The AWOL XI – Footballers Who Go On Strike

Carlos Tevez’s supposed refusal to warm-up whilst as a substitute during Man City’s Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich was the highlight of a miserable week for English clubs in the Champions League.

With fans across the country keen to jump on any sign of disharmony at a club full of inflated egomaniacs who had probably never heard of a Blue team in Manchester until a few years ago, this story was always going to be huge.

Right now, it looks like Tevez’s City career could be over, but you never know with football – this week I’ll be looking at players who have gone on strike and will see whether their actions worked in their favour or not.

The AWOL XI

Goalkeeper

Michael Theokilitos

The kind of players who go on strike are usually egotistical, attention-seeking strikers. So this XI of mine has a particularly attacking formation of 2-4-4. As goalkeepers are often level-headed, modest men, the cases of them striking are few and far between. Michael Theokilitos however failed to show up for Norwich in a Football League Trophy game against Gillingham after making his debut in Norwich’s infamous 7-1 defeat to Colchester United. He was then sold to Brisbane Roar after playing just one game.

After conceding 7 goals in the game he played for Norwich, he surely has the worst ‘goals conceded to games played’ ratio in English football.

Centre Back

William Gallas

According to Chelsea, when the French Sulker decided to leave the club, he hilariously threatened to score own-goals if he was selected to play. Gallas (annoyingly) denied having ever made such a threat, but it would’ve been an amazing thing to see had it actually happened. Thankfully for Chelsea, he was quickly sold to Arsenal as part of the Ashley Cole deal.

Centre Back

Luis Rubiales

You possibly won’t have heard of the retired Spanish defender, yet at the start of the season, as head of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), he was the man who led the Spanish League strikes at the start of the season. According to the AFE, Spanish clubs owe 200 players about €50 Million in unpaid salaries up to the end of the 2010/11 season. Players from La Liga and Liga Adelante were firmly behind Rubiales as the strike lasted 2 weekends, it remains to be seen what has come of the players’ actions, but it at least shows they have the collective power to stand up against dodgy financial dealings in Spain.

Right Midfield

Robinho

When Robinho walked out of Man City’s ‘team bonding’ exercise in Tenerife in 2009, it was a sign that then City manager Mark Hughes’ idea hadn’t quite gone to plan. Robinho decided to go to Brazil for a short break without any permission from the club. This wasn’t the first time it had happened. Whilst at Santos, Robinho decided to runaway when he wanted to play for Real Madrid. Frustratingly, both cases have got Robinho to where he wants to go, and he now resides in Milan, until he decides to pack his bags and be off to somewhere new…

Left Midfield

Hatem Ben Arfa

Despite being highly rated during his career in France, it was clear the French-Tunisian was lacking something in the discipline department. This became clearer than ever when he boycotted Olympique de Marseille training sessions in order to force through a move to Newcastle in 2010. He finally got his move and looked a promising talent for Newcastle until he broke his leg after only a few appearances, I wonder what OM fans thought when they heard the news?

Centre Midfield

Emerson

When Middlesbrough signed the Brazilian without the knowledge of current manager Bryan Robson, things seemed destined for success…

After being relegated and realising that living in Middlesbrough was rubbish, Emerson quickly fell out with his Robson and fled to Brazil and never played again for the Teesside club. Eventually Emerson was sold to Tenerife and the whole situation remains a bit of a mystery to many people.

Centre Midfield

Paul Scholes

Scholes must’ve been rated so highly by Sir Alex Ferguson that he was completely forgiven when he went on strike just before a League Cup game in 2001 after being dropped for a big Premier League match against Liverpool. Scholes has now admitted he completely regrets his actions, and it’s pretty clear he knows he was a lucky boy to avoid following the likes of David Beckham, Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy in expulsion from the Fergie Empire.

Centre Forward

Carlos Tevez

Despite it still being unclear whether or not Carlos Tevez knew anything about his ‘strike’, Roberto Mancini’s post match interview made it incredibly clear that there was no longer a place for Tevez in his team. There’s currently an ongoing investigation, and it seems like the players are edging on Tevez’s side of the story. This could be fascinating, watch this space!

Centre Forward

Dimitar Berbatov

Whilst at Spurs, the Bulgarian refused to warm-up for a game when he found out he was a substitute. At this point it was clear that a move to Man Utd would soon be on its way. It took some time for Berbatov to finally force his way out of White Hart Lane, but eventually got the move sealed on the final day of 2008’s summer transfer window.

Centre Forward

Nicolas Anelka

Despite Anelka being branded as a bit of a sulk throughout his career at all the 86 different clubs he’s played for, his finest moment came during the World Cup when he told France’s stumbling manager Raymond Domenech to ‘Go and get yourself fucked, you dirty son of a whore’. Brilliant. Even better, this lead to the whole France team boycotting training the next day, and their World Cup campaign failed miserably as they finished bottom of their group. Anelka was later given an 18 match suspension, upon hearing of which he claimed to be ‘dying with laughter’, and duly retired from International Football.

Centre Forward

Pierre van Hooijdonk

During the 1997/98 season, the leggy Dutch striker smashed in 34 goals during Nottingham Forest’s successful promotion bid. Unfortunately, the season after, van Hooijdonk was fed up at Forest and put in a transfer request. To his aghast, it was promptly rejected and the sulky striker decided to go on strike from training. He quickly became an unpopular figure at the City ground, with fans booing him and players not celebrating with him. Forest were duly relegated and Hooijdonk cried all the way back home to the Netherlands.

(Translated by Oliver Jay)

(Image Courtesy of Alfonso Jimenez)

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