We can all live with the occasional mischief on the pitch

An expensively assembled bunch of thugs! That’s how one renowned football pundit described Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the wake of a tumultuous ending to the Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg fixture between the La Liga title holders and English champions Manchester City mid last week in the Spanish capital.

Ironically, as another pundit observed, at the end of the game, Atletico’s painful exit from the tournament notwithstanding, the magnificently-built 68,000 capacity Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to a man – and woman and child – rose to its feet, singing, clapping and chanting Simeone’s name, like he is some sort of a Messiah.

Yet, to put everything into perspective, it is retired Frenchman and former Arsenal talisman, Thierry Henry, who on a different panel summed it up perfectly.

And this what he said: “Everybody has his own style. You don’t have to like it, you have to respect it. I respect what Simeone has done. To be able to win two (La Liga) titles (2014 and 2021) between Real Madrid and Barcelona in their prime and to get to the Champions League final twice (2014 and 2016) is outstanding… this is why I think they (the fans) were applauded him.”

Those were the expert views on the match which made more news for what happened towards and in the tunnel as the adrenaline-charged players lunged at each other while hurling objects and trading assaults.

'Boring contest'

Atletico’s underhand tactics may not have won them many admirers, but from an entertainment point of view, the mass player brawl on the pitch and Felipe’s subsequent sending off for that cynical foul on Phil Foden is what belatedly breathed life into what had until that point been a boring contest.

Forget about all the harsh criticism from the analysts about the conduct of Atletico players, football, like all modern sports, is showbiz. 

A little bit of drama and a twist in the tale is what makes value for the money that the fans pay for the tickets.

The drama and chaotic scenes towards the end of that match and after the final whistle more than made up for the more than 80 minutes of dull football that the fans had been subjected to.

True, the conduct of Atletico players can at best only be termed as unruly, but there was no significant harm done to anyone, not even to the 'badly' stricken Foden.

And so longer nobody gets hurt we can all live with measured doses of such harmless scuffles on the pitch, once in a while.

Why do you think the annual off season Koth Biro tournament has over the years remained a big attraction for football fans in Nairobi? Yes, there is the football bit, which by no means qualifies to be classified as high quality.

The insane misdeeds of some players and match officials often make for a bigger spectacle at Zawani grounds.

And the fans generally don’t mind it, so long as these minuscule confrontations don’t degenerate into full-blooded conflicts and everybody gets home safely.  

My verdict on Atletico Madrid and their feisty coach? Love them or hate them, the siege mentality that El Cholo has indoctrinated on his players always brings out some extra special during such big matches. Personally, I don’t mind it.