Home Office staff feel the wrath of Benitez
Aug 9 2005
By Ian Doyle Daily Post Staff
LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez has blasted the Home Office's decision to deny Mark Gonzalez a work permit, accusing them of being people who "know nothing about football".
The 21-year-old, who was expected to join on a year's loan from Spanish side Albacete with a view to a permanent £4.9m move, had his application refused primarily because his national team, Chile, are not in the top 70 of the FIFA World Rankings.
And Benitez said: "I was really surprised. How you can play for your national team, are the best player in your country and play in a league like the Spanish League and then not be good enough for the Premiership is something I don't understand.
"Maybe it is just an administration problem, because if they saw the player play, they could not say these things.
"We spent six months scouting the player. We are the Champions League holders, and if we think he is good enough for us that is because we have spoken to a lot of people and they have told us he is good enough.
"In Chile they have sold about 1,000 Liverpool shirts. That shows how important the player is in Chile, and how important he is to us.
"But despite all this, some people have said that he is not good enough. We didn't pay a lot of money for him because our scouts have done a good job. It doesn't mean he is a bad player.
"I would say 50% of the play-ers in the Premiership are worse than him. Only if you know nothing about football can you say that he is not good enough."
Despite the setback, Benitez insists that Liverpool will still press ahead in their attempts to sign Gonzalez, who is currently sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.
"We will keep an interest in the player," he said.. "We know that some things will change when he plays more games for Chile.
"He is a month away from being fit. If you sign a player when he is not fit then that shows you have confidence."
