In 1995 around 500 Merseyside dockers working for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company refused to "cross the picket line" and were sacked. Many were reinstated afterwards but their contracts were vastly changed, so there was a dispute! Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman were given T-shirts supporting the Dockers and decided to wear them under their Liverpool club shirts during a European Cup Winners Cup tie against Brann.
McManaman advised his team mate NOT to lift his Liverpool shirt if he scored, better to have waited until the end of the game, when a political gesture might be made without controversy.. Some chance!! "I agreed with him 100 per cent" said Fowler "and then went completely mental." Upon scoring his second goal of the evening to seal a 3-0 victory. Fowler pulled up his shirt to reveal a pastiche of Calvin Klein which bore the support "Support the 500 sacked dockers." I pulled down the shirt and ran over to the photographers to have a picture taken!" Staunch work from Comrade Robbie!
Four days later the halo hadn't slipped. During the crucial league match at Highbury, Fowler rushed into the Arsenal penalty area and was upended by David Seaman, or so the referee thought. A penalty wrongly awarded!! Fowler tried to make the official change his mind!.... "it was a bit f***ing dippy, Fowler reminisced, but I have never been a cheat".
Fowler got up and missed the kick, though Jason McAteer followed in the rebound. "I want to congratulate you for your act of sportsmanship," wrote FIFA president Sepp Blatter on March 26th. A day later, UEFA were in touch as well. "It seemed strange and a little unfair..." began the letter FINING Fowler £900 for his "Dockers protest!!" Dated1997.
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