Birmingham City FC

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Angry Gold hits out at Blatter

08 Mar 2008 - 13:53:52

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Birmingham City chairman David Gold has hit out at Sepp Blatter after the FIFA president attacked Martin Taylor for the tackle which left Eduardo da Silva with a badly broken leg.

Arsenal striker Eduardo could be sidelined for up to 15 months after a challenge by Taylor in a Premier League encounter at St Andrew's two weeks ago.

The Croatia international has already cleared Taylor of any malice in the challenge, but Blatter has angered Gold by claiming players should face lengthy bans for such offences.

Blatter said: "It's shocking when you see how this player was attacked, it's not football.

"You have to have respect and what we witnessed there has nothing to do with football. This is to destroy another player and that is not the aim of our game.

"Such players should not only be suspended for a certain time, they should be banned until they have realised they have done something absolutely wrong."

But Gold said: "Martin is being made to look like public enemy number one.

"Things like this being said by Sepp Blatter are inappropriate and do not help the situation.

"Martin Taylor will carry the burden of this accident on his shoulders for the rest of his life. That is the sort of person he is.

"It is outrageous and disappointing that a man of Sepp Blatter's standing, the top man in world football, is coming out with inflammatory statements like this which cannot be good for the game."