Saragosa Fined for Montero Assault and Joins a Club of Famous On-Pitch Assailants

Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa’s throat high tackle on Fredy Montero may not have been the worst tackle ever in the history of football.

Anyone French will tell you that ‘honour’ belongs to German goalkeeper Tony Schumacher who famously assaulted Patrick Battiston in the 1982 World Cup semi final match in Seville, earning him the undesired monicker, the Butcher of Seville. France manager Michel Platini later said that he thought that Battiston was dead, because “he had no pulse and looked pale”.

See Schumacher’s Famous Tackle on Battiston

However those who saw Jason McAteer’s assault on Mitko Stojkovski in 1997 as the Republic of Ireland lost 3-2 to Macedonia would vouch for that, especially as a competitor in the kung-fu stakes. To be fair though, Liverpudlian turned Irishman Jason McAteer was a bit of a legend in the stupid stakes. (see below for an anthology of possibly true anecdotes about the thoughts of Jason McAteer).

Saragosa to Miss Crucial Trip to RFK

Even if Saragosa’s neck high tackle on Montero will never quite achieve the fame of those incidents, it seems MLS wish to set an example and show their disapproval of players kicking each other in the throat. Saragosa has been handed an additional $500 fine and banned for an extra match equaling $1000 and two games. He will now miss Chivas USA’s matches at home to New York, but the second game may be a key post season match up against DC United at RFK, already looking like a must win for United.

Saragosa has only started six games for the Goats and his absence may be more irritating for them because of injuries to Jim Curtin, but Claudio Suarez was recently reactivated from the Disabled List.

The Legend that is Jason McAteer – Please Be Aware We Have no Proof Whatsoever any of these Stories are True

1) On spotting a famous face in a Dublin nightclub, Jason decided to make World snooker star Jimmy White feel welcome by yelling out a catchphrase he would naturally be familiar with. What White made of the sudden bellowed cry “One hundred and eighty!” is sadly not recorded.

180 is the maximum score you can get – at darts.

2) In another possibly apocryphal (that means it might be made up) story, McAteer is reckoned to have asked a Liverpool team-mate
what to put in the space marked ‘Position In Company’ on a credit
card application form.

According to legend, the source of McAteer’s
confusion was that “I’m a central midfielder but the boss is playing
me at right wing-back.”

3) Jason’s nickname is Trigger, after a particularly thick character in British sitcom Only Fools And Horses. This caused problems when he first arrived at Liverpool as
Rob Jones, then regarded as the least cerebral player at Anfield,
already owned the name. In recognition of his superior claim, however,
McAteer was later christened ‘Double Trigger’.

4) According to former Blackburn team-mates, Jason’s greatest moment
came on a squad night out to an Italian restaurant. Asked by the
waitress whether he wanted his pizza cut up into eight pieces, McAteer is
alleged to have replied, “Nah, I’m not that hungry – just cut it into
four.”

5) When Liverpool arrived back from a European game in Russia, McAteer is said to have asked what was the time. The person had changed their watch due to the timezones and told him. McAteer replied “We arrived before we left.”

Subscribe to Radio Sounders Show (The shows will download to your I Tunes automatically)

Commission an Award-Winning Prost Amerika Match Report for your child, school or team. Send us an email for further details.*
*Discount for Washington Youth Soccer Members. Perfect for a birthday present too.