Follow-up: Dida suspended and fined

A.C. Milan goalkeeper Dida was suspended for two games and fined over $50,000 following his theatrics after being lightly slapped by a Celtic fan during a Champions League match last week. Europe’s governing body on soccer- UEFA- ruled that the Brazilian goalie’s actions were not “according to the principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship.” A lawyer for the Italian club side said that an appeal might be lodged based on the “excessive” punishment:

“It seems to us a very, very unbalanced sentence. It turns Dida into the protagonist of the incident, whereas the protagonist was someone else, and that's not right from a logical point of view.”

Celtic was not exempt from culpability, however; the club will have to pay a $50,000 fine for lack of security in permitting a fan to intrude during the game.

Was UEFA correct in its punishment? This video of the incident seems to show that while the fan was stupid to enter the pitch Dida overreacted after being touched:

Sources- AFP, Canadian Press, Times Online, The Latin Americanist, YouTube

Daily Headlines: October 9, 2007

*“It's impossible to try to stop (illegal immigration) with a fence,” said Mexican president Felipe Calderon in an interview.

* Could Alberto Fujimori be the first of numerous ex-Latin American leaders to be put on trial for human rights and/or corruption charges?

* Despite heavy religious opposition a Colombian court last week ruled to grant gay couples the same social security rights as straight couples.

* Follow-up: Europe’s governing body on soccer is investigating Brazilian goalkeeper Dida for his theatrics after being touched by a Celtic fan during a Champions League match.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, AFP, Bloomberg, International Herald Tribune, Reuters

Image- MSNBC

Video of the Day: Ouch?!

The following video is of Brazilian goalkeeper Dida who will surely win an Academy Award after his gripping performance in Wednesday's Champions League match. The netminder for AC Milan seemed to be acting a little too much in pain after being lightly slapped by a fan from rivals Celtic.

Perhaps Dida can take some comfort in knowing that the aggressor has received a lifetime ban from all Celtic matches.

(video link):



(Hat tip: Deadspin).

Sources- Deadspin, YouTube, Times Online, Reuters Soccer Blog