The Alex Frei spitting affair is getting more ridiculous by the minute... Currently the SFV (Swiss FA) and SRG (National TV Network) are in a confrontation with each other. Both are business partners and have a relationship that goes way back when it comes to the national team. Well, to get to the point, the footage showing the evidence of Frei spitting was found and aired by the SRG. It is needless to say that the SFV feels betrayed and therefore boycotted the SRG all day today during the France game. When asked why the footage was aired, the SRG took the moral high road and mentioned responsability & the right for truth etc. SRG director of sports Urs Leutert even goes as far as saying that Alex Frei was told to lie by members of the SFV. I always thought of Frei as a very honorable and honest person and it wouldn't surprise me if this was actually the case. Frei has yet to make any public statements so we don't know his side of the story yet. What we can say for sure is that if it wasn't for the SRG's involvement, the case would've been closed after the initial ruling by Uefa (that gave Frei the benefit of the doubt.) As it stands Alex Frei is currently looking at a minimum suspension of 5 games, which would put him out of action for half of the WC qualifying games. The reason his sentence would be higher than Totti's (3 games) is because he lied to Uefa about it. I in no way want to defend Frei's action or the possible "advice" he got from the SFV, but I do think it's somewhat questionable how the SRG approached this entire thing. Can you see the same thing happening in Italy, Spain, or some other major football nation? Neither can I.
I think your wrong if you think the media wouldn't report it in England, Spain, or Italy. The media is in the business to making money and getting ratings. All this controversy might not be good for the Swiss team but it is good for the TV station because they got an exclusive. On a more serious situation in the US: CBS televised the Abu Ghraib prison photos even though it probably makes the country look bad to the rest of the world. The media in most countries have become less patriotic in the golden age of the capitalist which we live now. I guarantee you if an Italian TV station found the Totti spitting incident they would have shown it. Controversy is what makes the Italian media tick. They love it.
Yes, you're probably right on the whole controversy angle. What makes it questionable in my eyes is that they "betrayed" their decade long business partner while possibly also hurting their own future ratings. Sure, they got an exclusive and got to play Dr. Moral in front of the whole world, but the truth is that they just put a major dent in our 2006 qualifying chances. The three games in Portugal nearly set new rating records and one would think they would be very happy if they could cover Switzerland again in two years. I also imagine national team sponsors Credit Suisse & Carlsberg aren't thrilled with this, as they pay millions and millions for their rights (and that includes TV spots). PS: There is no way Berlusconi would've aired this footage.
If I were Swiss I would have even more respect now for that station. Because I can trust it will always show truth rather than bow down to their corporate benefactors. The TV station didn't "put a dent into the Swiss's 2006 chances", Alexander Frei did. Please don't blame the wrong people. The media are there to report the news. Frei screwed up. He is the one to blame.
Well, they had their own disgraceful moments in the past - so no, not really. Oh, don't get me wrong. Frei (and possibly his "advisors") are solely to blame for this mess. I'm just pointing out the conflict of interests (while admittedly holding a tiny grudge as a fan.)
This does hamper the WCQ 2006 process, but get it done and lets move on. I think that the longer this drags out, the worse it will be for everyone involved. Did Frei make a mistake, yes. As a Servette fan I hate to see Frei do something like this and not be able to play in the WCQ. But UEFA needs to make a decision so the team knows what it is facing. It is possible that the swiss could have a starting striking tandem from the Dutch league.
Exactly. Would Frei have admitted his mistake right away, he would've been suspended for 2-3 games and the whole thing would be over by now. So far the SFV denies any involvement whatsoever in Frei's lies to Uefa, but several voices claim to know that at least some people knew the truth from the beginning. If someone indeed told him to lie in order to play, that person has to resign immediately - no matter who it is. Alex Frei still hasn't stepped in front of the press yet, so I guess we won't know the entire truth until he does. Unfortunately Uefa won't make a definite ruling until after the final. Only if Kuhn sits down with N'Kufo and decides to bring him back (which I highly doubt.) Speaking of WC qualifying - Celestini has decided to quit the national team after Euro 2004 because he doesn't like being Vogel's backup. A very childish decision by Celestini who never deserved to start based on his performances. Our first and probably only friendly before WC qualifying will most likely be against Northern Ireland (at home) in August...
If Frei didn't spit, he would have a zero game suspension. Is a spitting striker that important to the Swiss game for WC qualifying? I would think he could be replaced.
Frei has become a vital componet in the Swiss attack. As SwissGCZ noted in another thread he was second in the French First Division in goals scored and he only started the second half of the season. He bring a lot on energy and a sniper mentality to the attack. Yes he can be replaced, but the offense is more effective with him. Do I condone his actions, no. Can the Swiss still qualify without him for an extended period of time, yes. Will it be more difficult, yes. This should be an interesting match. Northern Ireland has started to play better, ie they have scored, but the Swiss should be able to use the match to blend the players together.
Ok, the cat is out of the bag now. SFV press secretary Pierre Benoit apparently knew the truth all along and probably had a hand in Frei's initial statements...
An independent investigation has been launched to dissect events that took place on the day of the lie. Should it turn out that there was great involvement by the FA in hiding the truth, Alex Frei's suspension might be reduced to three games. Uefa will make its ruling on July 14th and Alex Frei wants to present his side of the story on that day...
The ruling has been made: Alex Frei will be suspended for three games and will therfore miss the qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Ireland (in addition to the France game in Portugal). There will be no sanctions or investigations against the SFV or any of its officials. Thank god this circus is over.