'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
2017 came with its own package of surprises, disappointments, joys and sorrows. The spectators had mouth-watering clashes to devour in club football, with the shocking World Cup qualifiers providing nail-biting fixtures adding to their excitement on the international stage.
As much exhilarating as it has been, 2017 also witnessed a fair share of controversies. On various accounts, pundits and geniuses found themselves racking their brains over debatable decisions by the referees in different competitions, while the transfer market kicked on as usual with high-profile moves and transfer sagas.
Let's have a glimpse of the top ten controversies we have witnessed this year.
#10 The Romelu Lukaku chant
Belgian powerhouse Romelu Lukaku became an instant hit with the Old Trafford faithful following his move to Manchester United from Everton this summer. As a tribute to his red-hot form in the beginning of the season, the United fans were quick enough to write a song and sing it to the tune of 'Made of Stone' by Stone Roses on several occasions.
First heard during the Champions League fixture against Basel in September, the song was deemed offensive as it referred to the striker's family jewels. The player himself requested the supporters to stop using the chant but his plea fell on deaf ears.
Anti-discrimination squad Kick it Out condemned the behaviour of the fans stating that the song was of a racist and discriminatory nature. They even requested the club to take strict action against the section of fans who were found signing it again in the Southampton fixture two weeks later. The United fans showcased their usual arrogance by singing 'We are Manchester United, we will sing what we want', and continued with the song.
The supporters also denied the organisation's claim that they sang the song in a derogatory manner. Premier League legends Ian Wright and Paul Ince were seen backing the supporters, stating that it was a situation where the fans got 'carried away' rather than being racist towards the Belgian.
As of late, the controversial tune seems to have died out with no news regarding the matter.
Also read: 10 most controversial football matches of all time
#9 The Manchester Derby brawl
The post-derby altercation between Manchester United and Manchester City is the latest controversy to hit the football world this year. It might probably be the last if the El Clasico is played in a peaceful manner.
The Citizens outplayed the Red Devils in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford and extended their lead to 11 points at the top of the table. While City's unbeaten run emerged unscathed, the Blues were accused of showing lack of respect following their exuberant celebrations in the visitors dressing room.
As reported by the English tabloids, Jose Mourinho initiated the spat after asking the City players to keep their music volumes down and show some respect. Later, he clashed with shot-stopper Ederson, which started a fracas in the corridors. Following his intervention, the United manager had bottles of milk and water thrown at himself by the visitors.
Marcos Rojo then got involved followed by Romelu Lukaku and the arguments resulted in a 30-man brawl. Mikel Arteta, one of Pep Guardiola's assistant coaches ended up with a cut and blood oozing out of his face as the chaos dispersed.
Following the ruckus, Guardiola hit back at Mourinho's claim regarding the behaviour of his players. According to him, his boys had done nothing wrong as they were celebrating in the dressing room, by staying inside their limits.
Both clubs are waiting for results, with the FA currently examining the matter.
#8 Spain's World Cup shirt
Earlier in November, Spain's World Cup kit caused an angry outburst from a certain amount of people in the country. Apparently, some people are reluctant to see the players donning the colours that remind them of a troublesome past.
Apparel maker Adidas revealed the nation's World Cup shirt, a tribute to the kit the Spaniards wore in the 1994 World Cup. The kit boasts the usual red colour along with stripes of red, blue and yellow diamonds on the right.
However, it's the blue colour that has caused the problem. The kit is said to resemble the 1994 kit, but the blue colour looks more like purple, according to some citizens in the country.
Apparently, the combination of red, yellow and purple represents the Second Republic of Spain which lasted from 1931 to 1939. Firm non-believers of the monarchy were a part of the Republic and it was in this tenure that the Spanish Civil War took place. In the aftermath of war, Francisco Franco becoming the dictator of Spain until his death in 1975.
The Spanish FA and Adidas have denied having any political intention behind the shirt design. According to them, and as a common knowledge, any shade of blue on red is bound to give an effect of purple.
However, the irked citizens have refuted the science of colours and are of the opinion that the shirt represents the nation in more of an anti-monarchist way. Also, with the Catalan Referendum going on in Spain, the kit has further infuriated Catalonians.
Regardless of the controversy, the associations have stated that Spain will be using the kit as it is. As a result, it has incurred the wrath of some citizens, who have even wished the La Roja to get eliminated in the first round itself!
#7 The Conte-Costa Controversy
Spanish striker Diego Costa was the spearhead as Chelsea hustled to win back the Premier League title from Manchester City in 2017. However, few could have predicted the ways in which he said goodbye to the club.
Antonio Conte had already made up his mind on selling the player back in January this year, given his increasingly edgy behaviour at the club. Things took a turn for the worse when Costa refused to be a part of the training sessions in Chelsea's pre-season tour.
