14 Jul 2005(Thu)

JULY 12: No one should be surprised by Emerson's move to Qatar.

"Think money," I was told by a member of the Reds coaching staff, when I went to their Ohara training ground on Sunday to get the latest news on the absent "hero."

"Don't think about football," he added.

"It's where players go at the end of their careers for one last big pay check."

In the modern game, that means Qatar, and on this occasion Al Sadd.

Emerson, too, was clearly thinking about money.

Lots and lots of it, even more than he was earning with Urawa -- and that was over US$ 1 million a year. Probably well over.

It wasn't that long ago when Emerson made a strange move in Japan.

After scoring 31 goals in 34 games for Consadole Sapporo in 2000, he didn't come up into J1 with the J2 champions.

Instead he stayed in J2, transferring to Kawasaki Frontale, who were the only team prepared to meet his financial demands. Or should I say his agent's financial demands.

He seemed quite happy in the second division, running rings around outclassed opponents, but moved to Urawa midway through the following season, in the summer of 2001.

Of course Emerson has given the Reds fans plenty to cheer about with goals galore, but they deserved better treatment from him and from his agent.

Emerson was given an extended holiday in Brazil, and when he was a couple of days late returning for the training camp it was pretty much par for the course.

But when a couple of days became a couple of weeks, the writing was on the wall that he would not be coming back to Japan at all.

While his so-called team "mates" were losing the Saitama derby to Omiya Ardija, Emerson was in Europe finalising the details of his lucrative contract.

Some people may accuse me of being naive, of being too much of Englishman in my feeling for what is right and what is wrong.

They may say that....hey, Emerson is a professional. He has to earn as much money as he can during his short career. Nobody has ever done him any favours in his life, so why should he start doing the same?

And you may have a point.

But there is more to football than money. There is personal pride, loyalty, playing for a team and playing for a club.

Those supporters who worshipped him must feel badly let down.

But they should not feel surprised.

I, for one, will not miss Emerson one bit, despite his goals and talent.

ends