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16 - 31 October 2002 15 October 2002 Tofting Jailed Danish midfielder Stig Tofting has been found guilty of assault following a fight in a Copenhagen restaurant in June. Tofting faces four months in jail. 14 October 2002 Turkish Authorities Want Umit Davala Jailed Turkish authorities are calling for Umit Davala to be jailed after the player attacked journalists earlier in the month. Davala is said to have assaulted four reports and broke their cameras. Zidane - Milan Match Real For Star Power "When we are playing at 100 percent of our capabilities, it will be very difficult for any side to get the better if us. I would say that Milan have just as many top players in their line-up but I think that we work better as a team." Molina To Quit Football Deportivo goalkeeper Jose Molina has quit football indefinitely to battle testicular cancer. A malignant tumour was detected in a medical test last week. Molina underwent surgery on a testicle lump which was thought to be benign in June. 12 October 2002 Valdano Praises Arsenal, Milan Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano made the following comments about current English Champions Arsenal : "(Arsenal) are a team that have shown real consistency. They are well organized, have an attacking approach to the game and have some great players. They also have a coach who is tactically astute and has got the complete backing of the club. Over the last three or four years they have started to reap the rewards from this." He also praised Italian clubs for their attacking approach : "They are recovering as they adopt a more Spanish style game. AC Milan and Juventus have started to give greater emphasis to playing with the ball and have come to understand that you cannot give up control of the midfield. It seems that there has been a definite change in approach." 11 October 2002 Gadhafi Jr Buys Italian Club Al Saadi, son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, has brought a 33% share in Serie B side Triestina at a cost of €4 million. German Legend Guenter Netzer Buys World Cup, Bundesliga and Wimbledon Rights Guenter Netzer, a member of West Germany's 1974 World Cup winning squad has purchased the rights to broadcast pictures of the 2006 World Cup, Bundesliga and Wimbledon. Netzer, a director of KirchSport, and private investor Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former head of Adidas, will pay €400 million. 10 October 2002 Wilko Appointed Sunderland Coach Former Leeds coach Howard 'Al Bundy' Wilkinson has succeeded Peter Reid as coach of struggling Premiership club Sunderland. 9 October 2002 Hiddink Threatens To Quit PSV Former South Korea coach Guus Hiddink has threatens to quit PSV after receiving death threats : "I am very unhappy because the threats are aimed directly at me and in a serious way. I can't live with this situation. The message was along the lines of 'if you have the same success with PSV as you did with Korea, we'll kill you with one bullet' or 'if you succeed in the Champions League, we'll kill you with the other'." 8 October 2002 Serie A Player Awards As voted for by the Italian Footballers Association : Player of the Year : David Trezeguet (Juventus) Foreign Player of the Year : David Trezeguet (Juventus) Coach of the Year : Luigi Del Neri (Chievo) Best Italian Player : Christian Vieri (Inter) Best Goalkeeper : Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) Best Defender : Alessandro Nesta (Lazio) Best Young Player : Matteo Brighi (Bologna) Best Referee : Pierluigi Collina Most Loved Player (by fans vote) : Roberto Baggio 7 October 2002 Berlusconi Pleased With Milan "Watching Milan is entertainment, a unique form of enjoyment. I admit that in the recent past I haven't been happy with our style of play under various coaches but that is not the case now. It is a side that can definitely leave its mark for more than one season." - Milan president Silvio Berlusconi Peter Reid Sacked Sunderland have sacked Peter Reid after seven years in charge. The club have struggled in recent seasons after narrowly failing to win a European place. Sunderland chairman Bob Murray explained his reasons for dismissing Reid : "Sunderland is totally unrecognisable now to when Peter Reid walked through the door at Roker Park in 1995. In taking this difficult decision, it's hard to realize that it has had to come to this but the club must always come first. Nearly a quarter of the season has gone, and we are at the wrong end of the table and can't wait any longer for performances to improve. We've invested more than £22 million in the playing side in the last nine months but unfortunately results have not changed for the better since last season." 