The Kaka to Manchester City saga, which ran for days,
ended in mere seconds after AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi
declared his prize asset to be unsellable - but the fall-out from
this is set to run and run.
Indeed, the media circus is likely to continue long, long into the
night, as remonstrations from both ends of Europe - north and south
- rage on.
But when the deal collapsed at first, it looked as though that
consummate media mogul - Silvio Berlusconi - had orchestrated the
whole event for the benefit of him and his club.
Three Cheers For Berlusconi
Here's what happened: various Italian TV channels explained that a
deal had been agreed between Manchester City and Milan: Garry Cook,
Bosco Leite and Milan representatives had signed, sealed and
delivered the technicalities. All that was needed was Kaka's
signature...
... But, journalists (such as those on Sky Italia - a
non-Berlusconi company, by the way) intoned, there could be another
amazing development. If Silvio Berlusconi himself wishes to block
the deal, he can still do so.
Five minutes elapsed and then - surprise, surprise! - none other
than Silvio Berlusconi himself surfaces to hoist up the barricades,
declare that Kaka is going nowhere, and that the "extraordinary
boy" was overjoyed to be a part of his Milan family.
"Kaka is unsellable, and will not leave Milan," he boomed to Il
Proceso di Biscardi - a show hosted by a famous, loved-by-all
journalist - and the subtext was clear: Silvio had made this
happen. From "probably sellable" to "unsellable" in just a few
days, the patron had had a massive change of heart, and couldn't
allow his beloved Milan to suffer.
Of course, Berlusconi's more expansive speech - which helpfully
followed just minutes later - was far more ambiguous. "Not only is
money not everything to him, he is happy to stay at Milan with all
his friends," he simpered. Hmm - now it looks like it was partially
Kaka's decision to stay, or at least the Brazilian had gratefully
given his approval to Berlusconi's decision. (Probably the latter,
in fact.)
But up in Manchester, a very slightly different story was
brewing...
Fine, Then - We Didn't Want A Deal Anyway!
Mere minutes after this impassioned
announcement from Silvio Berlusconi, Manchester City said that it
was in fact they who called off the deal. Silvio,
schmilvio - the Citizens had cancelled the whole thing due to a
disagreement over terms with Milan.
Now, in saying this, they were not directly contradicting
Berlusconi. After all, Berlusconi's "unsellable" motto would hint
at his not playing ball at all. But City implied from their words
on their official site that there were, in fact, productive talks
that reached a mature stage before their falling through.
Said Garry Cook: "Whilst Manchester City Football Club has an
obvious interest in world class players of the quality of Kaka, we
owe it to our fans that such a transfer must work on every level;
commercially, financially, in terms of results on the field and
within Manchester City's broader community."
This implies that there was at least something in the talks, and
that City took the high road and bailed before things went too far;
quite from Berlusconi marching into the meeting room, slamming his
hands on the table, and issuing a negative bark, this gives the
image that City stood up, shook hands, and parted on positive
terms.
Fight Them On The Beaches
So, two conflicting accounts of events, and two
similar - but slightly different - takes on how things broke
down.
But let's look at this objectively for a moment. The two
conclusions, while both stating that a breakdown in agreement
between the two clubs was the deciding factor, are designed to make
the two clubs look as good as possible. That's no surprise in and
of itself: no organisation wants to come out of a transfer saga
looking foolish.
But that they came out tonight with such a dramatic anticlimax -
what a contradiction in terms! - was very convenient when one
remembers that this was, according to the Italian press as early as
the weekend - "Kaka's D-Day".
In other words, a lot of sources in the media seemed to know a lot
about this evening's meetings before they happened, and the
conclusion was well-timed. That Berlusconi appeared on TV mere
minutes after it was said that only he could intervene, again,
appears convenient. In other words, a lot of these little dramas
from Monday night look as if they might be stage-managed.
Milan's official website even thanked their dear Silvio before Kaka
himself when confirming their talisman would be staying with the
club. "00:16: Our Ricky stays with us," read a statement. "It's the
only thing that matters. The love of the Milanisti has won. Thank
you, president! Thank you, Kaka! Forza Milan!" Kaka himself said,
"Not even for 30 seconds did I think about leaving Milan." If the
man in question wasn't even considering the move, what took so long
for negotiations to draw to a close? Perhaps it was all part of the
time...
But still, it needs to be said that this was perhaps the most
intriguing transfer saga of January, and one with what is at least
ostensibly a heart-warming ending. Regardless of the media
machinations of the club, the visions of Kaka holding up a Milan
shirt and then clapping along with the gathered Milan fans outside
his own home, and then pumping his heart, will linger long
in the memory. That isn't something that's just put on for the
cameras, surely, even if his paymasters and would-be new bosses
might have done it differently were they in his shoes.
