Inter’s Balotelli lets fly at racist Chievo fans

January 7, 2010

Italian striker Mario Balotelli on Wednesday hit out at supporters of Chievo after suffering yet another barrage of racist insults while playing for his club, Inter Milan.

Balotelli, born in Palermo but of Ghanaian heritage, scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute to send Inter 11 points clear of closest rivals AC Milan as Serie A resumed after a short winter break.

However his joy was tinged with racist chants and jeering that left the 19-year-old striking sensation “more and more disgusted” with Chievo, who are based in Verona – the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

His outburst was all the more poignant as the Italian, who is regularly subjected to such behaviour, usually refrains from hitting back.

“I just want to say one thing. Every time I come to Verona I realise that the supporters disgust me more and more. It’s completely unacceptable,” he told Sky Sports.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho tried to play down the incident.

“Verona is a magnificent town. The club is held in high esteem … and if something kicks off in the stands it doesn’t change all that,” said the Portuguese.

“Let’s not get too carried away by it. I also heard a few unsavoury things about myself, but I just ignore it.”

ROME (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, barrage, chants, chievo, club inter, disgust, insults, inter milan, jose mourinho, Juliet, magnificent town, Mario Balotelli, Milan, outburst, Palermo, portuguese, rivals, ROME, romeo, romeo and juliet, sensation, shakespeare, Sky Sports, striker, verona

Toni announces Italy return, van Gaal gives blessing

December 8, 2009

Bayern Munich’s Italian striker Luca Toni has claimed he will be returning to Italy while his coach insisted he would not try to stop him.

Toni moved to the Bavarian giants in 2006 after winning the World Cup with Italy in Germany.

But after three successful seasons he has found himself left out in the cold by new coach Louis van Gaal for most of this campaign and his repeated outbursts against his coach have seen him left in limbo.

But in an interview to be published on Wednesday in Chi magazine, Toni affirmed that he is coming home, presumably during January’s transfer window.

“I miss everything about my country: the fans, my friends, my mummy. I don’t yet know which team I will play for but I’m sure I’ll be coming back to Italy,” he said.

“I’ve made some mistakes here in Germany and I regret them. Those mistakes have cost me my place at the World Cup in South Africa, even if I still hold some hope that (Italy coach Marcello) Lippi will call me.

“But whatever happens, I won’t let myself be beaten down, my desire to play is still strong.

“I’ll only stop playing when I no longer feel any emotion on the pitch, which is not yet the case.”

Toni, who was the top scorer in the German Bundesliga in 2007-08, admitted to having problems with his coach — he has already been hit with a 25,000-euro fine for one outburst.

Van Gaal, for his part, said ahead of Bayern’s clash with Juventus on Tuesday that he has nothing against seeing the back of Toni.

“I’ve already said it a couple of weeks ago and I’ll repeat it so you can all hear it directly from my mouth, I think a player should respond according to the club’s needs,” said the Dutchman.

“Hence when you are part of a club you should act in that club’s interests but when a player doesnt want to do so, I’ll do nothing to convince him to stay.”

ROME (AFP)

Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, Chi, chi magazine, clash, coach marcello lippi, coming home, dutchman, emotion, german bundesliga, Germany, giants, Italy, italy coach, juventus, limbo, louis van gaal, luca toni, marcello lippi, Mummy, outburst, ROME, South Africa, striker, Toni, top scorer, Van Gaal, World Cup

Benitez wants Babel to explain outburst

November 26, 2009

Ryan Babel will be hauled into Rafael Benitez’s office today to explain his critical attitude towards his manager at Liverpool. On Tuesday, the Dutch winger said Benitez is not keeping his promises.

Babel is in his third season with Liverpool but is still yet to claim a regular starting spot in Benitez’s first-choice XI. The Holland international blames the lack of chances he’s got at Anfield. “Isn’t it unbelievable that in my first year I got chosen as Talent of the Year? And a season later I hardly play and without getting a proper chance,” Babel asks himself.

Benitez is not amused with Babel’s comments and wants to know why he went to the press. “I have got to talk to the player and I will see what his explanation is,” the Spanish coach told the Liverpool Echo. Babel missed Tuesday’s match against Debrecen (0-1 win) with an ankle injury.

