Much Ado about Nothing

Much has been said about the incident that took place during Saturdays' game between Luisao and Katsouranis. In my opinion, the incident itself, has been made more than what it should. Several newspapers are having a field day with their speculations and rumours about the incident, and what will become of it. Why? -Because talking about Benfica sells newspapers, because making shocking headlines challenges the readers curiosity. The easiest thing to do is to speculate, and lose yourself in "what if"s.

For me, despite being an ugly and embarrasing sitation for all Benfica fans as well as Benfica, what happened is something that is very normal. Who hasn't gotten into it with a co-worker, and did things in the heat of the moment?
What happened on Saturday is a situation that can very much happen at anytime, the attitude that both players had, reflects on how they live the game and how they are passionate in playing for the team.

Camacho did the best thing in taking both players out, and that in itself showed character and authority on his part.
The Club suspended both players pending an investigation, and after hearing both parties, Benfica lifted Luisao's suspension, while Katsouranis remains suspended.
The reasoning here is that Luisao, as a sub-captain, has the right to call someone out on a miscue. On the other hand, Katsouranis' atittude was less than commendable, his reaction had tones of aggressiveness and the gestures that followed ended up being his biggest mistake, leading to heavy punishment.

Benfica's SAD is handling the situation, and i'm predicting that the players' suspension will be lifted this Sunday, exactly one week after it was first imposed. Anything after 1 week will be too much in my opinion. In the meantime the player hasn't been able to train in the clubs' grounds, which i have mixed feelings about.

In today's business world(professional soccer is nothing but a business these days)a suspension sanctioned by your employer means, you stay home without pay. Same situations applies here, but being that being physically fit is one of the most important qualities you can offer your employer, in this case a soccer team, why isn't the player allowed to train in the clubs grounds? Even if it's at a time the team is not on the grounds, that just baffles me. After the players suspension is lifted, it could very well take another week for the player to recuperate game level fitness, isn't that detrimental to the team?

Benfica's strong stance can be interpreted in a few ways, the first one being the most obvious one, there are no stars, the club's authority is the law and every player should follow that law or suffer the consequences. The other way can very much be one of not playing into the player's possible web of deceit. There were talks about the player not being happy and wanting to move on, he arrived late after the x-mas break, in what could have been seen as an act of defiance by Benfica. IF(big if) the player is creating some type of animosity between himself and the club, in order to be sold, Benfica will not fall for that. Katsouranis happens to be one of the clubs most valuable players as far as money goes. The club will not just look to sell the player just because there is animosity, and they are sending the message to the player, and any future plans by any other players, who might try to use the same type of tactics to get out of the club. It pretty much translates to, as long as you are a player under contract you will abide by the club's rules and regulations.

As far as the rumors that have surfaced involving a move to Atletico de Madrid, I feel that they are a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Katsouranis received a wage increase this past September, making him one of the highest paid players on the squad and money is definitely not an issue. Playing time is also not an issue as he is a regular starter, and part of the core of players that make up the Benfica starting 11. In my opinion, with the Euro 08 right around the corner, it would make no sense to transfer to a team where, not only will you have to adapt to your new teammates, but you will also have to compete for a starting spot and earn that spot. Granted Katsouranis is undeniably one of the best players in the Greek squad, and lack of playing would not prevent him from being called up, lack of playing could however, affect the form in which he arrives at this summer's competition, hurting him in the long run.

So, as far as a move is concerned i think it would be dumb on his part. As far as Benfica goes, the player will not go anywhere, and if he does, it will not be below 10mm. But i very much doubt they will let him out, even if it's just reinforce the point that just because you are unhappy, it doesn't mean you could just act out some scheme and the club will let you out.

To finish up, I'm expecting for the suspension to be over this Sunday, as anything past that will provoke some type of unrest by the fans towards Vieira, who already doesn't really sit all that well in the opinions of many. If the suspension does in fact end this sunday it'll just be a very normal situation.
Katsouranis is a valuable part of the squad and is needed by the squad, it would be a shame if the club forgot all the player has given the club, and judge him for his very last action.

On a lighter note - Maybe with Katsouranis out this weekend we could play in a 4-4-2.