Love your club over the king? This way to jail.

Moroccan King Mohamed VI

FC Barcelona has some dedicated fans, but I think Yassine Belassal is the strongest one yet. He's looking at jail time for his expression of love for the blaugrana.

In Morocco, the phrase "God, The Nation, The King" is a common expression, for it encapsulates the three things all Moroccans must love and respect. It's rare for people to speak out openly against the current monarch, King Mohamed VI, but those that have end up in jail, and young Mr. Belassal has recently joined them.

Yassine, an 18-year-old schoolboy, came into the classroom and altered the phrase written on the blackboard to read "God, The Nation, Barcelona", and it became so much more than detention and extra homework.

It is unclear whether the court felt the problem was about the football club or the inference against the king, but Yassine is currently sitting in jail awaiting resolution. Barcelona have appointed a lawyer to look into the legal fine print to see whether the boy can be helped under the letter of Moroccan law.

Based on the precedent set earlier this year, it's not looking good -- Fouad Mourtada was jailed for 3 years after creating a spoof Facebook profile for the King's brother. A blogger was also jailed in 2008 for speaking out against the king on his website, but he was released and cleared upon appeal, giving some hope to Belassal and his family.

So to summarize: love your club, but don't love it like this in a country that's still coming round to the 21st century. I hope this one works out in the end.

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Lessons in Communication

Tourists pose for pictures under pretty sign

And so, the most obvious rumour in recent memory has been confirmed, albeit with the clumsiest remarks since Brian Clough held a press conference.

Tom Hicks revealed that he did talk extensively to Klinsmann back in November about taking over as manager. There, it's out now. Move on with your lives, media folk. No more to say.

Except for this:

"We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy... if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs rumoured, or in case our communication spiralled out of control."

Anyone else catch what he tried to do there?

They talked to Klinsmann in case Rafa left of his own accord, and not really in case their fractured relationship finally shattered. It was Real Madrid they were most afraid of, not their inability to look each other in the eye and talk without running teary-eyed to the papers first.

Forget the fact that Rafa's done nothing but beg, plead, scratch and claw to keep his job, doing everything short of physically fellating Shankly's statue outside the Kop End. Don't forget Hicks going on record at the end of October about how Rafa's the right man for the job. So what changed?

This "story" is the result of one of three things:
1. Simple miscommunication
2. Duplicity on the part of Hicks & Gillett [which wouldn't surprise me]
3. Desperate PR efforts to repair public image

Whichever it is, I honestly don't really care. I just want this business to stop distracting the day-to-day business at Anfield.

This whole business is very unlike Liverpool FC. Backchat, backstabbing, confusing comments in the media, general dishonesty. Results on the pitch are suffering, and that's all that should matter, not this who-has-the-bigger-dick competition between management and ownership.

It's pathetic, and has no place here. Guess that's what we get for accepting American owners.

The main problem here is that the two sides have to communicate through Gillett's son Foster, because neither Hicks nor Gillett are based in the UK. They're absentee landlords, and every piece of communication gets filtered through the middleman to both sides. Is it any wonder they can't see eye-to-eye?

Remember this though, cowboy overlords: A football team is for life, not just for Christmas. Don't skimp out on your loans and leave with pockets full of money.

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