And then there is the curious matter of Article 4.01 (l) which orders clubs to co-operate with Uefa at the end of matches “in the collection of … players’ personal items that could be used by Uefa to create a memorabilia collection to illustrate the heritage of the competition”.
Football being football, where the creed is greed, Uefa reassures clubs that its acquiring of stars’ Alice-bands, hair-gel and dropped jelly babies would be “to the exclusion of any commercial use”.
In properly illustrating the heritage of Europe’s elite club competition, the focus will always be on the special memories players bequeath on the pitch than any belongings they leave in the dressing-room.
Chelsea returned from Monaco on Saturday morning, knowing they had underperformed badly in the Uefa Super Cup against Falcao’s Atletico Madrid and will have to raise their standards if they are
to retain their Champions League title, starting on Sept 19 when Andrea Pirlo and the champions of Italy, Juventus, visit Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea added to the rich heritage of the European Cup with their remarkable resilience of spirit last season but they know they need more silk this season. It can’t all be rearguard actions. Hence the arrival of Eden Hazard, the skilful Belgian, whose upbeat personality made him find a positive from Friday’s chastening 4-1 defeat.
“Perhaps it will make us work even harder when we all return to training,” Hazard reflected after the game. “Perhaps we will all come back stronger. We just need to forget about it and move on.
“From a personal standpoint, it certainly won’t get me down. I’ve been well received by everyone at Chelsea. It’s no surprise for me really that I’ve settled in so well because when you play with better players, it’s easier to adapt. I’m a pretty natural [positive] guy and I’m already looking ahead to the next adventure.”
Hazard’s most immediate adventure is with Belgium, facing Wales and Croatia, as a talented collection of individuals, also including Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini and Moussa Dembélé, seek to meet the public’s rising expectation.
“For the country and fans, the next two games are really important,” said Hazard. “With the squad we have now, we should be able to do something. In a way it’s now or never for Belgium. We have a great generation but we have to do it on the pitch.
“Perhaps I have not been as effective for Belgium as for Lille or Chelsea. Maybe expectations are too high. Maybe people expect me to score three goals per game.’’
Now that would be something for Uefa’s memorabilia collection.
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