Uefa refuse to guarantee date change - Bloody disgrace
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:21 pmMarch 12, 2009
Uefa refuse Liverpool guarantee over Hillsborough
James Ducker
Uefa has refused to guarantee that the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final will not be played on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
As Real Madrid were left to reflect yesterday on a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield on Tuesday evening, Liverpool supporters were turning their attention to the draw for the quarter-finals in Nyon, Switzerland, a week tomorrow and the prospect — unthinkable for many — of having to play the second leg on April 15.
Liverpool have asked that the tie is played on an alternative date as a mark of respect to the 96 fans who lost their lives in Britain’s worst stadium tragedy. While Uefa appears ready to bow to the club’s request, it stopped short of confirming yesterday that it would give its consent.
The prospect of Liverpool being drawn against an English club in the last eight would only heighten the desire for the tie not to coincide with the anniversary. It is feasible that the second leg could be played a week later than the other quarter-final ties, although it seems more likely that should Liverpool be drawn to play on April 15, the match will be brought forward 24 hours, when the first two second-leg matches are also due to be played.
Sources at Uefa indicated that Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, has written to European football’s governing body on three occasions and that there has been correspondence between Parry and Michel Platini, the Uefa president, who is mindful of the sensitivity of the situation.
A spokesman for Uefa said: “We received a request from Liverpool back in October when they asked not to play on April 15. We said we will do our best to make sure that they didn’t have to play on that day, be it a home or away match, but we can’t guarantee it at this stage. We will be waiting for the draw on March 20, but we will take Liverpool’s representations into account when making the draw.
“The chances are very good that they will not have to play on that day, but we are not in a position to confirm that until the draw is made.”
Parry said: “I am sure that Uefa will take the representations we have made seriously and will understand the need to show due respect to the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.”
The strength of feeling on the matter as far as Liverpool supporters are concerned was reflected in a statement by Spirit Of Shankly, the club’s supporters’ union. It read: “Liverpool Football Club needs to stand up for the fans to ensure we do not play on April 15. Not this season, not next season, not any season. This is a day for remembrance, not football.”
Of more immediate concern to Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is the visit to Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, when confidence will be high after his team sent Real — who were said in the Spanish press yesterday to have humiliated themselves — to their heaviest Champions League defeat and a 5-0 aggregate reverse.
Dirk Kuyt, the Liverpool forward, has challenged his team-mates to produce a similar performance against United and believes that victory would reignite their title bid. United are seven points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand, but with Liverpool having beaten Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at Anfield, plus Chelsea and Real home and away this season, Kuyt is confident of claiming another scalp. “United are a very good team, but Madrid are, too, and we have shown this season that we can beat the big opponents,” Kuyt said. “I think we can do something on Saturday.
“If we can beat them that would send out a big message, even more so than the one we sent out against Madrid. We’ll see if we can surprise people between now and the end of the season.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol....249.ece
If they don't agree, we should just refuse to play it and what will they do then? No way would the sponsors allow them to let us pull out, so they'd back down. We just need to be strong and they'll have to buckle.
Uefa refuse Liverpool guarantee over Hillsborough
James Ducker
Uefa has refused to guarantee that the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final will not be played on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
As Real Madrid were left to reflect yesterday on a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield on Tuesday evening, Liverpool supporters were turning their attention to the draw for the quarter-finals in Nyon, Switzerland, a week tomorrow and the prospect — unthinkable for many — of having to play the second leg on April 15.
Liverpool have asked that the tie is played on an alternative date as a mark of respect to the 96 fans who lost their lives in Britain’s worst stadium tragedy. While Uefa appears ready to bow to the club’s request, it stopped short of confirming yesterday that it would give its consent.
The prospect of Liverpool being drawn against an English club in the last eight would only heighten the desire for the tie not to coincide with the anniversary. It is feasible that the second leg could be played a week later than the other quarter-final ties, although it seems more likely that should Liverpool be drawn to play on April 15, the match will be brought forward 24 hours, when the first two second-leg matches are also due to be played.
Sources at Uefa indicated that Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, has written to European football’s governing body on three occasions and that there has been correspondence between Parry and Michel Platini, the Uefa president, who is mindful of the sensitivity of the situation.
A spokesman for Uefa said: “We received a request from Liverpool back in October when they asked not to play on April 15. We said we will do our best to make sure that they didn’t have to play on that day, be it a home or away match, but we can’t guarantee it at this stage. We will be waiting for the draw on March 20, but we will take Liverpool’s representations into account when making the draw.
“The chances are very good that they will not have to play on that day, but we are not in a position to confirm that until the draw is made.”
Parry said: “I am sure that Uefa will take the representations we have made seriously and will understand the need to show due respect to the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.”
The strength of feeling on the matter as far as Liverpool supporters are concerned was reflected in a statement by Spirit Of Shankly, the club’s supporters’ union. It read: “Liverpool Football Club needs to stand up for the fans to ensure we do not play on April 15. Not this season, not next season, not any season. This is a day for remembrance, not football.”
Of more immediate concern to Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is the visit to Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, when confidence will be high after his team sent Real — who were said in the Spanish press yesterday to have humiliated themselves — to their heaviest Champions League defeat and a 5-0 aggregate reverse.
Dirk Kuyt, the Liverpool forward, has challenged his team-mates to produce a similar performance against United and believes that victory would reignite their title bid. United are seven points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand, but with Liverpool having beaten Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at Anfield, plus Chelsea and Real home and away this season, Kuyt is confident of claiming another scalp. “United are a very good team, but Madrid are, too, and we have shown this season that we can beat the big opponents,” Kuyt said. “I think we can do something on Saturday.
“If we can beat them that would send out a big message, even more so than the one we sent out against Madrid. We’ll see if we can surprise people between now and the end of the season.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol....249.ece
If they don't agree, we should just refuse to play it and what will they do then? No way would the sponsors allow them to let us pull out, so they'd back down. We just need to be strong and they'll have to buckle.
hate english clubs .