Further fanning the fire, the Spaniard revealed a message Conte had sent him.
Hi Diego, I hope you are well. Thanks for the season we spent together. Good luck for the next year but you are not in my plan.’
The texted message proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the striker's relationship with the manager.
Costa also claimed that he was treated like a criminal; a statement to which Antonio Conte burst out with hysterical laughter in a press conference. Apparently, what angered the striker was the way in which the Chelsea boss axed him - with a message on a phone instead of having a face-to-face talk.
In the aftermath, he secured a move back to Atletico Madrid but was ineligible to play for them, given their transfer ban until 2018. He will start playing regularly from January.
Chelsea brought Alvaro Morata as a replacement for him, but there's no doubt the Blues still miss the brilliance of the 29-year-old.
#6 USA's World Cup woes
The 2018 World Cup qualifiers stunned the world with its shocking results as regular contestants Italy and Netherlands failed to make it to the final 32 list. The United States of America was also one of those nations, who failed to qualify for the first time since 1986. But it seems like the States fell prey to bad luck than to a lack of quality football.
After 9 matches played, the USA were placed third with 12 points and were in contention to qualify, while Panama sat fourth with 10 points under their belt. However, the latter's controversial ghost-goal against Costa Rica in the final group stage game became the reason for USA's exit.
Costa Rica were 1-0 up, but Gaby Torres' effort to force the ball through after levelling with the ground saw Panama being granted the goal. They scored a winner in the 87th minute to book a seat in the World Cup.
Their equalizer, however, became the centrepiece of controversy after further investigation revealed that the ball hadn't crossed the line and the decision was another mistake of the naked eye. Had the goal been denied, USA would have qualified, but they had lost 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago in their final group stage fixture. With the win, Panama moved ahead with 13 points to USA's 12-point haul.
The controversial decision indirectly affected USA's World Cup chances and also became one of the staunch reasons why the football world needs the goal-line technology in all the competitions as soon as possible.
#5 The Neymar-Cavani bust-up
Following his world record move to Les Parisiens, it took Neymar just a month to get involved in a squabble with one of the club's stars, Edinson Cavani.
Pitted against Lyon in a league fixture in September, the forwards were seen bickering with each other over a free-kick and a penalty. Dani Alves interfered during the free-kick argument between the two and was misinterpreted about siding with his countryman.
The Brazilian who appeared to support Neymar by blocking Cavani from taking the ball, later found himself embroiled in a war of words with Diego Forlan. Although, he did clear it up saying his intention was to take the set-piece himself. In the end, it was Neymar who took the free-kick.
In the second half, the pair clashed again over a penalty, with Cavani taking the shot from twelve yards. The Uruguayan, however, missed it, much to everyone's dismay. Though PSG bagged the three points with a 2-0 win (thanks to the two own goals), the bust-up between the two superstars continued to get worse in the dressing room, where they had to be separated from each other.
Rumours over a Cavani exit were quick to surface in France. Coach Unai Emery later stated that he had asked the pair to sort out the dispute between themselves. He also named Cavani as the first choice set-piece taker in an attempt to avoid such embarrassing scenes in the future.
Four months later, it doesn't look like the bust-up has affected PSG's performances, does it? The duo along with Kylian Mbappe is firing on all cylinders and have emerged as one of the favourites to win the Champions League this season.
#4 The most expensive transfer in history
PSG stunned everyone in August when they signed the mercurial Neymar Da Silva for a mammoth €222 million fee. As if that wasn't enough, Les Parisiens delivered yet another shocker with Kylian Mbappe's clever acquisition on loan this summer, showing the world that they mean serious business.
The gigantic sum involved in Neymar's transfer raised doubts whether the club had adhered to UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. The FFP allows any club to spend only a considerable amount more than what they have earned in a year.
Managers like Brendan Rogers, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp slammed the UEFA for allowing the transfer to go through while accusing Paris Saint Germain of financial doping.
According to the Football Money League in 2017, PSG have a commercial income over €300 million. Considering the amount they spent, it is vital for the club to have such an income to avoid breaching the FFP rules. But, this means their commercial income for a year is greater than Real Madrid, which is regarded as the richest club in the world.
How can that be possible for a club which has never won a Champions League and isn't as famous as heavyweights like Barca, Manchester United or Real Madrid?
Regarding their claim of being better earners than the Los Blancos, La Liga chief Javier Tebas stated as follows:
"PSG accounts reflect that they have more commercial income than Real Madrid, which is to say that their brand value is bigger. Well, that is impossible."
In a reply, French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet argued,
"There is a bit of jealousy. In the big boys' playground, it's a bit difficult for them to accept a little newcomer."
In conclusion, considering the insane amount of money involved for a single player, there appears to be a dire need for UEFA to rework on the FFP in order to avoid such controversial moves in the future.
