Italian defender Marco Materazzi will not watch this year's World Cup after deciding t...
Italian defender Marco Materazzi will not watch this year's World Cup after deciding to go on a touring holiday around America.
Materazzi, who scored in the 2006 World Cup final before being headbutted by Zinedine Zidane, said is not interested in seeing his compatriots try to defend their title.
The 36-year-old, who rarely features in Internazionale's defence, has no chance of making Marcello Lippi's squad for South Africa.
"I know where I'll be on June 11, the first game of the World Cup - in my motor home travelling around America. I won't watch the tournament, the timings won't work out," he told La Repubblica newspaper.
Assaulting a woman and then the surreptitious little #$%$ has the audacity to lie about it...
Assaulting a woman and then the surreptitious little #$%$ has the audacity to lie about it. Men like this are absolutely disgusting, let alone that this is a father of three with a pregnant wife at home. Only 18 months? He is a millionaire footballer FFS. He should be given a lengthier sentence and fined up the ar$e for his violent conduct. There is no room for this sort of stuff when you are playing at the highest level. Players need to be role models. You have Joey Barton, Steven Gerrard, and now this. It just seems to me that the footballing profession in England is pursued by thugs. What happened to the gentlemen of the game? RIP Bobby Robson.
The striker is on Wigan's books but he is facing the prospect of the sack as Latics chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed King has no future with the club.
"He is still our player and we have to follow the rules and regulations which mean we will have to give him 14 days' notice and his contract will be cancelled," Whelan told Sky Sports News.
"He is absolutely sacked, we will not tolerate players who get sent to jail for 18 months. We just will not tolerate that.
"We will follow the rules and regulations, serve him the 14 days, but as far as we are concerned he is finished with Wigan Athletic."
King, who was celebrating both his wife's pregnancy and scoring a winning goal hours earlier, was repeatedly "cold-shouldered" by women revellers in London's packed Soho Revue Bar last December.
The court was told that when the slightly-built university student rejected his advances, King, a father-of-three, replied "I'm just out of your league. I'm a millionaire." She replied: "I don't care who you are, take your multi-millions and get away from our table."
Prosecutors said he then lost his temper and in an outburst of "completely gratuitous violence" lashed out, "smashing" her to the floor
His single clenched fist blow was so powerful that two other revellers - one of them holding on to his arm - were also sent flying.
While bouncers moved in to restrain the muscular £5 million striker, friends rushed to the aid of his victim.
As she was helped to her feet, blood poured from her shattered nose, London's Southwark Crown Court heard.
The 29-year-old, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, claimed he was a victim of "mistaken identity".
But after hearing overwhelming evidence from a string of witnesses, including a football coach who insisted he was the assailant, the jury decided he was lying.
He was unanimously convicted of sexually assaulting the 20-year-old and causing actual bodily harm.
He is, in my opinion, the best striker in the world when it comes to playing with back to ...
He is, in my opinion, the best striker in the world when it comes to playing with back to goal. Such a shame he won't go down in history that way because of the diving and the moaning everytime he is unhappy. What he did to Scolari is just shameful. Such talent. There is no doubt in my mind that had he plied his trade at an early age away from France, maybe with a manger like Ferguson or Capello, this tendency to resort to histrionics would have been nipped in the bud. And he would have gone down in history as one of the best strikers of his generation. He is the key to your Champions League aspirations. We all know Essien will do well, but Drogba needs to have a blinder and outscore Barca. There is no way Barca will not score. Good luck! And pleeeeaase talk some footie on this board!
England star Ashley Cole has been found guilty of driving at more than 100mph in a 50mph z...
England star Ashley Cole has been found guilty of driving at more than 100mph in a 50mph zone.
The Chelsea defender, who did not attend court for his trial, was in his black Lamborghini Gallardo on the A3 in Kingston, Surrey, when a speed gun recorded him driving at 104mph.
Cole denied the charge, claiming he was being chased by paparazzi at the time.
Magistrates' chairwoman Judith Jewell told Kingston Magistrates' Court however: "We find that we were convinced enough by the evidence given that he was travelling at 104mph. Our reasons are that we feel that the evidence of the police officer was credible, and we feel entitled to believe that the equipment was operating properly."
The sentencing was adjourned until the end of the month so that Cole could be present.
Ms Jewell warned he may be banned from driving.
Describing the events of November 17 2008, Richard Lomax, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was stopped and spoken to and the words he said at the time, when it became plain that somebody was pointing a speed camera at him, were: 'Can't you do anything about those idiots who keep chasing me?'."
Cole, 29, told police he thought he was driving at 80mph when he was stopped just after midday.
Mr Lomax said: "The Crown says there can be no other sensible construction of the words uttered by Mr Cole at the time than that he was conceding he was driving at a speed more than 50mph. It is plain that he found the attention of persons with cameras unwelcome and he was trying to get away from them. The only sensible inference therefore is that he was going too quickly."
The fact that Cole, married to singer Cheryl Cole, may have been trying to avoid photographers was irrelevant, magistrates were told. Cole will be sentenced at the court at 10am on January 29.
None.
Rooney? Where was he? Chased a couple of long balls from Carrick. Ronaldo? Saw him ...
None.
Rooney? Where was he? Chased a couple of long balls from Carrick. Ronaldo? Saw him fall over a couple of times trying to get past Pique and Puyol. Was Giggs even on the pitch? Park and Anderson? Less said the better; especially Park. Vidic? Oh dear, Eto'o made him his b1tch on the WORLD stage!
I must apologise though; I don't remember if there were any other United players on the pitch. I was too busy watching the cerebral Xavi and the sublime Iniesta playing through the pain barrier. I was watching the prolific Eto'o and the infallible Lionel Messi. I was too busy watching poetry in motion. Hell, even Sylvinho had a blinder. It was champagne football at it's best. As a Milan fan, I could only watch in AWE, totally MESMERIZED, as the BEST team on the planet cantered towards a historic treble. It was divine and reminded me of why we LOVE the beautiful game. None of the ugly long ball nonsense, just DIRECT, INCISIVE football; an absolute joy to behold. It wasn't just Barca that won tonight, it was football!
Sam, not sure what you mean by UEFA and FIFA saying that the EPL is the strongest league p...
Sam, not sure what you mean by UEFA and FIFA saying that the EPL is the strongest league publicly; would you be kind enough to post a link? I have, on the other hand, heard them mention that the EPL is the highest-spending league, or most popular/marketed league, and I offer you no argument there. Disregarding who says/thinks what, I refer you to the table below of the modern CL format, and I think it speaks for itself, don't you think?
Champions League (season 1992–93 to present) Titles by Club
And if you want to argue that we go back to 1955, then the only difference is that the German and Dutch clubs leapfrog the English, barring just Liverpool. And of course, Real Madrid leapfrogs us! :))))
