’t know of course but it is just a possible thought that passed my head.
Or maybe the CL is not really their cup of tea and so accusing refs in the CL is not really harming the English PL, that beacon of honesty in a cheating football world. Whereas exposing an English ref as a possible biased ref against a team might harm the PL and might harm their well buttered sandwich? I don’t know of course but it is just a possible thought that passed my head.
So what is the difference? Why the outrage and the search for “evidence” on the bias of this ref and why is the media silent and not looking for bias by refs in the PL?
And that there are some strange results when you look at the teams and their overall numbers in the games is something that can be found rather easily. In fact we are working on it right now. And we will come out with numbers that are really strange on behalf of some refs.
So will the media start looking for evidence on those strange numbers? I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.
Recent posts
- Another even bigger take over bid?
- Nextgenseries round of 16 : Inter Milan – Arsenal 0-1
- Win, Lose or Draw.
- Glory, Glory Hallelujah
- Permanent Revolution or Eternal Continuity?
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal FC: crowd behaviour at the early matches
- Royal Arsenal: from the Common to the Manor. Coming next.
The sites from the same team…
- Referee Decisions - just what are the refs up to this season?
- Parent News - what is going on in schools these days?
- The weight loss programme: The only guaranteed way to stay fit
- The Arsenal History Blog from the AISA Arsenal History Society
- Untold Dylan - the music, the lyrics, the meaning
- Looking for a terraced house in Northamptonshire?
- School sports minibuses: providing your child’s school with a bus
- The Direct Marketing blog: direct mail, email, websites, blogs
“I think the media is trying to frame a non-controversy into a controversial talking point. ”
I don’t think that’s true at all. I think the call was legitimately controversial (note that doesn’t mean that it was wrong necessarily), and the fallout and outcry was really not just limited to the media, and is largely organic amongst the football loving/following public, players current and ex and beyond. It’s not about the media, and the English media at that (it’s bigger than them) trying to gin up an artificical controversy. But ah well, to each their own.
A.Stewart,
You only have to look at the technology behind Formula 1 racing to know that human error can be combated via technology, even tennis has tech, Rugby has tech, American football as well, so for you to compare it with other sports actually highlights this inadequacy.
The amount of money involved in football would allow for the professional game to clean up its act.
Agree the press reporting is proportional, but could you also concede that we don’t get the coverage required that would highlight the issues stated.
I spoke to a person who is in charge of ref certification for FIFA youth program here in Minnesota and appears in the know of politics involved in being FIFA/UEFA referee. He had an interesting view on the incident – in his opinion sending off was a safe bet for the referee. He would have come under tremendous pressure no matter how he had called it. So he decided to play it safe by the book as the misconduct had all required ingrediends to be adjudged as ‘serous foul play’ as per FIFA guidelines. Quote: ‘Nani lunged into the air with outstreched leg and studs up and he was not in cotrol of his body. On the top of that he was looking in the different direction when jumping and as a result was not aware of Arbeloa’s presence. All this combined is a sure recipe to get red carded’.
The real-time outrage/questioning of the call amongst so many of the football loving public WORLDWIDE (per social outlets etc) surrounding that incident was very very huge. To suggest that the media instantly ginned up a controversy and instantly influenced so many thousands of minds if not more realistically millions (not necessarily connected to either team) as expressing some discomfort with the decision (as though their opinions weren’t their own) doesn’t reflect reality imo. The controversy was and is legitimate and given the magnitude of the moment,stage, and those involved, the coverage of the controversy was propotionate.
A. Stewart
I think you will find that our game with Barcelona had the world riveted. I remember most of the stories that were going round then were who would come out on top in a game between two teams whose philosophies are attack, attack, and attack. Not to mention passing the other sides off the park. Also given Arsenal had won the first leg there was even more interest in that game.
The Englsih media lead, and everybody else follows, fact. What they start will eventually become world news, whether people like it or not. You don’t have to look further than how they ‘cost’ England the chance of hosting the world cup, as stated by Blatter. Or how an innocouous dive by Eduardo ended up with Blatter being interviewed and forced to give his opinion of the whole incident after the Englsih media had successfully lobbied Uefa to punish him(http://board.fm11.de/index.php?showtopic=12287). was that the worst dive you have seen from any player in England? I dont think so. I think the point of this article is saying that English media can cause a ruckus when they want to; and so far it appears its only when they feel their darlings have been wronged.
I didn’t want to talk about the incident itself at first. But after 50+ comments ore thereabouts here is my take.
But after just seen Andrei his comment… I can say that the person he spoke with was talking very sensible.
