Michel Platini faces something of a baptism of fire in his
first month as the president of Uefa after a tumultuous opening
night of Champions League first knockout round matches. Uefas
disciplinary committee is sure to be kept busy by events at the
Félix-Bollaert stadium in Lens and at the Bernabéu in Madrid, as
issues of player discipline and crowd safety came to the
fore.
The most extraordinary scenes were in Lens, where Lille played
Manchester United. After Eric Braamhaar, the Dutch referee, allowed
Ryan Giggss goal to stand, the ensuing kick-off was sent into
touch by Lille and some of their players stormed off the pitch for
several minutes in protest.
The farcical scenes were reminiscent of a match between Kuwait and
France at the 1982 World Cup when Sheikh Fahid al-Ahmad al-Sabah,
the brother of the Emir of Kuwait, ran on to the pitch and ordered
his team off after the referee allowed a dubious France goal to
stand. Curiously, the match official reversed his decision , though
it hardly mattered as France won 4-1.
Uefa is likely to take action against Lille, judging from a
precedent in this competition. In 1990-91, AC Milan were playing
away to Marseilles in the second leg of their European Cup
quarter-final, when, with the French team leading 2-1 on aggregate
and two minutes to go, the floodlights at the Stade Vélodrome
failed. Milan refused to continue when the lighting was restored.
Marseilles were awarded a 3-0 victory and Milan were suspended from
all European competition the following year. While such a harsh
punishment is unlikely this time, the French club look sure to face
at least a fine.
The row followed another, potentially very dangerous, incident when
French police appeared to release teargas canisters in the crowded
stand housing the United supporters. Nobody was hurt, but there are
sure to be calls for an investigation. While police at many
continental grounds are equipped with teargas, they are usually
under instruction to use it only to disperse crowds in extreme
circumstances.
The third incident occurred during Real Madrids 3-2 victory over
Bayern Munich. The Bernabéu crowd had been booing Bayerns Holland
midfield player, Mark van Bommel, who played for Reals arch-rivals
Barcelona last season, for most of the evening. When Van Bommel
scored Bayerns second goal, he celebrated by repeatedly making an
obscene gesture towards the Real supporters.
Platini has pledged to champion sportsmanship and supporters. He
has promised to confront cheating and indiscipline and talked about
the human dimension of the game, railing against
overcommercialisation and the exploitation of fans. Last night
provided plenty for him to sink his teeth into.