Sad news from Europe, as once again a team convicted of trying to influence the outcome of matches has been allowed to enter the UEFA Champions League.
Portuguese champions FC Porto won their domestic league fair and square, I suppose, carting off the mug despite being hit with a six-point penalty for off-field offside with the officials.
This is a sore point, because I think we all remember AC Milan sneaking in – and winning the whole deal a year ago – because UEFA got caught without a rule to keep them out.
Well sirs and madams, UEFA then went and passed themselves a rule.[amp]nbsp; Something to the effect that Champions League sides “must not be or have been involved in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level.”
Porto flunks this test, cleanly and clearly.[amp]nbsp; Or do they?[amp]nbsp; A UEFA committee recently ruled that the investigation is not complete, even though Porto's own league docked them points.[amp]nbsp; Apparently, that's enough to wiggle home to safety.
So, once again, we have a team convicted of fudging fairness, freely allowed to compete for the biggest club championship on the continent – arguably in the world.[amp]nbsp;
When this happened with Milan, I hoofed them out of my Sportsnet column, never mentioning them again for that entire season, even though they won the cup.[amp]nbsp; An insignificant penalty in the big picture?[amp]nbsp; Certainly.[amp]nbsp; But I continue to believe anyone who writes about soccer for at least part of their living does – in fact – have a choice of what stories to cover.[amp]nbsp;
If the entire soccer-writing world had turned their backs on Milan's tainted glory run, maybe we wouldn't be holding our noses again for Porto.
Not to punish the Rossoneri players or diminish what they accomplished.[amp]nbsp; That was a great Milan team.[amp]nbsp; They just should never – ever! – have been allowed to play for the big prize.
And so, from the end of this item to the conclusion of the 2008-09 Champions Cup, where will be no mention of FC Porto in any item I write for On Soccer or the Globe.[amp]nbsp; I write them off as cheats, and urge UEFA – once again – to get its blessed bleeping act together.
There will never be a shortage of great Champions League stories.[amp]nbsp; You just won't hear anything more about this particular Porto side from me.
Onward!
