The Swindon coach, meanwhile, Ian Holloway launched a scathing attack on Manchester City over the scandal involving financial irregularities in previous years.
Holloway previously managed Blackpool, and during the 2010–11 season, he faced City in a match that he recalls being decided—as he claims—by the refereeing and the officials’ decisions.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Petevinos on the resumption, team news, and investment
Throughout his tirade, in which he directs harsh insults at City, he speaks of the destruction of a part of the country’s DNA, due to its love for soccer, and goes so far as to tell everyone associated with the “Citizens,” as he puts it, to “go to hell” for the harm they’ve caused.
“To be honest with you, throughout that entire season I felt like we were robbed. My team played so well against Manchester City. We scored three perfectly legitimate goals. One was disallowed for offside, while they scored twice. In one instance, there was no foul, and in the other, there was offside.
So, they were awarded a penalty, and the other goal was offside. In fact, the referee sent me a letter telling me that they cost us nine points that year, because we thought, “Oh, it must have been a foul, since it was against Manchester City.” All the more so now that it’s been revealed they were cheating. Soccer around the world is being destroyed by people who are rich and think they can do whatever the hell they want with it.
Soccer belongs to all of us, whether we’re rich or poor. It’s a sport that’s been turned into a business, which makes it ugly. “But there’s no other game on the planet like it, because it’s like a game of chess on the grass and it gives you the chance to be part of something that really matters,” he says, continuing:
“One of my granddaughters, Luna, has been playing for quite some time. Her younger sister, Remi, just started playing. She’s six years old, and Luna is eight. Last Sunday, I watched Luna score her first two goals. It was wonderful to see. Tonight I’m going to watch their practice, and I’m really looking forward to it. It helps me remember why I love this game so much. And I’ll always love it.
You can never have complete control. These young TV commentators say you “have to take control.” This has to do with what Pep has done on the field—with the new rules for building attacks from the back and bringing the ball back into your own half. That’s how you gain control. The more control you gain, the more you want to keep it. But we can’t all play that way.
That’s not the way soccer should be played. You have to try to find a way to be part of a team and connect with others. They’ve dealt a massive blow to soccer, and I believe they’ve damaged it. I’d dismantle them all without a second thought, because they knew exactly what they were doing.
They’re still lying to this day, which is absolutely shameful. But how can you verify who owns a soccer club? You can, however, certainly establish stricter rules and regulations. You can certainly ensure that clubs are thoroughly audited and scrutinized.
The same applies even at our level. How can you have 2,000 spectators at a match and pay what Salford pays? None of this makes any sense. How can you be Wrexham and have all that money at your disposal? None of it makes sense. And all over the world, you find people who discover loopholes in the rules and exploit them.
This game is bigger and better than all of you. You’re a disgrace. You’ve tarnished it to such an extent. And you’re not the only ones doing this. There have been people at the highest levels of soccer, even at the top of UEFA and FIFA, who ended up in prison. And I’ve said they were corrupt, because that’s what happens. Money, power.
But soccer remains soccer, and it belongs to each and every one of us. And the wonderful thing about it is that you can be a 94-year-old grandmother who loves her soccer club from head to toe, and you have every right to say whatever you want. You deserve the life this team has given you, the joy you’ve experienced, but also the terrible moments you’ve gone through. There’s nothing that compares to it. Absolutely nothing. It’s something wonderful, and you should never show it any disrespect.
We lost because we weren’t good enough. We weren’t good enough because the team was allowed to cheat. And if you didn’t know they were cheating, I’m sorry, but you turned a blind eye. For me, it’s too late now. I’d take everything away from them—from every single one of them—and force them to start over. Right away, right now. That’s what happened in Scotland, and I’d do the same today. It’s a disgrace, and they still won’t admit what they did. What kind of people do they really want to be?
Are we talking about Pep? Did he know all this was going on? No, I don’t think he knew. It’s the people at the top—at the very top—who were trying to cheat this sport. And I’d throw them all in jail. Why do they still own the company? Why are they still the owners? Why do they keep doing this? Get lost.
How dare you destroy something that’s part of our country, part of our DNA here? Honestly, for all of us in the working-class and mining communities, who knows how all this started, who knows… What matters is a team and the belief that you can prove yourself better than someone else through a fair contest. And they went and ruined soccer at the very top. An absolute disgrace.
So does it hurt me? Maybe we weren’t good enough anyway. There are many things one could consider. But, really, now that we know they operate this way, something substantial has to happen. Should points be deducted from them? As far as I’m concerned, they can go to hell. They should be relegated to the amateur leagues and forced to use only the funds they’re allowed.
They’d probably be left with just one player. I’m serious. They should be allowed to use only that money and spend only their fair share. Take everything away from them—all their titles, no matter how many—and let them start over and build their team from scratch. Let’s see if their owners would still be interested if they had to operate properly and fairly.
Because they’ve ruined everything. They’ve completely destroyed this game—a game they don’t really believe in, if they’re willing to do things like this. And that’s it. The end. I have absolutely no respect for you, for any of you. Go to hell. Why can’t we do this? This is what should happen,” he concludes.
*photo source: AR
