da bet esporte： Following this summer’s exhibition of heroes at London 2012, it feels as if the professional footballer has come in for an accelerated amount of criticism in recent weeks.
da bet7： As a wealth of athletes from around the globe threw in a lifetime of hard-work, determination and courage to win a medal, often funded off what many Premier League superstars earn in a week, it’s perhaps understandable that our top flight stars aren’t winning any popularity contests of late.
And seemingly as soon as one makes the case for the defense of a high-profile footballer, low and behold, something comes along to shatter your faith once more. Just under 10 months ago, Everton’s Marouane Fellaini signed a highly lucrative contract to stay at the football club for another five years. A few days ago he decided he’d be off in either January or the end of the season.
Welcome to the world of the 21st century Premier League footballer; where respect and loyalty are bywords for a quick buck and shameless self-promotion.
Everything seemed to be going so well for both Everton and Fellaini this season. A tricky away to defeat to West Brom at the start of the month still can’t take the gleam off superb victories against both Manchester United and Aston Villa in the league, complimented by a 5-0 demolition of Leyton Orient in the League Cup. David Moyes’ side have been industrious, hard working and superb to watch so far and the curly-haired Belgian has been at the heart of this.
So it’s fair to say that Everton fans were in for a rather nasty surprise upon reading Fellaini’s comments when away with the Belgian national team during the international break.
He told Het Nieuwsblad:
“I am just starting my fifth season at Everton. This will be one of my last.
“I have seen everything. In January or at the end of the season I will turn to another club or championship.”
There’s not exactly much room for misinterpretation on this case. Many were shocked, stunned even. This is a man that has reportedly given no indication or shown any desire to leave the blue half of Merseyside at any point in the last twelve months. But a meek and ambiguous statement on his Facebook page seemed to spell things out very clearly indeed, if there was of course any real confusion.
“I was very surprised to read in some newspapers that I will leave Everton very soon and perhaps next January,” he wrote.
“Let me remind you that I am very happy in Liverpool and our start of the championship was good.
“Kevin Mirallas and some other good players joined us to make a better squad. So with Everton, I am ready to play all the season and to reach our goals of this season.”
No denial of his original statement, no sign of commitment to the club past ‘all season’ and absolutely no shame at playing proceedings out in the public eye. Even the most optimistic of supporters would have probably conceded that Fellaini wouldn’t be at Goodison Park by the time his contract expires in 2016; indeed, his talents warrant the chance to play at the very highest level. But there is something awfully unsavoury about both the nature and the timing of these comments.
Even if the Belgian had a burning, desperate desire to leave the club imminently, he owes the fans and especially the manager more respect than what he’s just given them. The only person Fellaini is serving by playing this episode out in public is that of himself – not the club that took the £15million punt on him in the first place or who handed him a reported £75,000-a-week, five year contract less than 12 months ago. Any desire to leave should have been handled behind closed doors and talking to the manager. Not assorted journalists back at home in Belgium.
Again, the timing of the comments make things equally as difficult to understand. The Premier League season has barely begun and Everton are only three games into their new campaign but already, they look set to have to deal with an entire season of speculation surrounding one of their most important players. The only possible effect this is going to have is a detrimental one on the club. Why signal your intentions to quit the club less than 10 days after the transfer window slammed shut?
It may transpire that after a grilling from David Moyes, that Fellaini offers an apology or a more wholesome denial of his intentions to leave. But the secret is already out. No one can expect footballers to keep the guard up 24/7 but the claim is that Fellaini made the original comments to assorted Belgian journalists after training with the national team. If that is the case then it’s a pretty startling display of disrespect for the club and manager that have propelled him to the position of what he’s in today.
Fans aren’t completely naïve to the concept of a footballer’s contract with their club. No one is deluded enough to conclude that because Fellaini signed a contract till 2016 that he is going to fulfil it. But the proximity of the announcement of his desire to leave the club to the singing of such a long-term deal, feel particularly hard to stomach. What exactly has he seen in the last ten months that he hadn’t seen in the three-and-a-half years before?
No one can begrudge his desire to go and play in the Champions League and try and find a club challenging for league honours. But there is a right way of doing it. And to announce it so callously and publically shows a complete lack of respect to the club that made him who he is today. Of course, Everton owe him for his barnstorming performances over the past four years. But not as much as what he owes the football club.
Where they go from here, remains unsure. Fellaini will face some difficult questions in the coming weeks and although a series of great performances on the pitch may appease the club, it will only fuel speculation from circling suitors. Yet 10 months into a five-year contract, Fellaini’s ‘plight’ appears to be another unsavoury chapter in the episode of the Premier League footballer.
How do you feel about Fellaini’s recent comments? A lack or respect to club and manager or a simple reflection of the modern day footballer? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.