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Calcio Debate: Fiorentina & Serie A Are Jinxed As The Viola Are Robbed Of A Champions League Quarter Final Place
Carlo Garganese has his say on Fiorentina's "unjust" Champions League exit to Bayern Munich....
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Mar 10, 2010 12:00:00 PM
By Carlo Garganese
A colleague of mine, whom I won’t name for fear of destroying his reputation, argued with me after Fiorentina’s scandalous first leg defeat to Bayern that “there is no such thing as bad luck in football”. In his opinion, the winner always deserves to win.
If Team X has 20 chances and scores none, and Team Y has one chance and scores through a quadruple Frank Lampard-style deflection, Team X deserve to lose because taking your chances is part of football. If the referee makes a bad mistake, like allowing a goal that is 80 miles offside, that is circumstance. The fact that Team Y were attacking made such a scenario a possibility, while Team X should have ensured they were never in a position to concede as they did.
Thus, using this formula we can conclude that Bayern are worthy of their place in the last eight of the Champions League. We can also conclude that South Korea deserved to reach the semi finals of the 2002 World Cup and Denmark earned the right to participate in (and eventually win) Euro ’92.
Of course, this argument was shot to pieces. Luck plays a huge role in football, as do referees, and this was clear during the Fiorentina-Bayern tie. The better side were eliminated primarily due to a combination of disgraceful officiating during the opening clash in Munich and some hard luck.
Serie A may be struggling at the moment, but there is no doubt whatsoever that the peninsula’s teams have been earning no favours from referees over the last five years or so. FIGC president Giancarlo Abete can diplomatically deny that Italy’s lack of political power within football’s governing bodies has anything to do with it, but really it is just common sense that it does.
Losing a Champions League place to the Bundesliga is now looking even more likely, but this is a topic we will discuss at a later date this season. I plan to explain just how flawed the co-efficient system is, in particular how a destroyed competition like the Europa League can be given equal weight to the Champions League.
The fact that Fiorentina are tenth in Serie A and 11 points off the Champions League places makes yesterday’s exit even more frustrating for the club itself as they are unlikely to return to Europe’s premier cup competition any time soon.
Indeed this could spell the beginning of the end for this present Viola outfit. Coach Cesare Prandelli looks increasingly likely to leave this summer, possibly for Italy or Juventus. A big money bid for Juan Vargas will probably be impossible to refuse, while every top club in Europe will also be queuing up for the next star of European football Stevan Jovetic.
All in all it has been a season where Fiorentina have been crucified by referees and bad luck, particularly since February:
February 7: Fiorentina 0-1 Roma – The Viola dominated the game from start to finish, but missed a host of chances. Then with eight minutes remaining a lucky break in the box saw Mirko Vucinic score the winner.
February 17: Bayern Munich 2-1 Fiorentina – An even game at 1-1 deep into the second half, infamous Norwegian referee Tom Ovrebo harshly sent off Massimo Gobbi while failing to do the same to Miroslav Klose and Mark van Bommel. In the final minute, Bayern won the game through Klose with a goal that was four yards offside.
February 24: Fiorentina 1-2 Milan – The home side dominated for long spells and led until nine minutes from the end when substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar equalised. In injury time, the Viola were then denied a stonewall penalty for Thiago Silva’s foul on Riccardo Montolivo and Milan virtually went straight down the other end to score with the last kick of the game from Alexandre Pato.
March 6: Fiorentina 1-2 Juventus – Yet another undeserved defeat for Fiorentina. A number of touch-and-go offside and penalty decisions went against them, including Diego’s opener for Juve. A draw at the very least would have been a fair result.
March 9: Fiorentina 3-2 Bayern Munich – The Viola unjustifiably are eliminated from the Champions League on away goals despite winning 3-2 on the night. Two penalty appeals – one of them stonewall – are rejected by the ref as Klose’s offside goal from the first leg proves decisive. Fans protest angrily at the final whistle by shouting ‘Thieves, Thieves, Thieves’ at Bayern players.
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If Team X has 20 chances and scores none, and Team Y has one chance and scores through a quadruple Frank Lampard-style deflection, Team X deserve to lose because taking your chances is part of football. If the referee makes a bad mistake, like allowing a goal that is 80 miles offside, that is circumstance. The fact that Team Y were attacking made such a scenario a possibility, while Team X should have ensured they were never in a position to concede as they did.
Thus, using this formula we can conclude that Bayern are worthy of their place in the last eight of the Champions League. We can also conclude that South Korea deserved to reach the semi finals of the 2002 World Cup and Denmark earned the right to participate in (and eventually win) Euro ’92.
Of course, this argument was shot to pieces. Luck plays a huge role in football, as do referees, and this was clear during the Fiorentina-Bayern tie. The better side were eliminated primarily due to a combination of disgraceful officiating during the opening clash in Munich and some hard luck.
Serie A may be struggling at the moment, but there is no doubt whatsoever that the peninsula’s teams have been earning no favours from referees over the last five years or so. FIGC president Giancarlo Abete can diplomatically deny that Italy’s lack of political power within football’s governing bodies has anything to do with it, but really it is just common sense that it does.
Losing a Champions League place to the Bundesliga is now looking even more likely, but this is a topic we will discuss at a later date this season. I plan to explain just how flawed the co-efficient system is, in particular how a destroyed competition like the Europa League can be given equal weight to the Champions League.
The fact that Fiorentina are tenth in Serie A and 11 points off the Champions League places makes yesterday’s exit even more frustrating for the club itself as they are unlikely to return to Europe’s premier cup competition any time soon.
Indeed this could spell the beginning of the end for this present Viola outfit. Coach Cesare Prandelli looks increasingly likely to leave this summer, possibly for Italy or Juventus. A big money bid for Juan Vargas will probably be impossible to refuse, while every top club in Europe will also be queuing up for the next star of European football Stevan Jovetic.
All in all it has been a season where Fiorentina have been crucified by referees and bad luck, particularly since February:
February 7: Fiorentina 0-1 Roma – The Viola dominated the game from start to finish, but missed a host of chances. Then with eight minutes remaining a lucky break in the box saw Mirko Vucinic score the winner.
February 17: Bayern Munich 2-1 Fiorentina – An even game at 1-1 deep into the second half, infamous Norwegian referee Tom Ovrebo harshly sent off Massimo Gobbi while failing to do the same to Miroslav Klose and Mark van Bommel. In the final minute, Bayern won the game through Klose with a goal that was four yards offside.
February 24: Fiorentina 1-2 Milan – The home side dominated for long spells and led until nine minutes from the end when substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar equalised. In injury time, the Viola were then denied a stonewall penalty for Thiago Silva’s foul on Riccardo Montolivo and Milan virtually went straight down the other end to score with the last kick of the game from Alexandre Pato.
March 6: Fiorentina 1-2 Juventus – Yet another undeserved defeat for Fiorentina. A number of touch-and-go offside and penalty decisions went against them, including Diego’s opener for Juve. A draw at the very least would have been a fair result.
March 9: Fiorentina 3-2 Bayern Munich – The Viola unjustifiably are eliminated from the Champions League on away goals despite winning 3-2 on the night. Two penalty appeals – one of them stonewall – are rejected by the ref as Klose’s offside goal from the first leg proves decisive. Fans protest angrily at the final whistle by shouting ‘Thieves, Thieves, Thieves’ at Bayern players.
What are your views on this topic? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…
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