However, in a rambling piece ostensibly designed to tell the AFL players to know their place in the AFL scheme of things, Collingwood President Eddie McGuire used the Kewell soap opera to bring out that old creaky Trojan horse, yet again, for a spot of soccer bashing.
“For once it looked as if local soccer was scoring a well-deserved goal. But not for the first time in soccer’s chequered history in this country, the goal turned into an own one,” Eddie opined as he began to grind his well worn axe for his Sunday Herald Sun audience.
The reason for all this blithering stemmed from Eddie’s “exclusive” announcement two weeks ago on Triple M radio that a deal had been done to bring Kewell to A-League club, Melbourne Victory.
Eddie should have known better. A deal is never done until pen meets paper on the dotted line.
Should Kewell’s deal with Victory not eventuate, then he has only got himself to blame for being made to look silly. Eddie’s sole interest was in getting the scoop and getting one over the soccer media.
Rather than accept reality, that he prematurely jumped the gun on the Kewell story, he treated his audience with treated lines like: “Sooner or later the greed and corruption in soccer will bring it undone.”
He then pressed the fear button for his AFL audience by hyperbolically adding: “The same will happen only quicker in AFL if one side squeezes too hard.”
Which brings me to the central tenet of Eddie’s Sunday morning AFL sermon – “the great soccer-AFL divide.” On behalf of myself and the readers of this piece let me ask you, Eddie:
What divide? Is this an analogy to the divide between good and evil?
What does the labyrinthine world that is the international soccer player market, where players are paid according to their market worth, have to do with the closed shop that is the AFL?
We are talking about a market that involves dozens of professional leagues, hundreds of teams and tens of thousands of players, where Kewell and Mandic’s current dalliance with the market is but a little pimple on international soccer’s great big rump.
Yes, significant on a local scale, small beer on a global scale.
What does all this have to do with AFLPA’s reasonable request for their players to be paid 27 per cent of AFL revenue?
Why compare apples with oranges?
Why don’t you just admit the “soccer bashing” was just a ploy to distract readers from the patent absurdity of some of your arguments?
I had to laugh when you brought up Andrew Demetriou’s past as an ex-AFLPA leader to support the notion that the AFL boss truly has the players interest at heart.
This is clearly a dispute between management and the workers. If Demetriou was on the workers’ side, there would be no dispute.
Name dropping another ALP mate (former ACTU leader) Bill Kelty was also utterly irrelevant. He’s not representing the workers, he doing Demetriou’s bidding.
Eddie, you finished the piece with this quite remarkable observation: “Soccer lives on a screw-you basis. AFL survives on goodwill.”
Do you have any idea how soccer has survived in Australia?
Well, here’s the answer provided by the Ethiopian born ambassador for the “United Through Football” program here in Victoria, Melbourne Heart player, Kamal Ibrahim: “The world game is used by newly arrived and culturally diverse communities to connect with their new home – Australia and local community.”
If that is not the definition of goodwill, I don’t know what is.
So, Eddie, make your arguments about the AFL project and players sacrificing for the greater good, but making cheap jibes at the expense of another code is just not cricket.
The saga concerning one player and your little involvement in it does not justify that pitiful closing remark.
In closing, I just wish to say that I accept your indifference to the A-League and your wish for soccer in Australia to forever remain the AFL’s shadow.
You just need to stay classy about it.
Next week, can we please have a column from you extolling the evenness of the AFL competition in the light of your team’s 117 point demolition of the Kangaroos?
If ever there was a contest between the haves and the have-nots, then this was it.
Last night at a function on the eve of Glasgow Celtic’s friendly against Melbourne Victory at Crown Casino, Eddie McGuire professed his undying love for the Bhoys.
According to a tweet from Michael Lynch, Andy Harper asked “what you are doing here?”
P.S: In a gesture of goodwill, I voluntarily called the game soccer in this piece.
Art Sapphire is the pseudonym for Athas Zafiris, and is on Twitter @ArtSapphire.
Bondy
Guest
Ahh there's some familiar faces here so to speak all bar AR ...
slipshod
Guest
Eddie McYob is nothing more than a typical dirty redneck bogan from the 'burbs who got rich and famous. Now he's the aforementioned with a megaphone. Whatever pronouncements he makes should be treated with appropriate disdain.
PeterK
Guest
Pete4, your question is like a breath of fresh air in this thread!
Chook
Guest
I find Eddie comment rather weird, we all know that soccer isnt his favorite game but why whine about it? Surely you would ignore commenting on any soccer story at all. Even bad PR is PR that is worth while. If you hate the sport best to say nothing and hope it goes away. The comments made make me think that the AFL is a little more concerned by the A- League that they make out. I noticed in the Courier Mail Brisbane when the roar won one opinion writer while heaping praise on the Roar still could help but bagging the A- League by the end of the article. I accept that leaguies and AFL hate the sport, i really dotn care but why bag it? Ok we know its apparently boring and full of divers etc etc etc. and that the player are over paid and under perform. But surely if it so crap the A- League will die a natural death.?
