Mikel calls on UEFA to overturn bans

[Lazie]

John Obi Mikel believes UEFA should allow Chelsea's four suspended players to take part in May's Champions League final.

GettyImagesIvanovic and Ramires are suspended for the Champions League final



Chelsea battled against the odds to knock Champions League holders Barcelona out of the competition with a 3-2 aggregate victory on Tuesday, despite being reduced to ten men in the first half at the Camp Nou.
Blues skipper John Terry was handed a straight red card after kneeing Alexis Sanchez, while Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles all picked up bookings that ensured they will also miss the showpiece at the Allianz Arena.
But when asked if he felt his team-mates have been hard done-by, Nigeria international Mikel said: "Yes, the yellow cards should be cancelled going into a final and UEFA should look into that.
"When you get to the final everyone wants to see the best players and it's a shame that JT, Ivanovic, Meireles and Ramires won't play.
"The JT one was soft from what I saw and it was a yellow card. I think Sanchez made the most of it. Alexis did the same to me as well. He got me yellow carded.
"There was a little touch and he rolled on the ground 10 times. He definitely made the most of it. The four players were devastated in the dressing room.
"They're happy for the team but are very disappointed to not be in the final. We will go out to win the trophy for them."
Chelsea will play either Real Madrid of Bayern Munich on May 19. Bayern head to the Bernabeu leading 2-1 after Mario Gomez scored a late winner in the first meeting.

[GazX]

So rewrite the rules just so Chelsea players can tek part in the CL finals.

[Bruce]

Three Bayern Munich players and six Real Madrid players got yellow cards in their first leg match.

[Paul Marin]

I agree with him. The yellow card business is too subjective for my way of thinking...but the red...that's different.

[Mosiah]

Idiotic appeal from...from...Obi One...who is this player, anyway?!?!

[Paul Marin]

Idiotic appeal from...from...Obi One...who is this player, anyway?!?!

Mo - yellows are wiped out in other tournaments after the group stage e.g. at Euro 2012 all yellow cards will be wiped out after the group stage, meaning no-one can miss the final on a three-yellow-card cumulative basis - that's all I think he's saying. I don't think he's advocating for them to be wiped out for this specific finals.

[Lazie]

Mo - yellows are wiped out in other tournaments after the group stage e.g. at Euro 2012 all yellow cards will be wiped out after the group stage, meaning no-one can miss the final on a three-yellow-card cumulative basis - that's all I think he's saying. I don't think he's advocating for them to be wiped out for this specific finals.

Aren't the yellows wiped out in the UCL?
In any case Ramiers picked up a yellow in the last 3 UCL games. (strange)

Ivanovic picked up his 2 yellows after the group stage.

Raul picked up against Benfica and Barca.

So I don't think the UCL is doing anything different. However, if I'm wrong ... point it out.

[Paul Marin]

Aren't the yellows wiped out in the UCL?
In any case Ramiers picked up a yellow in the last 3 UCL games. (strange)

Ivanovic picked up his 2 yellows after the group stage.

Raul picked up against Benfica and Barca.

So I don't think the UCL is doing anything different. However, if I'm wrong ... point it out.

It's not the same: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...in-Munich.html

Relevant bit:

There have also been calls for Uefa to relax its sanction for players who incur a third yellow card at the semi-final stage. In the World Cup, there is an amnesty on bookings collecting up until the quarter-final and In euro 2012, all yellow cards will be expunged after the group stage, meaning no player will miss the final on a three-yellow-card, totting-up basis. A similar system could be introduced in the Champions League.