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Chelsea’s antics put English football’s global image at risk

Snarling, cynical, provocative. These aren’t the kind of words the Premier League wants associated with its glossy global image, but it’s impossible to deny that Chelsea can sometimes be all those things and more.

Chelsea players surrounded referee Kuipers to get Ibrahimovic (not pictured) sent off, which they succeeded in doing. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Chelsea players surrounded referee Kuipers to get Ibrahimovic (not pictured) sent off, which they succeeded in doing. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Snarling, cynical, provocative. These aren’t the kind of words the Premier League wants associated with its glossy global image, but it’s impossible to deny that Chelsea can sometimes be all those things and more.

Does this in some way damage their glistening brand? This week it did, as the Blues exited the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain amid a chorus of widespread disapproval.

Spoiling for fights, feigning injury, and niggling antagonistically in search of every little advantage, their behaviour was a genuinely unpleasant sight — a nine-man Chelsea committee shamefully swarming around referee Bjorn Kuipers to get Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off, which they succeeded in doing, was the night’s low.

John Terry insists this is “part of the game” and that “everybody does it”. I disagree. Does that make it okay, then? As a former player myself, no. Haranguing a match official with aggression is a form of cheating, just like diving.

Chelsea are not the only perpetrators of football’s dark arts, but it’s a stain gradually spreading its way through all levels of the English game. In the past, we smugly believed we were above such crimes to sportsmanship, pinning all the blame on our European compatriots, but that viewpoint is no longer valid. The Premier League is now a playground for sneaky, calculated misbehaviour.

With a million and one cameras trained on their every move, the modern day footballer knows that if he’s hoodwinked the referee, the TV audience will immediately see what really happened. To be aware of this, and still choose cheating, staggers me.

Maybe I’m out of touch, but pretending to be hurt, choosing to make yourself look soft, is embarrassing. While it may help your team win a match, it doesn’t make it cool.

I am astonished more isn’t done to eradicate such antics. That is why the sooner we fast-track technology such as video replays and TV appeals into football, the sooner these nonsensical episodes will fade away.

I don’t think Jose Mourinho encourages his players to play up. It is his style of management that provokes them into it. He is a man who revels in hostility. He will seek it out, roll around in it like a pig in muck, and use it to forge a siege mentality within his team. There has never been a campaign against Chelsea, but talk like that can inspire players to find the elusive edge every manager seeks to extract. It is manipulative but clever.

While Chelsea are swatting opponents aside with swagger, we don’t notice this side of their make up as much. But right now, they are labouring, which may explain why their dark side has come to the fore. When you aren’t blowing rivals away, every little decision gains importance. To focus on that is a small sign of desperation.

Tomorrow’s encounter with Southampton is hugely important. If they don’t sharpen up their passing and movement, if they don’t play with more positivity and show better concentration levels than they did against PSG, the Saints can shock them. With their stars struggling for inspiration, there’s almost an acceptance that they’ll edge their way to wins instead and that’s a dangerous game to play.

Providing they don’t implode, Chelsea should beat Southampton, and with the chasing pack faltering, they’ll almost certainly win the Premier League too.

But will we remember Mourinho’s class of 2015 with love and affection, and will they be regarded as great adverts for the Premier League? On both scores, I very much doubt it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for publications around the world. Follow him on Twitter @adrianjclarke.

TV Times:

Today:

Crystal Palace v QPR — Singtel TV Ch102 and StarHub TV Ch227, 8.45pm

Leicester v Hull City — Singtel TV Ch103 and StarHub TV Ch228, 10.55pm

Sunderland v Aston Villa — Singtel TV Ch104 and StarHub TV Ch229, 10.55pm

West Bromwich Albion v Stoke — Singtel TV Ch105 and StarHub TV Ch230, 10.55pm

Arsenal v West Ham — Singtel TV Ch106 and StarHub TV Ch231, 11pm

Sunday:

Burnley v Manchester City — Singtel TV Ch102 and StarHub TV Ch227, 1.30am

Chelsea v Southampton — Singtel TV Ch102 and StarHub TV Ch227, 9.30pm

Manchester United v Tottenham — Singtel TV Ch102 and StarHub TV Ch227, 11.55pm

Everton v Newcastle — Singtel TV Ch103 and StarHub TV Ch228, 11.55pm

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