Frank Lampard wants Chelsea captain John Terry to lift the Champions League trophy. Despite his suspension, shouldn’t he be allowed?
UEFA rules dictate that any suspended player is not permitted to be a part of the Champions League trophy presentation ceremony.
It won’t just be John Terry affected. Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires, and Raul Meireles, all stand to miss out on the biggest moment of their careers.
It will rub salt in the wound for players not able to take part in the match.
Of course there is one major, major, obstacle in Chelsea’s way, Bayern Munich- who have to be favourites to lift the trophy on home turf.
But they too are affected by UEFA’s ridiculous rule.
Three players, David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luis Gustavo also picked up bookings meaning they will miss the final.
This will be even more harsh for the Bayern trio, for if the club win, they will be denied the chance to lift the trophy in their own stadium in front of supporters during the presentation ceremony.
Frank Lampard has today pleaded with UEFA for a re-think, but we can’t see it.
UEFA rules need a big overhaul. Picking up two yellow cards over the knock out rounds can happen far too easily. They should be re-written so that all cards are wiped out ahead of the semi-finals.
Then if a player gets booked in both legs, the suspension can be argued as justified, even though it would still seem harsh.
Now this ruling preventing the suspended players from being part of the presentation ceremony seems simply draconian, uncalled for, and pointless.
The players are already denied from the pinnacle of their career, why not let them at least savour the glory?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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