He's looking rather Mel Gibson, isn't he? Probably all angst-y that he's named Walter. Not exactly the sexiest name for a 'baller, is it?
Well, looks like Osasuna’s Padiani couldn’t keep his big mouth shut again. (Should we sent hitman Ozi after him?) Read on to see the crap he’s been spewing…
Walter, Walter, Walter…sigh. What crawled up your ass and died? I mean, it’s not *our* fault that Osasuna is 16th in the La Liga table or that until Sunday, you’ve had an eight game losing streak, now is it? You would think you would be happy, nay, THRILLED that you managed to beat Real Madrid. Think how humiliating it was for us. That alone should keep you glowing with joy and warm at night. But no, you just cannot let it go, can you? You have an orangish, overly gelled bee in your bonnet and it’s name is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Crissy was (rightfully) bitching to Marca about the recent actions of La Liga fans and calling for FIFA to fine them citing the incidents in Sevilla and Osasuna. (Which, seriously? Fair enough. This is getting out of hand. How long is it going to continue without someone getting really hurt? Also, it really is ruining games, in my humble opinion. If I wanted to see games constantly stopped and the ball in play only 11 minutes out of every hour, I’d watch American football, thank you very much)
I can only assume that this is what set Walter off on his little verbal tangent.
So Walter took it upon himself to whine about Crissy in a press conference and said that he was “cocky.” Well, duh, Walter, we ALL know that. But seriously, shut up already. He said that Cristiano had “a screw loose” and that CR “…is the one who creates all problems, every weekend, and should be penalised.” Um, er, what?! From where I sit every weekend (at the bar, pint in hand), it seems like it’s always open season on Ronaldo. Love or hate him, he’s a great player and that makes him a constant target. He eats more turf on a weekly basis than I consume Ben & Jerry’s while PMSing and honey, that is a lot. Walter claims that Crissy started it by asking him what his salary was and Walter replied that he had won more trophies than CR7. Really, boys? This is what you were fighting about? I can’t imagine that Cristiano would want to know or even cares about Walter’s salary, but if he did say that, it was a douchey dig. But Walter getting all macho with his “I have more trophies than you” and his clenched fist aggression is equally lame. Ugh. Men. Machismo can be so boring sometimes. (Is it wrong that I would rather see some hot ‘ballers playing some beautiful footy than listen to this sort of wank? If so, I don’t want to be right.) Anyhow, here is his bitchfest in all its pouty-baby glory. Maybe if he had a hot Russian model girlfriend and an underwear campaign, he’d be a tad less grumpy?
The Patron Saint of all Real Madrid news, unamadridista is reporting that Osasuna was fined only 602 Euros for throwing the balls onto the pitch (See item number seven in this news update). 602 Euros. Insult to injury, from what I gleaned from reading various footy forums, apparently Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido said that if their club was fined any more than 600 Euro for the bottle that hit Iker, that he would protest the decision. How obnoxious! I think that most people would agree that injuring a player with a thrown object deserves a much higher fine than balls thrown on the pitch that disrupted play but caused no physical harm.
This is not the first time that Osasuna’s fans have been out of control but they have been fined much more stiffly in the past. In 2006, Iker was hit in the head with a lighter thrown by a fan. The club was fined 3,000 euros and were told that if the incident were repeated that the stadium would be closed for at least one game.
In 2007, Osasuna was fined 45,000 Euros by the UEFA for “serious deficiencies in the organisation” of a game against the Scottish Premier League’s Rangers “as well as for the improper conduct of their supporters.” The Rangers were fined 12,000 Euros for the incident.
So what’s different now? Have things just become more lax all up in the Spanish Football Federation? Is this sort of behavior considered borderline acceptable or are they just too lazy to strongly crack down? Is it because these transgressions are being directed at Real Madrid? Does that somehow make it okay because we’re some sort of “big bad” for La Liga? There’s a ridiculous inconsistency in how we are treated at times. We’re painted as the whiny little bitches when we complain, but there really does seem to be a double standard when it comes to Los Blancos.
If it’s any consolation, for the most part, people were on our side about Osasuna’s unsporting behavior. Most blog comments were of the “I hate Real Madrid, but this was bullshit and Osasuna should be heavily fined” variety. (Cold comfort, I know but…)
Let’s hope poor Iker’s noggin isn’t molested again today and that we get a good clean game with great football – a game that we win by a large ass margin.
The game against Sevilla promises to be a very intense one but we’ve all the skill in the world and we can win this one. It would be nice to serve up defeat on a platter to a team that was disrespectful and callous to both the beautiful game and a national hero.
See you back here soon(ish) with a post-match breakdown.
Update: Just found this article with more whining by Walter. His nickname is “The Rifle?” Sorry, hon, you’ll always be Walter to me. Anyhow, this quote really stuck out:
“Barcelona, they are a team of people. Madrid footballers do not deserve such treatment, but pay for the follies of others. Madrid is paying for Cristiano’s cocky attitude.”
Wow. Just wow.
Of Headbands and Heartbreak
watishistacorrespondents
They’d better leave Iker alone! I don’t want to have to go to Spain solely to smack down anyone who messes with him. Wait a sec…
Seriously, fan behavior has been crap the last couple of games. If you don’t want to see football played, go watch a movie instead of going to the stadium to throw things and ruin everyone else’s enjoyment. It seems bizarre that fines have to be levied to get people to understand that.
I can understand loving your team, I can understand the passion and fire and wanting them to win. I cannot understand throwing things on to the field (which could also hit or trip your own players). I cannot understand repeateedly throwing balls onto the pitch to screw up another team’s attack and then thinking that your win was deserved. Osasuna ruined at least 2 good chances we had to score. The ball throwing had a direct impact on the game. 602 Euro is not enough of a fine. If the situation was reversed, Real would be fined into the stratosphere.
Hell, it was only back in December that the UEFA fined Real Madrid €120,000 and Mou was fined €40,000 with a two match suspension over the incident vs. Ajax where it was alleged that he conspired with Xabi Alonso & Sergio Ramos to get them sent off so that they could face the Champions League knockout phase with a clean disciplinary slate.
Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were fined €20,000 each and suspended for a match, Iker Casillas was fined €10,000 and Jerzy Dudek was fined €5,000 for passing the message on to the players.
How did they get sent off? “Blatant time wasting” Oh, I see. That’s a MUCH greater sin than injuring players and screwing with the flow of the game. (I’m sorry, taking a minute to adjust one’s socks is not screwing with the flow of the game, in my opinion). I guess it would have been better if they made a nasty tackle and risked injurying another player. That would have been a *much* better way to get sent off. ::rolls eyes::
Real’s fine was reduced to €100,000 eventually and Mou’s to €30,000 with a one game suspension. The player fines stayed the same.
Get a grip, Spanish Football Federation. Sack up and make these clubs pay.
Oh, and does it really matter whose salary is bigger? We all know it’s about who’s prettier.
Yeah, you only need to scroll to the top of the page to know who is going to win *that* contest. Poor Walter. He’s not an unattractive guy, he just comes off as a mean and spiteful tool with an anger management problem. Crispy definitely has his moments of douchebaggery, but one cannot deny that he sure is purty.