[情報] Europe's elite split on Chelsea

[jftsai (Good Luck Chelsea)]

By Matt Hughes, Evening Standard
22 March 2005

A tranquil spring morning on the banks of Lake Geneva should have provided
the perfect setting for a peace summit, but any chance of an armistice
disappeared into the crisp Alpine air. Chelsea's increasingly bitter battle
with UEFA is just starting.


Peter Kenyon flew to Nyon last Friday in the hope of reaching an agreement
with UEFA's chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson, but returned ready for war.
Yesterday's extraordinarily aggressive statement from UEFA, in which they
accused Chelsea of lying and creating a poisonous atmosphere, confirmed that
European football's governing body are gunning for the new power rising in
their midst.


UEFA are tired of Chelsea's seeming disregard for the spirit of fair play
and resolved to act to protect the game's image, with Jose Mourinho likely
to receive a touchline ban for his part in the bust-up in Barcelona. There
are even those at UEFA who would like to see Chelsea thrown out of the
Champions League,warning of a growing disenchantment across Europe with the
club's way of doing business, and there is little doubt they have made some
significant enemies.


Barcelona president Juan Laporta is still seething at the dirty tricks
campaign he believes contributed to his club's Champions League elimination,
while Arsenal will have little sympathy for the plight of their London rivals
in the light of the ongoing furore over Ashley Cole. Both clubs are likely
to block Chelsea'sproposed entry into the G14. Paris Saint-Germain also have
the Blues in their little black book, having not forgotten Kenyon's attempts,
when he was Manchester United chief executive, to sign Ronaldinho.


Despite such difficulties, though, Chelsea appear to have more friends than
foes. Kenyon was greeted like a long lost lover by many European executives
at last week's draw in Nyon, with amiable Juventus director Romy Gai planting
a firm kiss on his left cheek, and there was little sense that the club are
becoming the continent's pariahs. Rather than resenting the wealth at
Mourinho's disposal, Juventus's chief marketing officer believes Chelsea's
emergence is good for the European game.


Gai said: "The whole history of football has been written by passionate men
andrich men. They've put their heart and money into the game and this is
the only way. The most important thing for a fan is money and passion and
Chelsea have both. To develop a great history you have to start somewhere
and that's what Chelsea are doing. It's good for football that there are
new clubs emerging."


Roman Abramovich may have brought ruthlessness to Stamford Bridge, but he
also knows how to turn on the charm. Abramovich made his ￡7.5billion
fortune on the back of carefully cultivating contacts in the Kremlin and is
now show to turn on the charm. Abramovich made his ￡7.5billion fortune on
the back of carefully cultivating contacts in the Kremlin and is now
utilising such skills in the equally murky world of football, drawing up
informal alliances with clubs all over the world.


Chelsea's cosy relationship with CSKA Moscow has been well documented but
they are also extremely close to AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Benfica,
placing playersat all of these clubs and even getting Milan's doctor to
treat Arjen Robben.


Abramovich is a good friend of Milan's vice-chairman Adriano Galliani and
such is the strength of feeling between the clubs that the Rossoneri will
be cheering Chelsea on if they are eliminated from the Champions League.


UMBERTO GANDINI, Milan's organising director, said: "Chelsea are a great
club, we have a lot of friends there and a great deal of respect for them.
We have a very good relationship with Roman and Peter.


"We spent some time together in Philadelphia last year on our summer tour
and said it would be great to see them again in the final. That is still a
possibility and I would say that Milan and Chelsea are now the favourites.
If we can't winthe Champions League then I would like to see Chelsea win it
as they are our friends."


While much of this mutual backslapping is surely down to expediency - no one
wants to offend the only club prepared to pay top money for their players -
Kenyon's role should not be overlooked. In addition to his expertise in
branding, the wide range of European contacts picked up from five years at
United was the main reason he got the job.


Bayern Munich's executive director, Karl Hopfner, said: "Peter is a very
old friend of ours from his time in Manchester and we're looking forward
to welcoming him to Munich.


It's possible some clubs feel threatened by Chelsea's money and they are
right to fear them, as at the moment they are one of the best teams in the
world. Perhaps the old elite have a problem with that, but not Bayern."


Even Mourinho has succeeded in upsetting remarkably few of his European
rivals,with the exception of the unfortunate Frank Rijkaard.


PSV director Ron Verkerk said: "Sometimes people complain about the way
certain managers behave but let's not make a fuss out of it. All managers
behave in line with their character and there is nothing wrong with that.
Guus Hiddink has his own style and some people do not like that, but I think
everyone should mind their own business."


UEFA do not have that luxury.

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推 DemonRing:PSG為啥也對我們不滿呢？
推 DemonRing:還有Bayern好臭屁XD 帶種！
推 maiomaio01:PSG? 是指PSV嗎?! 挖走羅本和凱子所以不高興?
推 JamesCaesar:PSG = Paris Saint German
推 JamesCaesar:說是肯揚在曼聯時挖小羅跟他們結怨，我覺得
推 JamesCaesar:滿無聊的....根本在假想....
推 maiomaio01:看懂了~~感謝版大指點 ^^
推 DemonRing:曼聯不挖也會有人挖…遷怒的行為吧。
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