The boy who cried wolf

We’re all familiar with tale from Aesop’s Fables, outlining the boy who cried wolf. It concerns a shepherd boy repeatedly tricking the local villagers that a wolf was attacking his flock, only for the young lad to be giving a false alarm.

However, when a wolf does attack his sheep, nobody believes him and, as a result, his flock is destroyed. The moral of the story is that liars aren’t rewarded, even when telling the truth. The story can be easily associated with Chelsea Football Club, at present.

For those blissfully unaware of the recent goings on at Stamford Bridge, referee Mark Clattenburg has been accused of racially abusing Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel during the highly charged encounter between the West London side and Manchester United, of which the latter emerged 3-2 victors.

Strong accusations, without sufficient evidence, you would think? Reports suggest that Juan Mata and Ramires were the reported players to have heard Clattenburg, supposedly, label Mikel a ‘monkey’.

Mata, after discussions with Chelsea, pleaded to have his story dropped in any Blues report, of which was filed last week. They are keen to pursue the case against Clattenburg, relying on the evidence of Ramires, a player believed to speak little English and, at times, require an interpreter when communicating with the press.

Recent days have suggested that Clattenburg in fact said to the midfielder ‘I don’t give a monkey’s, Mikel’ during the furore which saw Chelsea striker Fernando Torres red carded. Now, while it may not have been the choicest of phrases from the Premier League official, and can also be easily misconstrued, it all but clears the referee from any wrong doing, if in turn he mentioned the above words.

If it is to be believed, Clattenburg is likely to be found innocent by the Football Association, despite the ongoing case against him by Chelsea, who in turn have been criticised by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp.

Nevertheless, if the Blues case is dropped as a result, it can be argued that the governing body may choose to take any complaints they make with a pinch of salt. You could say; Chelsea would become the young shepherd boy, with any cry for wolf falling on deaf ears when it really matters.   

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