5 October 2002 Referee Robbed! Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo was held up in his home and robbed of electronic equipment and jewellery. Elizondo and his four year old and two month old children were locked in the bathroom by two thieves while their home was pilfered. Elizondo, who was ranked the fifth best referee in the World by FIFA in 2001 said : "I saw them through a window but when I tried to react they were already in the house." 4 October 2002 Lemerre Named Coach of Tunisia Roger Lemerre, the man who lead France to miserable failure in the World Cup, has been named the new coach of Tunisia. 3 October 2002 Maradona Given Suspended Sentence Diego Maradona has been handed a two-year suspended prison sentence for using an air rifle on journalists outside his home in February 1994. 2 October 2002 Maradona - Aimar Best Player In The World "He (Aimar) is the legitimate successor to me as the best player in the world. Pablo is having fun on the pitch, just like I used to. This is why he will bring Valencia much more joy and will make sure life won't be a bed of roses for their opponents. Unlike the Brits, who have square feet, Aimar has skill in his that goes all the way to the tips of his toes. I would pay any entrance fee to see him play." - Diego Maradona 26 September 2002 More Off-Field Distractions For Ronaldo Ronaldo has signed a contract with Bandeirantes TV station and sports marketing company Traffic. Bandeirantes TV will show Real Madrid's league matches and on Monday's Ronaldo will take part in a program about the Spanish championship. Ronaldo Blames Cuper For Inter Exit An interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport Ronaldo has said that Inter coach Hector Cuper was to blame for his exit from Italy : "I left Inter because of Cuper. I told him so to his face. I told him that I didn't believe in his work and that he wasn't sincere with me because of him I ran risks for my career. I hurt myself four or five times because he didn't follow the advice of doctors and he knew that he made a mistake, that's why I talk of bad faith." Ronaldo was also critical at the lack of support shown by club president Massimo Moratti : "I explained my reasons well to him. He replied that he didn't really understand and that he thought that it was just a ploy by my agent to get more money. In fact I just wanted him to get rid of Cuper. Then Moratti told me 'try to put up with him a little longer, coaches change' but I couldn't put up with him any more. I'd had enough of him acting the boss. With Cuper you just have to obey and as well he never laughs, never talks to anyone." "I always had a marvellous relationship with him but this time he disappointed me because after five years during which I received a lot but also gave a lot to Inter he no longer believed in me and preferred a man (Cuper) who never won anything and who forced me to leave." Ronaldo also said that "60% of the team, maybe more, hate Cuper." 25 September 2002 Bellamy Given Three Match Ban Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy has been banned for three matches by UEFA on Wednesday for head-butting a Dynamo Kiev player during the a Champions League match in the Ukraine on September the 18th. 24 September 2002 ITV - Sleeping With The Enemy Following the collapse of ITV Digital, terrestrial broadcaster ITV have signed a deal with BSkyB to broadcast live Champions League matches from the 2003-2006 seasons. ITV will screen two live Champions League games on Tuesdays and BSkyB will show the remaining games live on the same night. BSkyB have exclusive rights to show all Wednesday night games. Both channels will show the final live. 23 September 2002 France To Host Confederations Cup European Champions France will host the Confederations Cup from June the 18th to 29th, 2003. The competitors will be World Champions Brazil, South American Champions Colombia, African Champions Cameroon, Gold Cup Champions USA, Asian Champions Japan, Oceania Champions New Zealand and one other invited team. FIFA Blame Computer Problems For World Cup Ticket Fiasco In a moment of staggering originality FIFA have blamed computer problems for the ticketing fiasco at this summer's World Cup. There were hoards of of empty seats at many stadia while fans complained about a shortage of tickets. Scottish Refs Sign Sponsorship Deal With Opticians! The Scottish Referees Association have announced a sponsorship deal worth €1.2 million with opticians Specsavers. |