Liverpool poised for delayed honours recognition
Gerrard in line for an MBE, with Benítez due an honorary OBE
Liverpool are set to receive belated acknowledgement of their Champions League
victory in the Queen's birthday honours after missing out in the new year's
list.
Among the players, skipper Steven Gerrard should receive at least an MBE in
June while manager Rafael Benítez can expect an honorary OBE - the same award
his predecessor Gérard Houllier and Arsenal's Arsène Wenger have received in
the past. It is also possible Jamie Carragher, the other Englishman in the team
that beat Milan last May, may also be honoured.
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry had said that he was "staggered" the Reds
had been ignored. However, a source close to the honours process said
Liverpool's omission in the new year's list was more a mistake rather than a
deliberate decision. He said: "It was more of a cock-up than a conspiracy but
there are two honours lists a year and it is expected that Liverpool will
receive due recognition in the next one."
Parry, in Liverpool's official magazine, wrote: "The decision to overlook key
Liverpool players from the new year's honours list, despite our magnificent
achievement in winning the world's most prestigious club tournament, was
frustrating to say the least. It raises a simple question: just what do you
have to do in a football sense to be recognised by the powers that be?"
There is a limit on the number of honours awarded for services to sport and
Liverpool may have suffered from the fact that every member of the victorious
England cricket Ashes squad were given OBEs or MBEs at new year. Parry added:
"I don't want to take anything away from the England cricketers and their
wonderful Ashes success against Australia, but the fact that the inspirational
efforts of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in helping us win the Champions
League were effectively dismissed is little short of staggering."
The sporting honours come from recommendations from governing bodies,
invididual nominations and a list drawn up by the Government. A shortlist is
presented to the sports honours committee, headed by Lord MacLaurin, Vodafone
and former ECB chairman, who make the final choice to be presented to the
Queen.
Committee members are banned from commenting on individual cases but one
member, the former Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey Thompson DBE, said the process
of choosing recipients was a difficult one. "There's not a right or a wrong
answer. People on the panel weigh up club versus country, individual against
team or simply whether someone who was worked as a volunteer in a swimming pool
for the last 60 years in more deserving," she said.
"It's all about opinions too. Anyone who supports Manchester United might agree
with it, anyone who is a Liverpool fan won't agree. It's a really tough
decision, and it is very much a panel decision. Anyone can nominate someone for
an honour and I would urge anyone who feels a person has missed out to make use
of those nomination forms."
Juara di Inggris dulu dong !
bakar terus !
Dein
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