If you want to control a ball high in the air like Nani did or tried to do you are responsible for your actions.
And you cannot fly in the air as a kung fu warrior without checking if there is someone standing in that area. Nani was not careful, he was reckless, he was not in control of his body. And being not in control of your body is simply not done on a football field.
That Taylor bloke threw himself towards Eduardo. (shiver) and by throwing himself he was not in control of his body. And when you are not in control of you body such terrible things can happen.
Now the outcome of the incident is not really important. The way you have gone in to the challenge (reckless, out of control) is enough to produce a red card.
I like to give an example. Just imagine a football player jumping in the air with his studs and flying towards an opponent his head.
That is always a red card. It doesn’t matter if he touches him (hopefully not) or not. The act is completely not done because it is dangerous, reckless and you can seriously injury someone.
The fact that he didn’t see him can even be used as a further evidence of him being reckless and committing serious foul play. Nani had to make sure that there would be nobody near him before he lunged himself towards the ball with his feet that high.
Before you jump in the air with a high raised foot and studs showing you have to make sure you don’t bring another player in danger. In fact it is totally disrespectful from Nani to go in like that. As if he didn’t care about his fellow professionals. But that is more the moral side of the story I would say and isn’t something that the ref should look at.
Bottom line if you willingly or not (doesn’t matter in fact) endanger another person you can and should be sent off.
@A Stewart
You work for Sky don’t you? Or the PGMOL? Or Man Utd?
Do everyone a favour and take a timeout.
The problem with the MU manager and fans is that under the auspices of the PGMOL MU players often get away with fouls that others will not. I can remember an Evans karate type kick on Drogba and I think Ferdinand produced one on an Arsenal player – neither called (certainly not red). Hence there is surprise when a non-PGMOL ref correctly produces a red for Nani kicking an opponent just about heart level.
The fuss kicked up (no pun intended) by the Red Nose disciples shows just how biased and misguided they have become.
Alex Ferguson revealed today that he has banned two more British newspapers from his media conference “until they apologise” over the Wayne Rooney story.
The man is a thug, a complete bully.
bjtgooner,
To put a fine point on your fine point, they’ve been what they are at least since they co-produced the crime scene at Old Toilet when they stopped our run. This is well deserved karma, and the unity and volume of the squealing hyenas of the UK press corpse proves how wrong they are. Complete bullies who feel their sense of entitlement crash against a wall that won’t bend over to the juggernaut of the Rednose XX. He and RVP will not get their cherished double and that’s a good start for the business end. Now if only we’d do our bit.
Thanks for the moderation. Would that be for my immoderations?
Tasos,
Is Lord Football getting a free pass from the rest of the sycophantic press for banning those two papers? Which ones?
@bob
Not 100% sure but word has it its “The Sun” & “D Mail” who have written something anti-Man Utd.
Why haven’t they(the journalists) got the cojoners to stand together and all walk-out on the dictators conference once he bans one of there fellow associate’s.
He’s banned the DM & The Independent. This fool is to football what a dictator is to a third world country; a tyrant & a bully, with no accountability as they think everyone’s there to serve them, & corrupt. The sooner he leaves football the better, the issue is how long will it take to undo the damage he is causing.
An interesting article, esp the bit about how the English media loves bashing john foreigner.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2290379/Gareth-Bale-diver–stop-excuses-Why-Luis-Suarez-cheat–DES-KELLY.html
Meant johnny foreigner….
Good point Walter! The press is making a story of this only because of Man U. It was a red card offence and it should have been given as a red card. But the Man U folk are so used to getting away with this kind of stuff they see it as bias. I doubt that any EPL ref would have sent Nani off.
well, I had a discussion about NANI red with a ManUtd friend on his Facebook wall. I asked him ‘Give me one reason why Nani shouldnt have seen a red?’ Answer I got..’Well, Alba (whatever) was nowhere near Nani when Nani went for the ball. So it was Albas (whatever) fault that he ended up at the end of Nanis studs.’
My take on this incident (as I saw it): Nani was aware of the players presence. Thats the reason why Nani went flying in. He was expecting his actions would put off Alba (whatever). IF Nani was not aware of the player moving towards the ball, he would have taken his own sweet time to collect the ball. I dont think there was intention to hurt the player, but two footed lunge with high boot is mostly given red. AND you dont need to teach the spanish teams to make the most of such situations….do you.
I don’t think Nani was aware of the player at all. Was it a red card? Yes, I think it was.
@Sav Australia, give it a rest, people don’t need to be paid to have conflicting views and even if A. Stewart did work for these organizations you suggest he still gives reasoned and constructive answers.
