Footballers will see salary capping, Mawhinney

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Footballers will see salary capping, Mawhinney The outgoing Football League chairman, Brian Mawhinney, stated that it is inevitable that salary capping will occur because the current business model of England’s professional football league cannot be sustained without change.

Mawhinney stepped down from his position of chairman on Friday to Greg Clarke after seven years with a harsh warning that the clubs are spending more on players’ wages then is actually in their budget.

He continued to say that the business model is broken which can be seen throughout the administrations and that some clubs actually spend around 85% of their income on wages, which is not a sustainable business model in any setting.

In terms of a salary cap, Mawhinney stated that the Championship clubs are not ready to commit to the idea but it will need to happen down the line because it simply will not be sustainable in the long term.  He strongly campaigned for the introduction of a cap throughout his tenure as the Chairman of the League, which he concedes that many did not approve of him due to the fact that he was so vocal on the matter.

In particular, Mawhinney was questioned about Stockport County whose club has faced administration since the month of April last year, and there is still no resolution.  If they do not figure out a way to get out of the whole by next season the team will be in breach of Football League regulations.  He stated that if he were a fan of the team he would be quite concerned.

Colegate sees Cheryl harden her stance

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Colegate sees Cheryl harden her stance In the ongoing Cheryl vs. Ashley Cole wars, it’s still hard to tell where the battle lines are really drawn.  The last time they were photographed together was on February 12th at the hospital where Ashley was treated for a broken ankle.  Cheryl picked him up, but since then she has hardened her heart, in spite of attempts on his part to see her and “sort things out”.

According to sources close to the Chelsea star, Ashley has been pretty confident that the two will get back together, perhaps after a period of separation during which Cheryl will change her mind or at least soften up towards him.  Whether his hopes are unfounded remains to be seen.  She refused to see or speak to him when he arrived at their mansion to pack some of his belongings, and her mother showed him to the door.

Ashley left that non-encounter in the boot of a Range Rover, the possessions he had retrieved piled on the back seat.  Not a comfortable exit, especially for someone with an injured ankle.  He has been recuperating in a French sports clinic since the injury, and there is still doubt about whether he will make it to the World’s Cup this summer.

Meanwhile Cheryl’s state of mind has been described as extremely stressed.  Friends and associates say that she’s furious and tired of being a pushover, but the strain is telling on her.  She’s having trouble sleeping and has abrogated a lot of her promotional duties, behaviour that is very unlike her usual energetic involvement.

South Africa is just not Coleen Rooney’s thing

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South Africa is just not Coleen Rooney’s thing Wayne Rooney has announced that Coleen, his wife, will not be heading to South Africa with him to the South Africa World Cup after talking somewhat about the fact that in the past girlfriends and wives have been a distraction; a point of view shared by England captain Rio Ferdinand and manager Fabio Capello.

Rooney stated that if the players’ significant others want to come support them there is nothing in the way but it can be rough.  He also stated that his wife just had a child so she would not be able to accompany him anyhow.

Last week Cappello got snappy when asked where the Wags’s would stay in South Africa stating that it is enough to ask that they stay away from the training ground.  Earlier he stated that the Wags that choose to come along would have to deal with only getting to see the squad on a weekly basis.

He added that the team is headed to South Africa to play and not on a holiday basis and that if the Wags are not happy with the one day visit they should stay in England.

He also bristled when asked if the Wags had disrupted England at the last Germany World Cup, responding that their presence was somewhat like a virus.

Ferdinand also has negative memories of the 2008 World Cup when the Wags stayed at the same hotel describing the situation as a circus with the publicity centred on the Wags and the football aspect of the event becoming a sideshow.

Prostitutes expected to invade world cup

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Prostitutes expected to invade world cup Officials warned that up to 40,000 women may head to South Africa around the time of the World Cup this year in order to find work as prostitutes during the festivities.

In anticipation of the sudden influx of prostitutes South Africa has tightened its border procedures and is hoping to help prevent those who want to make money from the fans during the tournament.

Deputy chair of the Central Drug Authority of South Africa, David Bayever, stated that local officials are worried that girls from the area will be encouraged to also head to the streets in an effort to get sex work from tourists in an area where up to 16% of the total population is thought to have HIV.

Bayever continued to say that the problem is a large concern and that organizers of the event are aware of the threat and that the women looking for work and money as sex workers are expected to come from areas located throughout the globe with a large concentration from Eastern Europe.

The problem was discussed at a meeting of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and policies designed to limit the amount of women allowed in the country were discussed.

According to Bayever, the UN office has been given assurances that passport control checks will be conducted at the borders on those who look suspicious and that screening methods will be in place.

Officials are also fearful that children may be attracted to sex work while on holiday during the World Cup.

European stadiums can’t help heart attack victims

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European stadiums can’t help heart attack victims A new study conducted in Sweden and including 187 football stadiums found that many European football grounds do not have the correct action plans or equipment on the grounds in order to save fans that have a heart attack while in attendance.

According to the results of the poll, more than a quarter of the stadiums accessed do not have emergency plans or the necessary defibrillators.   The survey was carried out by club doctors who stressed that more should be done since it is not always possible to quickly get fans to an ER.

Currently, it is only considered to be advisable to have defibrillators at sporting events but the researchers are pushing for mandatory requirements to be put in place.

In the last few years however authorities across the UK have been attempting to do more to place the life saving pieces of equipment in public areas.

Official medic for GAIS the Swedish club and a member of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Mats Borjesson, stated that every sporting ground should have a supply of defibrillators due to the fact that those that are emotionally engaged in a sporting event are more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Borjesson also noted that given that Europe is where football is the most popular it is quite likely that the situation is even more alarming in other areas.  He also added that planning and procedures also need to be in place so that they could be properly used.