Debate: Kaka, City And Silvio - What Really Happened?
The saga is over, but the drama continues. Kaka is staying put, but did the Milan president play us for foools all along?
The Kaka to Manchester City saga, which ran for days, ended in mere seconds after AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi declared his prize asset to be unsellable - but the fall-out from this is set to run and run.
Indeed, the media circus is likely to continue long, long into the night, as remonstrations from both ends of Europe - north and south - rage on.
But when the deal collapsed at first, it looked as though that consummate media mogul - Silvio Berlusconi - had orchestrated the whole event for the benefit of him and his club.
Three Cheers For Berlusconi
Here's what happened: various Italian TV channels explained that a deal had been agreed between Manchester City and Milan: Garry Cook, Bosco Leite and Milan representatives had signed, sealed and delivered the technicalities. All that was needed was Kaka's signature...
... But, journalists (such as those on Sky Italia - a non-Berlusconi company, by the way) intoned, there could be another amazing development. If Silvio Berlusconi himself wishes to block the deal, he can still do so.
Five minutes elapsed and then - surprise, surprise! - none other than Silvio Berlusconi himself surfaces to hoist up the barricades, declare that Kaka is going nowhere, and that the "extraordinary boy" was overjoyed to be a part of his Milan family.
"Kaka is unsellable, and will not leave Milan," he boomed to Il Proceso di Biscardi - a show hosted by a famous, loved-by-all journalist - and the subtext was clear: Silvio had made this happen. From "probably sellable" to "unsellable" in just a few days, the patron had had a massive change of heart, and couldn't allow his beloved Milan to suffer.
Of course, Berlusconi's more expansive speech - which helpfully followed just minutes later - was far more ambiguous. "Not only is money not everything to him, he is happy to stay at Milan with all his friends," he simpered. Hmm - now it looks like it was partially Kaka's decision to stay, or at least the Brazilian had gratefully given his approval to Berlusconi's decision. (Probably the latter, in fact.)
But up in Manchester, a very slightly different story was brewing...
Fine, Then - We Didn't Want A Deal Anyway!
Mere minutes after this impassioned announcement from Silvio Berlusconi, Manchester City said that it was in fact they who called off the deal. Silvio, schmilvio - the Citizens had cancelled the whole thing due to a disagreement over terms with Milan.
Now, in saying this, they were not directly contradicting Berlusconi. After all, Berlusconi's "unsellable" motto would hint at his not playing ball at all. But City implied from their words on their official site that there were, in fact, productive talks that reached a mature stage before their falling through.
Said Garry Cook: "Whilst Manchester City Football Club has an obvious interest in world class players of the quality of Kaka, we owe it to our fans that such a transfer must work on every level; commercially, financially, in terms of results on the field and within Manchester City's broader community."
This implies that there was at least something in the talks, and that City took the high road and bailed before things went too far; quite from Berlusconi marching into the meeting room, slamming his hands on the table, and issuing a negative bark, this gives the image that City stood up, shook hands, and parted on positive terms.
Fight Them On The Beaches
So, two conflicting accounts of events, and two similar - but slightly different - takes on how things broke down.
But let's look at this objectively for a moment. The two conclusions, while both stating that a breakdown in agreement between the two clubs was the deciding factor, are designed to make the two clubs look as good as possible. That's no surprise in and of itself: no organisation wants to come out of a transfer saga looking foolish.
But that they came out tonight with such a dramatic anticlimax - what a contradiction in terms! - was very convenient when one remembers that this was, according to the Italian press as early as the weekend - "Kaka's D-Day".
In other words, a lot of sources in the media seemed to know a lot about this evening's meetings before they happened, and the conclusion was well-timed. That Berlusconi appeared on TV mere minutes after it was said that only he could intervene, again, appears convenient. In other words, a lot of these little dramas from Monday night look as if they might be stage-managed.
Milan's official website even thanked their dear Silvio before Kaka himself when confirming their talisman would be staying with the club. "00:16: Our Ricky stays with us," read a statement. "It's the only thing that matters. The love of the Milanisti has won. Thank you, president! Thank you, Kaka! Forza Milan!" Kaka himself said, "Not even for 30 seconds did I think about leaving Milan." If the man in question wasn't even considering the move, what took so long for negotiations to draw to a close? Perhaps it was all part of the time...
But still, it needs to be said that this was perhaps the most intriguing transfer saga of January, and one with what is at least ostensibly a heart-warming ending. Regardless of the media machinations of the club, the visions of Kaka holding up a Milan shirt and then clapping along with the gathered Milan fans outside his own home, and then pumping his heart, will linger long in the memory. That isn't something that's just put on for the cameras, surely, even if his paymasters and would-be new bosses might have done it differently were they in his shoes.