Kasey
Guest
Incorrect my man, Virgin supports the AFL, Qantas as usual continues to support Australian football. If you can't tell the difference, then you must be new on here or from victoria, or both:)
Redb
Roar Guru
well no Roger I wasn't implying he was joking I was suggesting that taking his comments seriously is flawed on an IQ level.
Redb
Roar Guru
Truth hurts eh ;) Kasey your 'law' is astroturfing 101 From now on it will be known as the #1 Truth Hurts.
Bondy
Guest
Look it's fairly simple if you don't watch Aussie Rules like myself then McGuire is nothing more than a game show host . Spin the wheel Eddie " top dollar ' .
Lachlan
Roar Guru
you need to fix your name, this year, Virgin now supports Australian Football, not Qantas.
Kasey
Guest
Seen and noted:) Not sure the SA clubs are experiencing what any statistician x lawyer(worlds best spin doctor?) could describe as good? its a record, but not a good one for both Crows & Power For those no across Coughlins Law #1 - Just like we have Godwin’s Law for the rest of the internet, I proposed the following: Coughlins Law #1 “As any discussion that mentions football on http://www.TheRoar.com.au grows longer, the probability of a Fan of the AFL bringing up the extremely high attendances, memberships or TV ratings of the clubs in AFL approaches 1.”
GCS in 11
Roar Rookie
Punter, Of course the NRL is bigger in Sydney, but there are 8 teams competing in the same marketplace. The AFL only has 1 team (for now). So that means that the NRL would have to be 8 times as popular than the AFL for a team (probably the bulldogs), to be bigger than the swans. I dont think thats the case.
punter
Guest
'Well considering that the Swans are the biggest team in Sydney'. What planet do you live in to think that way. Most people in Sydney would be lucky to name 3 players from the Swans side.
GCS in 11
Roar Rookie
Well considering that the Swans are the biggest team in Sydney, does that mean that the 8 NRL clubs in NSW are all in deep financial trouble? Does that mean that Sydney FC are close to filing for bankruptcy? I hardly doubt that the swans are having major financial difficulties. Over the course of the 115 year old VFL/AFL, only Fitzroy, The Bears and University (due to WW1) have folded. Over the course of the 108 year old NSWRL/NRL, 17 clubs have folded. Over the course of the 6 year old A-League, 2 clubs (Fury and Knights have folded). Now tell me which league is in a better financial position?
Bondy
Guest
Hey Guys. If people want to see something unusual i suggest the A.B.C.s Four Corners programme tonight 11.27 pm A.B.C. 1 . It is a must see . Cheers .
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ GCS in 11 That's not what is reported in the press & from perusing the Annual Financial Statements. The clubs in financial trouble are (in no particular order): Port Adelaide, Footscray, North Melbourne, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane. That's 6 out of 16 clubs ... it's silly to include GWS & Suns b/c they are start-ups A few years ago, one of the oldest AFL clubs Carlton FC was about to be declared bankrupt and was saved by the Richard Pratt. In the past 30 years, the AFL has lost Fitzroy, had to relocate South Melbourne, was pushing for Footscray to merge, wanted North Melbourne to relocate to the Gold Coast, Richmond were almost bankrupt and saved at the last minute by rattling tins, Carlton was nearly bankrupt and Hawthorn & Melbourne were one annual meeting away from a merger. I'm not sure if you understand how precarious the situation is ... and, remember, this is THE ONLY fully professional Aussie Rules competition in the world. There's nothing else to fall back on! The HAL is a 6 year old competition.
GCS in 11
Roar Rookie
Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions are the only three clubs that are really having financial difficulties. Considering that these teams have been on the bottom of the ladder for the past 5 years (excluding port in 2007 and Bris in 2009), I think thats pretty good for a 17 team competition. Compare that to the A-league that has already seen one club go south (Fury), with another one next season (Gold Coast) if/when Palmer leaves.
Roger
Guest
Oh, so you had a conversation with him the other day where he informed you he was only joking? Or did you read something issued by him where he stated he was joking? No? Then I think we can assume that he was being serious, and that he meant the inflammatory statements regarding ‘soccer’.
punter
Guest
Pip, you have to understand the Irish, they like to chat, especially if someone is listening, but not is a always required.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Hey Kasey ... hope you're reading this comment from RedB ... a perfect example of your "Coughlins Law #1" ;-)
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Yes - it's a tough business - even with restraints, it's a tough business, but with no restraints, well, hello La Liga and EPL. I think something like 12 of the 16 clubs last year produced profits, which is actually an extremely high ratio for most football leagues. Also, the additional distribution that the AFL pays to around four clubs remains a small percentage of annual revenue (about 3% or less). So overall, the AFL and its clubs are relatively financially healthy.