John Terry can lift Champions League trophy if Chelsea win final Suspended Chelsea captain John Terry would be allowed to lift the Champions League trophy if his side defeat Bayern Munich in the final on 19 May, Uefa has confirmed to BBC Sport. Terry is banned for the final after being sent off for violent conduct in the semi-final second leg against Barcelona at the Nou Camp. He appeared to knee Alexis Sanchez off the ball shortly before half-time. Uefa's rules only prevent suspended players from sitting on the bench. Terry will have to watch the final from the stands, along with Raul Meireles, Ramires and Branislav Ivanovic, all of whom are suspended after being booked against Barcelona. Bayern's Luiz Gustavo, David Alaba and Holger Badstuber will also miss out after being shown yellow cards in Wednesday's win over Real Madrid. It has emerged that Uefa is considering reviewing the yellow card system that has ruled six first-choice players out of the final. At Euro 2012, only players sent off in the quarter-final or semi-final will be banned from the final in Kiev. It is thought a similar system could be used in the Champions League in future. However, European football's governing body insists any change is highly unlikely to come in time for this season's final. Did you know? In 1999, when Manchester United won the Champions League, captain Roy Keane was suspended for the final. The man who lifted the trophy was stand-in skipper Peter Schmeichel, playing in his final game for the club. International players' union FIFPro has called on Uefa to show leniency. Simon Barker, a spokesman for FIFPro, said: "Anybody committing a serious offence in the semi-final should be awarded a red card and miss the final, but the offences that result in a yellow card do not justify the serious punishment of missing the match of your life. "Some people say this will give players the licence to kick all and sundry during the semi-final, but that is utter nonsense. "Any serious offence will result in a red card and that still means exclusion from the final. "I am against this rule that two yellow cards and you miss the final because there are not many times in your life you get to the final and it's time to think about this." Fifa changed its rules for the 2010 World Cup to provide an amnesty after the quarter-finals to ensure no player could miss the final through a booking in the last four. If Uefa was to follow suit, the Club Competitions Committee would have to propose the rule change. Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt has warned against a change, though. "There are some cynical yellow cards that deserve a ban," he told BBC Sport. "If a lad is running through in his own half and he is checked - that's a cynical yellow card. I think they should pick a committee of ex-players around Europe who have been in that situation who can tell. "If players are missing the ball by half a second and they are going to miss the biggest games of their lives then that is very harsh.
Biggest problem is sorting out the refereeing, and this needs to be done with tecknology. There is a world of difference between kneeing someone in the back off the ball as Terry did which deserves a red and missed final, and for example the mild touch Derry gave Young and got a red for, Derry should never have missed the final (nice dream to see him there!) but Young certainly should have!
Introducing a sin bin would remove all controversy about yellow vs red cards. 'Professional' or repetitive infingements should result in 10 or 15 minutes in the bin (or a 1 match ban if it occurs in the last 15 minutes). Serious foul play should be a sending off as now. In both cases video technology could be used by a further official to reinstate a player if it showed a mistake had been made. Videos should also be used retrospectively for serious foul play of course. The dinosaurs at FIFA have only been considering this kind of stuff for 20 years so don't expect any change soon.
What does it matter? Who's to say Chelsea will even win it anyway? Massive underdogs against a superior Bayern side. Roy Keane was allowed to lift it in 1999 so I don't see the problem with it.
I'd like it if he wasn't allowed to be in the stadium. I'd like it even more if he missed the plane to the Euro finals, as he is a liability. If we go on retrofitting rules and laws to make exceptions for individuals, UEFA / FA/ FIFA run the risk of losing my respect........sorry, didn't think that through properly.
I'll have to clarify Exactly, this is a lose-lose situation. IMO lifting it would just be a consolation, the real winners are the 11+ subs that played. I'd also include Ramires, Meireles and Ivanovic in that as well. But there is the small matter of winning it and nobody (including myself) would be surprised if Bayern won it.
None of this would be an issue if the police and CPS hadn't bowed to pressure and put off Terry's trial.
"It has emerged that Uefa is considering reviewing the yellow card system that has ruled six first-choice players out of the final. At Euro 2012, only players sent off in the quarter-final or semi-final will be banned from the final in Kiev. It is thought a similar system could be used in the Champions League in future." If this happens then it is yet another example of big club/star power/TV spectacle winning the day over what is actually right. By all means have a speedy appeals process with the power to rescind player penalties on a case-by-case basis. But to work towards an environment whereby the star players automatically have their cards rescinded is nothing more than a cynical move to ensure full-strength sides appear in the final to optimise the overall spectacle and TV "draw". It's crap, isn't it? You simply wouldn't (and don't) have the same leniency shown to so-called lesser clubs. The Chelsea Six and their successors understand the rules. If they pick up cards that prevent them appearing in the final, then that's their problem. Bunch of ****ing arseholes. Grrrrrrrrr.
It's not happening in time for this year but they are reviewing it as they should do in my view. I can't see why picking up only 3 yellow cards in a maximum of 12 games should rule you out of the biggest game of your career bar none. They can't and shouldn't change it now, but it should definitely be taken into consideration for the future. If nexts season's final is Madrid vs Barca it would be in the best interests of everybody for both teams to be at full strength. Football is after all a form of entertainment.
I'm aware it's not happening this year, DL, and am not the least bit surprised that you'd take a contrary view (as is your prerogative). If football simply boils down to being a form of entertainment, then why not do away with suspensions altogether?
I think it's unnecessarily punitive. In theory you can get three yellows in a dozen games and be suspended, which isn't right, especially given how easy it is to get booked nowadays. A yellow in each semi, a red in the second leg or a larger number of cards throughout knockout stages, so it's a level playing field for teams coming in at different times, should be what it takes to miss the final.
No, don't get me wrong for what it's worth I support the rule. Rules are in place for a reason and as I said on the Chelsea board it's to stop things like cynical fouling, time wasting, prolonged celebrations etc. I support the rule but I do think that changing it is definitely something UEFA should consider or at least reviewing each case individually when players are suspended i.e have a panel. Take David Alaba for instance, who slipped and in midair the ball was kicked into his arm, now unlike the other bookings that was totally out of his control and most would agree was never a pen in the first place. He will now miss the biggest game of his club career for something he couldn't do anything about. It's people like him I think UEFA need to consider as well as Darren Fletcher in 2009 because incidents like theirs are not at all subjective.
As I said before, why not simply do away with suspensions? Actually seems to me to only benefit later opposition. Taking the argument a tad "off piste"... Take the Suarez racism incident and the 8-game ban. Sure, Liverpool suffered as a consequence of this, but the 8 teams that 'Pool played benefited from his absence. And this was pure luck as a consequence of the fixture list. Of course, it's different in a knockout competition, I grant you. But if football boils down to entertainment only (which perhaps it should) then shouldn't teams be permitted to field their strongest available side at all times?
I think I dealt with this by saying "...by all means have a speedy appeals process with the power to rescind player penalties on a case-by-case basis."
I hear you but there has to be some deterrent. It's not perfect but you can't just give players carte blance to get sent off and have no consequences.
Clearly anything but a Chelsea fan, but are those players mentioned banned just for picking up a single yellow? Or an accumulation? If its a single yellow then that sounds bloody harsh, especially with the way they are dished out like smarties.