@Rupert (depressive Russian AAA sewer rat)
It is a bit much for you to tell someone else to “give it a rest” when you continually pollute this site with your arrogant verbal diarrhoea.
I still haven’t seen a satisfactory response – from A. Stewart, Rupert, or anyone else defending Nani – why Nani spent quite a considerable amount of time writhing on the ground? Was he hurt? If so how was he hurt? Was he aware of how dangerous his tackle was & the impending punishment that he was trying to influence the ref into not punishing him?
His actions alone show that he knew he’d gone in high, had made contact with the other player’s rib cage and was most certainly going to get punished for it. Nani was aware of Aberloa’s presence, otherwise, as Arsenal 13 pointed out, how else could anyone explain him trying to bring the ball down by leaping so high if in his mind he wasn’t contesting the ball with anyone?
@Al, I’m not defending Nani at all. Writhing on the ground seems to be a default setting for most players when they think they’re in trouble. Personally I don’t think he saw Arbeloa and the reason he leaped so high was to stop the ball going past him, a natural reaction which I imagine we’ve all done when playing. Anyway only he knows whether he knew Arbeloa was there or not so it’s a bit pointless arguing over something neither of us can prove.
And yes I think it was a red card so what’s the problem?
Rupert, you’re saying it was a red but others are not. The problem with you came in when you started suggesting he was not aware of the other player’s presence when his actions show otherwise. We don’t need to prove anything, we all saw what happened, he wasn’t bringing down a cross that requires the need to raise one’s foot so high. The ball was moving downwards, and the only thing he needed do was control the ball so it doesn’t bounce high and away from him. No need to leap that high to do that. Also, if you DID play the game as you claim, to bring a ball down you do so with the bottom of your foot facing downwards. Or in other words the studs should be facing the ground. And certainly not perpendicular to the ground as you run the risk of the ball hitting your shin and bouncing off. You need to use the outside palm of your foot, which would mean his toes would have made the contact rather than the studs.
That move was so inconsistent with bringing a ball down, and was designed to put the other player off, but it also endangered him in the process. Intention to injure may not be likely, but to bully someone off the ball. And dangerous, yes. Red card deserved.
A.Stewart
“To suggest that the media instantly ginned up a controversy and instantly influenced so many thousands of minds if not more realistically millions (not necessarily connected to either team) as expressing some discomfort with the decision (as though their opinions weren’t their own) doesn’t reflect reality imo”
Umm..hello??!!! The match was still going on when the commentator (who was there next to Martin Tyler, don’t know who) started saying things like the referee has an agenda, and it is not in ManU’s favour. Said that ManU’s players can’t be faulted. They’ve been undone by a piece of skulduggery.. It doesn’t get more instant a reaction than that.
And as soon as the match ended, the studio expert in my part of the world brought up the Asian betting scandal and said this match should be investigated. Just to show that it wasn’t one idiot with a microphone making a noise. It was at least 2. Both put in positions to air their views by the mainstream media (who have a monopoly over the TV rights), and the narrative of United being cheated was already made up less than 10mins after the incident. Tell me now whose view doesn’t reflect reality.
What’s the fuss about ? We are continuously and reliably informed that such happenings will even out over the season.
Wait…..ManUre are out ! Does that mean that the above is not true ? Were we being misled ?
And I believe that Rio Ferdinand was just being kind to the ref!
Walter – holiday to Costa del Where-the-sol-doan-shine ? Mucho arseholes there !
I watched the match on TV. They had three ex-players in the studio. Two said that it was high and dangerous, it could have been a yellow, but OK, it was a red. Roy Keane had no doubt “Red card, off”.That didn’t seem to fit with the “we wuz robbed” agenda, so they kept banging on about it.
I could be wrong, but I think that Real Madrid’s two goals might have had a little to do with why Man Utd are out.
@Al, having just watched it again Nani’s intently watching the ball coming down and doing what is the most natural thing to do in that position, sticking out a foot to control it. I doubt he saw Arbeloa.
Anyway he got sent off, Manu lost and we all felt a massive surge of schadenfreude.
As did Vanper$ie he was looking at the ball and he never hard the refs whistle but it was okay and no fuss but when it comes to Manure its a curse.Thanks to GOD we will not have any tremble vibes anymore.@bjtgooner i’m beginning to believe in you because if brother rupert is AAA sewer rat and he says nothing really i take it with a pitch of salt.
Just found out that Pierluigi Collina (the hills have eyes)was the referee’s observer for the Man U Ream Madrid game, so will be interesting to find out if anything further happens once his report is filed.
Options are, rescind the red, stick with a one match ban or increase to a three match ban.