Paul Haring

Tags: ankle injury, critical attitude, Echo, explanation, first choice, Holland, holland international, Liverpool, liverpool echo, manager, match, office today, outburst, Paul Haring, promises, rafael benitez, ryan babel, spanish coach, third season, winger

Maradona in Zurich for FIFA hearing

November 15, 2009

Argentina coach Diego Maradona arrived Sunday at the headquarters of world football’s governing body FIFA for a disciplinary hearing over his sexually-explicit rant after his team’s World Cup qualification.

The former star player was facing a possible fine and suspension from international matches after he rounded on critics during a press conference after Argentina qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

Maradona flew into the Swiss city from Madrid where Argentina lost 2-1 against Spain in a friendly late Saturday.

Wearing sunglasses and tracksuit, a demonstrably impassive looking Maradona kept silent as he was escorted through Zurich airport into a nearby hotel complex by an Argentine football official and bodyguards.

He later arrived in a convoy of limousines at FIFA headquarters about 50 minutes after the originally scheduled time for the hearing.

He was to face a disciplinary hearing here scheduled to start at 2.00 pm (1300 GMT) behind closed doors. FIFA have declined to give details although they said they would release a statement afterwards.

Maradona’s public outburst came after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in October, which allowed the two-time world champions to squeeze narrowly into next year’s finals in South Africa after a lowly and tense qualifying round.

At the time, the 48-year-old, a sporting icon in Argentina after skippering the 1986 World Cup winning team, lashed out at journalists.

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has said Maradona may have flouted regulations which could result in a fine of up to 29,400 dollars and/or suspension.

“According to article 58.a anyone who harms the dignity of a person through acts or words can be punished,” he added.

Maradona later sought to make amends and admitted that if Argentina had failed to qualify he “would have taken myself off to Haiti.”

ZURICH (AFP)

Tags: argentine football, body fifa, closed doors, diego maradona, disciplinary hearing, football official, hotel complex, nearby hotel, outburst, public outburst, Sepp Blatter, swiss city, time world champions, winning team, world cup finals, world cup qualification, world football, zurich airport

Agent: King will join new club

October 30, 2009

Marlon King will join another club when his jail sentence is finished, his agent insisted on Friday.

The striker was told he would be sacked by Wigan on Thursday after being jailed for 18 months for breaking a woman’s nose and sexual assault.

His agent Tony Finnigan said that prison would change the striker and that he had career prospects on release.

Finnigan told Sky News: “I don’t want to name names but there are lots of players in this country who have fallen short of the law, done the crime, done the time, come out, and I’m sure if you’re sitting in a six by six you do have time to reflect on the change you make as a person in your life.

“Forget about playing football here, just as a human being you’re going to be different.

“He still will be a good goalscorer and I’m sure someone will want his signature to play football and do the job that he’s best at.”

King intends to appeal against the length of his jail sentence as well as his dismissal, Mr Finnigan said.

The 29-year-old, who has 13 previous convictions including one for violence against women, was told he would be sacked within an hour of being found guilty of the outburst of “completely gratuitous violence” in a West End nightclub.

London’s Southwark Crown Court heard the father of three, who had downed several drinks celebrating his wife’s pregnancy and scoring a winning goal earlier, launched the “unprovoked” attack on the 20-year-old after groping her bottom and repeatedly being “cold-shouldered” by women in the packed Soho Revue Bar.

When the “slightly built” university student “recoiled” from his touch, striker King lost his temper and smashed her to the floor.

Two other revellers, one actually holding his arm, were also sent flying.

Mr Finnigan accused Wigan chairman Dave Whelan of playing “white knight” in sacking King.

“He was playing white knight in my opinion yesterday to say ‘right we don’t want that here’,” Finnigan said.

“You can’t just dismiss an employee and think you can dismiss him publicly like that, the union get in on it.”

The agent said the Professional Footballers’ Association would now have to get involved to “find out the facts”.

King, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire will lose more than £1million following the termination of his £35,000-a-week contract.

Mr Whelan said: “We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 40 days’ notice that his contract will be cancelled.

“He is absolutely sacked, we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic.”

Whelan added: “It will be very, very difficult for any club to stick their neck out and take Marlon on. I cannot really see him coming back as a professional.”

King served five months behind bars in 2002 after being caught at the wheel of a stolen £30,000 BMW, while he has found himself in the dock on seven previous occasions for dishonesty, motoring offences and violence against women.

The player, branded “arrogant” by Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith, was told that in addition to jail he would have to register as a sex offender for seven years, pay £3,125 compensation to his victim and £1,800 prosecution costs.

