20 August 2007
Referee Styles Dropped over Chelsea Blunder
Premier League referee Rob Style's will not be allowed to officiate any Premier League games this weekend after he
controversially awarded Chelsea a penalty at Anfield. Referees' chief Keith Hackett laughably tried to justify the decision :
"It is just like with players, if they miss an open goal they are likely to be dropped."
Hackett failed to explain why the referee who awarded Liverpool their late game winning free kick against Aston Villa, on the
insistence of Steven Gerrard despite no foul, was not also suspended.
19 August 2007
Vieira Gives Materazzi Cold Shoulder
In an interview with French television channel TF1 Patrick Vieira made the following comments about Inter team-mate Marco
Materazzi :
"I think Materazzi is a great player who had an excellent World Cup and scored a goal in the Final. There are those who love
him and those who hate him. I will only say that, as far as I am concerned, I will never sit at a dinner table with him."
18 August 2007
What Materazzi Really Said to Zidane
Zidane : "If you really want my shirt, you can have it after the match."
Materazzi : "I prefer your sister, the whore."
13 August 2007
Schalke Open Club Shop In Russia
Schalke have opened a club shop in St Petersburg, Russia as part of their partnership deal with Zenit St
Petersburg. Both clubs are sponsored by Russian oil and gas giants Gazprom who signed a five year investment deal with Schalke in October 2006 for €170 million.
11 August 2007
Tardelli Hits Back At Domenech
Former Italy U21 Coach Marco Tardelli, who was coach of the team that beat France 2-1 on aggregate in a play-off for the 2000 Olympics said :
"Every now and then Domenech says something really stupid. That’s what he’s like and once again he is trying to provoke opponents. He does this a lot. There were two legs to that play-off, so presumably we would have had to ‘buy’ the referee in the first match as well. Perhaps Domenech is preparing the ground for his fall if France lose at San Siro on September 8. It seems almost pointless answering back to him. Perhaps instead we should ask why he didn’t win more with the formidable Under-21 squads he had at his disposal. He never won anything. So these are the idiotic statements of a loser."
10 August 2007
Domenech - Hidden Agreements In Italian Football
A month ahead of a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier between France and Italy in Milan, France coach Raymond Domenech claimed a referee had been bought during a match between the Italy and France U21 sides in 1999 and also said "If it happens once you have doubts, but there are hidden agreements in Italian football."
The President of the French FA, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, immediately distanced himself from Domenech's comments :
"I am certain that the San Siro match will take place in a sporting atmosphere, just as the game between our two nations in September last year in Paris."
UEFA President Michel Platini issued the following threat to Domenech :
"If Domenech does not submit evidence supporting what he has said he will be punished. We will send a letter to the French Federation asking for proof of what was claimed. If they fail to submit it we will take action and punish the Coach."
9 August 2007
FIFA Vice President Ridicules English Football
FIFA vice-president and crook Jack Warner has launched a scathing attack on England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup :
"If by chance, in 2018, the World Cup were to go to Europe, I'm quite sure, with the English luck as it is, they won't get it. It'll be Italy, Spain, or it might even be France. Nobody in Europe likes England. England, who invented the sport, has never had any impact on world football. England at no time has had the love and support of Europe. For Europe, England is an irritant. There are moves to give it to England. I must fight that. I really don't believe that we should just lay down and play dead to anyone who wants to take the World Cup from CONCACAF. I know in FIFA there are those persons who believe the rules should be changed to satisfy Europe but I tell you this we shall fight it to the very end."
Simpaul's Travel, run by Warner, his wife and his son, was found guilty of illegal practices for selling 2006 World Cup tickets as part of travel packages, but not punished by his friend and fellow crook FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
1 August 2007
Brazil President Reveals World Cup Flops Were Drunk
In an interview with The Estado de Sao Paulo daily Brazilian president Ricardo Teixeira criticised Ronaldo for being overweight at the World Cup :
"How can an athlete weigh 98kg during a major finals. I am not a sportsman and I don't weigh as much as that."
He also revealed :
"Certain players returned to their hotel drunk between 4:00am and 6:00am. How could no one have seen that?"
The head of Brazil's World Cup delegation, Marco Paulo del Nero, said :
"I didn't see anything and, if such incidents happened, the technical staff did a very good job of covering them up."