Dida, the delicate petel who can’t survive a slap to the cheek, has been banned for two Champions League games by Uefa. We all know the incident and how it transformed Dida from dodgy keeper to absolute embarresment in one fall to the floor, but is this punishment just?
Celtic have been fined £25,000 and the happy slappy fan has been banned for life from Celtic games (some would say that is less a punishment and more a relief, arf arf arf). Surely that is a much worse punishment than being paid for sitting in the a stands at the San Siro.
It is of course football’s way to get on its pompous high-horse when a fan attempts to get near a highly paid footballer. Last season Jamie Redknapp wanted the death penalty (or nearest offer) for a spurs fan who missed Frank Lampard with a punch, but when it comes to sorting their own house out the punishments are minor.
Think of this incident the other way around, having scored a last minute goal the Celtic player jumps into the crowd in ecstasy and a fan gets bundled by hundreds of people behind them, ending in much more pain than Dida. Punishment: yellow card. But then footballers don’t play by the same rules.