He was on loan at Premier League rivals Hull City at the time of the attack. He returned to Wigan in the summer and has made three appearances for the club in the league this season.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: career prospects, dave whelan, finnigan, gratuitous violence, Hertfordshire, hull city, jail sentence, london, Marlon King, Mr Finnigan, Mr Whelan, outburst, premier league, revellers, revue bar, sexual assault, sky news, soho, southwark crown court, striker, Tony Finnigan, unprovoked attack, violence against women, west end, white knight, Wigan

King sacked by Wigan after guilty assault verdict

October 30, 2009

Marlon King was sacked by Wigan Athletic after being jailed Thursday for 18 months after he was found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm.

King was sent to prison for an incident in a London nightclub in December when, while he was on loan to Wigan’s Premier League rivals Hull, he groped a young woman and then broke her nose after she spurned his advances.

King, a striker with north-west side Wigan, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old university student and causing actual bodily harm.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan told Sky Sports that King would be sacked after a mandatory notice period had expired.

“We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 40 days notice that his contract will be cancelled,” Whelan said.

“He is absolutely sacked – we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic.”

The court heard how King, 29, was celebrating his wife’s pregnancy and scoring a winning goal hours earlier.

After he was repeatedly “cold-shouldered” by women in the bar, he lost his temper with the victim and in an outburst of “completely gratuitous violence” lashed out at her, “smashing” her to the floor, the court heard.

He had denied the charges, claiming he was a victim of mistaken identity.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: actual bodily harm, dave whelan, football players, gratuitous violence, guilty assault, league rivals, london, london nightclub, mandatory notice, Marlon King, mistaken identity, north west side, notice period, outburst, premier league, sexual assault, Sky Sports, striker, young woman

Toulouse call for punishment

September 30, 2009

Toulouse have called for “severe punishment” after one of their supporters died, two weeks after he was injured in violent clashes with Partizan Belgrade fans.

Brice Taton had been in critical condition in hospital in Belgrade after he was injured, along with another French fan and a Serbian, shortly before the Champions League clash on September 17.

A statement on www.tfc.info read: “TFC are in mourning following the announcement of the tragic death of Brice Taton, victim of unspeakable violence.

“Our thoughts go first to his parents in Belgrade, his family, his friends, his Forza Viola partners and all the family that are the supporters of Toulouse Football Club.

“It is a time for contemplation. But the time will come when this outburst of violence on the outskirts of sport has to be severely punished.

“Toulouse Football Club will see to it that justice will be done, and will be an unfailing support to Brice’s family.”

Secretary of state for sports Rama Yade also assured the family that the French government will do everything in their power to ensure that those responsible are punished.

“We will fight against the criminals in sport,” she said in a statement. “I call for the strongest severity against those responsible for this murder and draw on the efforts of the Serbian authorities not to leave this crime unpunished.”

Since the incident 10 people have been arrested and currently face the possibility of 30-40 years apiece in prison.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: brice, champions league, contemplation, critical condition, forza, french fan, french government, outburst, outburst of violence, outskirts, rama yade, september 17, serbian authorities, severe punishment, tfc, toulouse football club, tragic death, unspeakable violence, viola, violent clashes

PSG coach threatens rival over Makelele slur

September 29, 2009

Paris Saint-Germain coach Antoine Kombouare said that Christian Gourcuff “deserves a smack in the mouth”, after the Lorient manager claimed PSG midfielder Claude Makelele was “past it”.

The Parisians were held to a 1-1 draw at Lorient on Saturday, during which former Real Madrid and Chelsea man Makelele was fortunate to avoid a red card for a foul on Sigamary Diarra in the first half.

Gourcuff, the father of Bordeaux star Yoann, declared afterwards that Makelele was “past it and has no place on a football pitch”, prompting an extraordinary outburst from Kombouare.

“You must respect the man (Makelele) and his career,” Kombouare told RMC radio on Monday.

“Someone needs to stub Christian Gourcuff’s cigar out. I’m very annoyed. You can say what you like about the player but it’s forbidden to attack the man. Christian Gourcuff should talk about football and stop thinking he’s someone else.

“I get the impression that this guy is bitter. Is he worried about something? Excuse me for these words, but in my opinion a guy like this deserves a smack in the mouth.

“I’m really annoyed and I’m making a stand about what Gourcuff said. Furthermore, I’ve left him two messages and he still hasn’t called me back.

“I can understand what he said at the end of the match, that Claude Makelele committed a lot of fouls, that sometimes he pushed things to the limit and that he deserved a red card for what he did to Sigamary Diarra. No problems. When you’re angry you react like that, I speak from experience.

