Editorial Goal.com
‘Rabbit’ Attacks ‘Seal’ In Rumble Between ‘Rooster’ And ‘Fox’It was ten minutes from the end of the hotly disputed Clássico Mineiro on Sunday 16th of September 2007 and Cruzeiro (in blue) were beating arch-rivals Atlético Mineiro (in black-and-white) by 3-4 after a second half turnaround that saw Atlético Mineiro go 3-2 ahead and then suffer two goals against.
The atmosphere was tense and Cruzeiro had possession with the ball in control near the corner flag of their rivals. The player with the ball was 19 year-old attacking midfielder Kerlon Moura Souza, famous for his ‘seal dribble’ that captured world footballing attention when he was caught on camera using the move while playing in the Seleção juniors.
It’s a move that has caused mixed reactions since it first appeared, some praising the move as a delightful piece of flair that is entirely valid as a way of moving past a tightly-knit defence, some edging towards consternation and condemning the manoeuvre as being a provocative way of making fun of the opposition.
The videos show Kerlon in action – and the reactions of rival players. While playing for Brazil in the 2005 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela Kerlon used the ‘seal dribble’ (bouncing the ball on his head) against Ecuador (in yellow) and Uruguay (in powder blue) and was stopped forcibly and angrily by players who thought he was making fun rather than playing.
Kerlon – The Seal Dribble For Brazil (2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYlqql38XkYThe rival players remonstrated that the move was a complete lack of respect towards their countries and that’s why they fouled the Brazilian: to protect their national honour from being besmirched. At the time Kerlon defended himself – and his move – as not being disrespectful and promised to continue using it despite threats of lumberjack retaliation.
“It's just a skill I have and use because it’s effective. It's not meant to be a mark of disrespect towards my opponents, their clubs or their countries. Some have told me that they would hurt me if I use the ‘foquinha’ (little seal), but this doesn’t scare me – it just motivates me even more”, he explained two years ago.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the ‘little seal’ as Kerlon suffered that modern footballing blight – a damaged cruciate ligament. This had taken him out of the spotlight, but now he’s firmly back in focus after Atlético Mineiro right-back Coelho (‘Rabbit’ in Portuguese) knocked the ‘Seal’ flying at the Mineirão stadium.
KERLON FOQUINHA VS ATLETICO 16/09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBXv5FISzjgAs can be seen in the video clip from the weekend derby, Kerlon lifts the ball and makes his way towards the Atlético Mineiro box only to be shoulder-barged to the ground by an incensed Dyego (no, not a typo) Coelho. The ref blows up and a crowd of players race towards the prone Kerlon with two things in mind: remonstration and protection.
The Atlético players are livid at Kerlon and shout at him while others appear to be going in for more physical rather than verbal assaults and are held back. The Cruzeiro players also arrive and try to protect their colleague and calm down furious rival players as the ref shows Coelho the red card.
Kerlon is escorted away by one of his team-mates and appears to be getting an earful about how he should be more careful – but what was the problem? Was Kerlon actually trying to extract the urine with a cheeky move designed to belittle his rivals – or was he just using a legitimate manoeuvre to move into the box as he was outnumbered?
“I’m 19 years old and have been doing that move since I was ten. Enough of this blah-blah-blah. This is nothing more and nothing less than a way of getting past the opposition. I always respect the people I play against and would never make fun of them”, explained Kerlon afterwards to local paper Estado de Minas (The State Of Minas).
For the player it was just a move like any other in a game that was special not for the polemical manoeuvre but for his return to playing for the Cruzeiro first team as he came on as a substitute for Wagner. “I only expected to be back in November 2007 or January 2008”, he explained of his return three matches ago, ahead of the expected recovery date after almost six months in dry dock following an operation.
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The Cruzeiro hierarchy evidently want their player to be protected from angry adversaries looking for ‘revenge’ after being ‘humiliated’ as club football director Valdir Barbosa explained. “We want him [Kerlon] to feel at ease to use his main manoeuvre and if there isn’t any follow up we’ll go straight to the STJD, the CBF and the refereeing committee”, he stressed.
As to Coelho, the player denies trying to attack Kerlon. “The images are clear enough. I could have hit him with my elbow if I really wanted to hurt him, but I shoulder-barged him to stop the move getting into our area”, he explained to Minas Gerais website Superesportes. “I went in strong but it wasn’t intended to injure him.”
“I was feeling a little on edge because of the circumstances of the game [the turnaround defeat and the fact that only ten minutes were remaining on the clock]. From where I was and where my team-mates were it looked like he [Kerlon] was provoking us. Even so I went in to stop the move, not to hurt or assault the player”, Coelho argued.
“Part of the [Brazilian] Press seems ready to make me out as the villain of the piece here”, he complained. “That’s not true – I’m not a violent player. It never occurred to me to assault or punch him; it was a mistake to foul him….but everybody makes mistakes. There’s no need for articles saying that I should be jailed. Imagine hearing that sort of thing next to my wife and daughter.”
Nevertheless it seems like Coelho is set to receive an exemplary suspension from the STJD (Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva – Superior Tribunal Of Sporting Justice) as chairman Paulo Schmitt has intimated;
the punishment usually being 120 days. If this is handed down it will mean that Coelho will wave goodbye to the rest of the Brasileirão 2007 (Brazilian First Division). He's suspended for 120 days
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2546661.eceKerlon himself isn’t in the mood for forgiveness, especially considering that he’s undergone two operations in just two years of professional football – and doesn’t want any more from angry adversaries. “People need to decide if Brazilian football should be based around football as art or football as violence. This is now up to the justice to decide”, he explained to Lance! Radio.
“Supporters go to the stadium to be entertained and I’ll only stop doing the ‘foquinha’ if there’s a law passed specifically prohibiting it”, Kerlon added. “They swore at my mother a lot as well, but those are just words, and you tend to expect that even if it is cowardly, but there can’t be aggression.”
Atlético Coach Emerson Leão warned that if Kerlon continued to practise the Little Seal then he would probably receive more clubbings from angry players, seeming to support the idea that it was provocative, but this came from the same man who angrily defended Robinho while at Santos after he was hacked by rivals claiming that the player’s ostentatious stepovers were provocative.
The fact of the matter is that if the play is moving towards goal – and if the arms aren’t being used – then it is valid. If Kerlon was doing it in the corner to waste time then it would be different…perhaps...but who gets riled when somebody lets the clock tick by shielding the ball at a corner flag? Surely a move that has undeniable skill and is a legitimate way of bypassing defenders shouldn't be labelled as provocative?
It's not the first time and it won't be the last time that a striker frays opponents' nerves with a move or a touch. Rivaldo was insulted for his ‘letra’ crosses and shots (and Deco recently caused Inter Milan men to lose their cool in the Gamper Trophy drubbing with an attempt at the same move). Robinho got hassle for the stepovers...as does Cristiano Ronaldo...but these moves undeniably light up the field and fans' eyes...who can argue otherwise?
Provocation should be avoided, but are beautiful or hard-to-pull-off moves really provocative? They can cause opposing players to see red – both emotionally and literally – but the real provocation is attacking another player as that provides a stimulus for violence in the stands. Most objective and football-loving fans know which side they are on…Save The Seal!
http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=419201crazy but an effective move. hard to defend against unless you are tall with out breaking your nose.
