Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Addition: Football’s Quarrels and Feuds, Part one

Another new feature that I will be starting on this blog is to discuss some noteworthy quarrels and feuds


1- Edgar Davids and Guus Hiddink
According to many there were some racial tensions in Holland’s squad during the Euro 1996 in England.
There is even a famous photograph of white players and the black players of Surinamese origin on separate tables.
Tensions reached to such a point that Edgar Davids was sent home for indiscipline after allegedly telling Manager Guus Hiddink to ‘take his head out of the rear end (not the actual word used) of white players.
The two subsequently reconciled and Davids was recalled for the 1998 World Cup.


Photo from: Onze-Mondial, February 1989
(Guus Hiddink with the Champions Cup trophy won in 1988 with PSV Eindhoven)


Photo from: World Soccer, January 1999
(Edgar Davids being sent home)


2- Felix Magath and Juup Derwall
SV Hamburg playmaker Felix Magath boycotted the West German National team in anger after Manager Juup Derwall did not start him in the 1982 World Cup Final vs. Italy.
He only returned to the National team after Juup Derwall’s exit. Franz Beckenbauer was able to convince him to make a comeback.

Photo from: Onze, May 1984
(West Germany Manager Juup Derwall with his French counterpart Michel Hidalgo,April  1984)


Photo from: Onze, May 1983
(SV Hamburg’s Felix Magath, 1982/83)



3- Enzo Scifo and Walter Meeuws
Belgian star Enzo Scifo stormed off the National Team camp before a Friendly vs. Greece in January 1990 after he was informed that he would not be playing.
Walter Meeuws ,who had only take over from Guy Thys months earlier, had become an unpopular figure.
The Federation sacked Meeuws due to public pressure related to displays of the Belgian National team and re-instated Thys.


Photo from: Foot Magazine, April 1990
(Walter Meeuws)

Photo from: Foot Magazine, September 1990
(Enzo Scifo with Auxerre, to the right is Paris St Germain’s Daniel Bravo, 1989/90)


4- Graeme Le Saux and David Batty
During a Champions League match against Spartak Moscow on November 22, 1995 in Moscow (3 to 0 Spartak win), Balckburn Rovers and England teammates Greame Le Saux and David Batty were involved in a fight with one another as they collided with one another in an attempt to reach a ball.
They were both fined two weeks wages and suspended for two matches by UEFA.


Photo from: Goal, February 1996
(David Batty and Graeme Le Saux’s accidental collision, November 22, 1995, Champions League, Spartak Moscow 3-Blackburn Rovers 0)


Photo from: Goal, February 1996
(Captain Tim Sherwood trying to break up David Batty and Graeme Le Saux, November 22, 1995, Champions League, Spartak Moscow 3-Blackburn Rovers 0)

Photo from: Goal, February 1996
(Diagram of incident, November 22, 1995, Champions League, Spartak Moscow 3-Blackburn Rovers 0)


5- George Weah and Jorge Costa
After a Champions League match between  Porto and AC Milan on November 20, 1996 (1 to 1 tie),  AC Milan’s Liberian striker headbutted Porto’s Jorge Costa in the players tunnel and broke his nose.
Weah accused Jorge Costa of making racist remarks.
Weah was suspended for a match by UEFA. Jorge Costa had considered to file a civil suit against Weah, but his Club President dissuaded him. 


Photo from: Onze-Mondial, December 1996
(Jorge Costa and George Weah, November 20, 1996, Champions League, Porto 1-AC Milan 1)

2 comments:

  1. A few notes around the 5th topic:

    The name of FC Porto player is Jorge Costa, former captain and actual manager of Anorthosis Famagusta and not Ricardo Costa. FC Porto had indeed a Ricardo Costa, also centre-back but younger, he's now at Valencia.

    The problems started at the first match at San Siro. When Weah scored the 2nd AC Milan goal, Jorge Costa step up on Weah's hand, breaking him one finger. So maybe the act of Weah at Estádio das Antas was more a revenge than a situation caused for some racist remarks from Jorge Costa.

    Of course he justified his act that way, but with that kind of previous events I really don't think that was the main problem between them.

    And just to finish, Jorge Costa indeed file a civil suit against Weah... The process never had a consequence once the Portuguese justice never had the chance of notify Weah and get him into the Court.

    Happy new year and thanks for your great work!

    Greetings from Portugal,
    JCrespo

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  2. right on, my mistake, it was Jorge Costa, as far as the lawsuit in the Onze-Mondial issue published weeks after the match they said the lawsuit issue was dropped, though obviously Costa later ernt ahead with it, thanks for the corrections and extra info

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