“But I do not accept him attacking the integrity of a player, my player. When he says that he’s past it and has no place on a football pitch, I say ’stop’. He is disrespectful, has gone too far and will have to answer to me. There are things I cannot accept.”

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Antoine Kombouare, Bordeaux, CHELSEA, Christian Gourcuff, cigar, Claude Makelele, diarra, football pitch, fouls, Germain, gourcuff, integrity, Lorient, MADRID, match, midfielder, outburst, PARIS, paris saint germain, parisians, psg coach, radio, real madrid, slur, two messages, Yoann

Pumas & Lopez drill Real Espana 5-1

August 29, 2009

SAN PEDRO SULA – Pumas put its Mexican league struggles aside and devastated host Real Espana 5-1 in a CONCACAF

Champions League Group D game Thursday night at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.

The Mexico City side was buoyed by a three-goal outburst from 26-year-old Dante Lopez. The Paraguayan completed the

feat during an 18-minute stretch in the second half.

In reality, Real Espana was never in the game and any success it had seemed more to do with Pumas taking its foot

off the gas, rather than any true change in momentum.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 12th minute on a brilliant individual effort by Pablo Barrera. The Mexican

international cut through the Real Espana cover in assured style, entered the box and adeptly chipped goalkeeper

Marcelo Macias.

Pumas should have increased its lead in the 26th minute, when they were awarded a penalty kick after Oscar Bonilla

pulled down Jehu Chiapas in the penalty area. Lopez took the shot soundly, but Macias dove to his right to make an

exceptional save.

Just before half-time, though, Chiapas got on the scoresheet. The midfielder slipped behind a casual Real Espana

defense on the left, collected a pass from Efrain Velarde and beat Macias with a smart left-footed shot.

Real Espana could not have been pleased with its first-half performance, but made brief amends in the 52nd minute.

Carlos Pavon sent a precise ball to Douglas Mattoso, who got in between two UNAM defenders to net his third goal of

the tournament.

With its lead sliced in half, UNAM refocused and, then, Lopez went on a scoring rampage.

In 64th minute, he restored his team’s two-goal advantage with a header from a Barrera corner.

Four minutes later, Leandro Augusto sent a seemingly harmless cross from the left into the Real Espana box. Two

defenders inexplicably watched the ball roll by as Lopez darted in to fire in from 11 yards out.

Lopez ended the home side’s misery eight minutes from time, completing his hat-trick off a pass from Martin Bravo.

It was an extraordinary Matchday 2 for the quartet of Mexican clubs – Cruz Azul, Pachuca, Pumas and Toluca — in

the Champions League. They posted four wins in four games, while knocking in a remarkable 18 goals.

Real Espana will look to get back on track when it plays at Comunicaciones on September 17. Pumas, which has five

losses in five Mexican Apertura games, next meets W Connection in Trinidad & Tobago.

Source

Tags: Augusto, Barrera, Carlos Pavon, champions league group, concacaf champions league, Dante Lopez, estadio olimpico, goal advantage, Goalkeeper, hat trick, mexico city, midfielder, oscar bonilla, outburst, Pablo Barrera, paraguayan, penalty kick, pumas, san pedro sula, Tobago, Trinidad, true change, velarde, W. Connection

Vietnam federation bans Denilson team´s fans

June 13, 2009

HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam’s football federation said Friday it had banned fans of the football club that recently signed former Brazilian international star Denilson from attending away matches.

The Vietnam Football Federation blamed “public disorder” by supporters of Hai Phong Cement Football Club, who were already infamous in Vietnam for their aggressive behaviour.

The federation said it was “banning fans of Hai Phong Cement to come to guest stadiums to cheer” for their team.

Citing the explosion of firecrackers, it said the fans’ misbehaviour was “systematic, extremely dangerous and undermined the international image of Vietnamese football.”

The fans’ latest outburst came in Hanoi Wednesday night when police used dogs and electric batons to disperse the visiting Hai Phong supporters after their side’s latest loss, VietnamNet news website reported.

The report said fans fired flares during the match and later fought with the police.

Denilson, signed this month by Hai Phong, did not play Wednesday night and has reportedly said he is injured — even before starting for his new team.

On home ground in the port city of Hai Phong Sunday, fans burned stadium seats and threw objects on to the pitch, in displeasure at Denilson’s absence from the match, in which the team suffered another defeat.