#3 Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: A fixture to forget
Real Madrid were definitely the team to beat last season, but they certainly weren't invincible. Bayern Munich came close to eliminating the Los Blancos but for a fixture marred with erroneous decision-making.
To start with, Real Madrid took to the Bernabeu as the leaders, after defeating Die Roten 2-1 at the Allianz in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. In the second leg, however, Bayern fell prey to some terrible refereeing which denied them a chance to advance to the semi-finals.
To start with, Robert Lewandowski was wrongly called offside even after being followed in line by left-back Marcelo. The Pole was robbed of a clear goal-scoring opportunity since he was one on one with the goalkeeper at that juncture.
Next, it was Arturo Vidal's turn to suffer. The Bayern midfielder was awarded a second yellow for his tackle on Marco Asensio, although he had made contact with the ball first while the young Spaniard went to the ground.
That looked unjustified since referee Viktor Kassal had turned a blind eye towards Casemiro's horrendous challenge on Arjen Robben. A booking would have meant a red card for the Brazilian as he had already received a yellow card before.
Then, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who walked away with an offside goal in the first half of extra time. The linesman again failed to make the right call despite having a clear view of the goal.
As if that wasn't enough, the Portuguese forward outraged the Germans once again. Marcelo cut through Bayern's defence and with Neuer coming forward, he passed the ball to Ronaldo, who sent the ball into the empty net. However, the entire Bayern defence was behind him when he scored the goal, putting him clearly in an offside position. Real won the game 4-2 at the end of extra-time.
Thus, a hapless Bayern Munich crashed out in the quarter-finals when they could have easily gone through, if not for the careless officiating by the referees. Certainly, it might have been painful for them to see Real Madrid successfully lifting the title.
#2 The fixture behind closed doors
Mes Que Un Club. More than a club. For many, Barcelona isn't just a footballing institution, but a symbol and identity of the Catalonian culture. It has always claimed to stand by its people whenever in need. However, the events of October 1 raised questions regarding the club's principles and values.
October 1 was the day when people voted for Catalonia's independence from Spain. The voting day had already led to violence in different parts of the region. FC Barcelona weren't spared either, as they received threats of a planned pitch invasion in their league fixture with Las Palmas.
Initially, the La Liga rejected Barcelona's request to postpone the game amid the referendum movement, further deeming them liable for a six-point penalty (three for forfeiting the game and three as penalty).
Back then, quitting the game would have meant a spiral down to the sixth place; two points behind rivals Real Madrid. Also, the refusal to play would have seen their superb league start go in vain.
The league's refusal to accept Barca's request also saw Javier Tebas, the head of La Liga at the end of criticism.Tebas, a well-known Real Madrid fan, received a stick for not agreeing to Barca's demand amid the tumultuous times in the city.
As an act of protest amid attempts by the Spanish government to halt the referendum, the club decided to go on with the match behind closed doors just fifteen minutes from the kickoff.
Outside the stadium, the police exerted brute force over angry supporters to stop them from storming in the Nou Camp. Several supporters were injured in the skirmish that followed.
In the aftermath, many questioned the club's best interests through their famous motto and criticized the club for going on with the game. What was more important? The six points or the decision to stand by its people?
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo's red card fiasco
The El Clasico has always witnessed angry outbursts, thanks to the storied and fierce rivalry between them. After Lionel Messi invited controversy with his taunting celebration by taking off his shirt and displaying it before the Real Madrid crowd, it was Cristiano Ronaldo's turn to return the favour. However, the match didn't end as happy as he would have liked.
The Portuguese talisman imitated the Argentinian's celebration after scoring a wonder goal on a counter-attack. He was rightfully booked by the referee for taking his shirt off. Two minutes later, CR7 went down to the ground after a challenge by Samuel Umtiti.
The referee, much to the dismay of Real Madrid, accused Ronaldo of diving and brandished a second yellow card. Infuriated by the decision, the 32-year-old shoved the referee which resulted in a calamity for him.
Real Madrid won 3-1 but Ronaldo faced a five-match ban which included missing the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
An outraged Zinedine Zidane hinted an appeal following the red card while Sergio Ramos fired shots at the wrong decision-making of the referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. The Spanish defender pointed out Luis Suarez's alleged dive that won Barcelona a penalty in the fixture as worthy of a booking, simultaneously defending his teammate in the process.
The aftermath of his ban saw Cristiano Ronaldo go through the most torrid time of his career in front of the goal. The once mighty forward became a subject of countless jokes and trolls as he notched the worst goal conversion rate in Europe's top five leagues.
As the first La Liga El Clasico of the season largely looms at the Bernabeu, let's pray that the unpleasant memories of the past don't haunt him.
Also read: 5 players whose careers have been plagued by off-field controversy
