Mancini plays down training ruckus with Balotelli

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Roberto Mancini and Mario Balotelli have figured in a physical scuffle at their training facility in Manchester and the confrontation may have been the result of a tackle on teammate Scott Sinclair that the striker considered uncalled for. The clash between striker and manager was witnessed by the whole team which was preparing for its third round game against Watford.

A reliable witness told how Balotelli strongly reacted to being chided by the manager for a bad play to which the manager reacted even more strongly. The source added that a furious Mancini grabbed Balotelli and tried to topple him down the floor which he failed to do, the latter being much stronger than he was. Players and coaches tried to pacify the two, but Mancini was adamant and again and again he tried to break free trying to get to Balotelli. In the end cooler heads prevailed.

After the commotion died down, the witness stated that Balotelli went to the dressing room after which he drove away from the place, driving a luxurious Bentley. He stopped at the gates though for fans that were waiting for autographs.

In the past, there were plenty speculation about the future of Balotelli with the Manchester City team and this incident is sure to trigger a fresh round, although Mancini has resisted the idea of selling the striker during the January transfer windows.

Last month Mancini told the sports gazette Gazzetta dello Sport, that Mario will stay with the team, but for how long depends on Mario. He added further that his relationship with the player has always been good even when there are times when he does something unsettling.

 

Italian football game cut short after racism incident

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A football game that was held last Thursday in Busto Arsizio had to be stopped. The game involved the teams Milan and Pro Patria and it was cut off in less than 30 minutes because the crowd started harassing and chanting racist remarks against the player Kevin-Prince Boateng, who belongs to the Milan team. The player didn’t take it well and he reacted negatively by kicking the ball to the crowd.

A representative from the other team, Dario Alberto Polverini, pleaded with Boateng to stay but apparently Boateng didn’t heed him as he proceeded to walk off the pitch along with his team members. Among those who walked out was Massimo Ambrosini, who is the captain of the team. Boateng wasn’t the only one targeted as other players namely Urby Emanuelson, M’Baye Niang and Sulley Muntari were also verbally abused by the crowd.

Boateng sounded off in Twitter saying that he was disappointed that such a thing happened. Massimilano Allegri, who was the coach of Team Milan, told the paper, Gazetta dello Sport that he was also disappointed at what happened. However, he respected his black players and considered walking out of the game as the right thing to do.

He later apologised for his team’s actions but he said that this was the only way for them to send a clear message against racism but he did, however, promise that they would have another try at the game. Ambrosini mentioned to the paper that from the moment the game started, he was very disappointed and annoyed with the crowd.

His intention was to give a clear message that they just couldn’t proceed with such a negative atmosphere. There were many who lauded Boateng’s actions particularly the anti-racist organisations. One such prominent anti-racist organisation, FARE, through their executive director, Piara Powar, called for further action from the Italian Football Association regarding the incident.

 

 

How a premiership manager tries to win over the fans

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If there were no fans, there would be no football, or certainly not football as we know it today. When you get right down to it, fans are the life blood of any team, and not just because they buy tickets. They can and do influence the way players, coaches, managers and owners behave and perform. However, sometimes you just have to outlast them, as Rafael Benitez is determined to do.

The Chelsea interim coach has faced considerable disapproval since he was brought in to replace Roberto di Matteo, with booing spectators saying his approach is too defensive, especially after the first two Premier League games where the score was a draw at 0-0. Then when Chelsea lost out on the World Cup Final in Japan, the level of disapprobation rose even higher.

However, the team came back and took five goals from Leeds in the Capital One Cup, then went on to a rousing eight-goal win against Aston Villa. They headed to Norwich City on Wednesday and came away with a 1-0 win, and Benitez says that he’s confident the streak will continue. At present Chelsea remains at third place in the Premier League, but if they continue playing as they have been, he says, they’ve got a good shot at the championship.

Disgruntled fans are having to revise their opinions, and Benitez says they’ll come to see that he’s a professional with the best interest of players and fans at the heart of his strategy. It’s his job, he said, to get the best out of his players, and if he can do that, the team will keep on winning matches and fans will have nothing to complain about.

 

 

 

CHAK 89 receives Stamford Bridge guests

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CHAK 89 receives Stamford Bridge guests David Luiz, Victor Moses and Lucas Piazon, the football players for Chelsea, attended Chak 89, the award-winning Indian restaurant on Sunday, along with the football player from Arsenal, Gervinho. The players for Chelsea were apparently in a very jovial mood as they had just come from a game where they had beaten Aston Villa 8-0.

Other diners were shocked and gobsmacked to see the players just walk into Chak 89 and head straight for the private booth table, used by many celebrities.

Frank Khalid, owner of Chak 89, who is also a big Chelsea fan, was overwhelmed with excitement and thrilled to see the Chelsea players having a good time tucking into an array of traditional Indian dishes that Chak 89 are famous for. Such was the ambience on Sunday that everyone in Chak 89 at the time cheered and clapped as the players went round to see other diners and have their photos taken.

Sitting back at their table, the waiter asked them what they thought of the food, they were all so happy that they signed the famous Chak 89 board showing appreciation for the beautiful food, service and quality.

For Chak 89 it was just another day in a place which is “A Spice above the Rest”

Racism in Russian football a major cause for concern

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Accusations of racism in Russia’s football clubs are proving detrimental to the country’s image, especially as preparations are going forward for Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup. Though the authorities generally claim that charges of racism are only applicable to a small hard-core group of fans, recent news indicates a different story.

The championship team Zenit Saint Petersburg has been the focus of a lot of media attention, in part because they signed two black players in early September. Hulk, the Brazilian forward and Axel Witsel, the Belgian midfielder are the first blacks ever recruited to Zenit, and they have more than competition on the playing field to contend with.

Zenit’s biggest fan club is known as Landskrona; they are hard-core fans but they’re also hard-core in their views of racial purity. The group has loudly advocated a policy of signing only ‘pure’ white players, which in their opinion excludes blacks from anywhere, South Americans and gays of any colour. Landskrona and others in their racist camp have become an embarrassment to the Russian Football Union and to many of the Russian players.

Last summer at the European Championships the Russian soccer federation got hit with a $150,000 fine after a display of nationalistic flags and clashes with stewards, and there have been many other incidents of blatant hostility on the part of some Russian fan groups. For the most part, officials tend to deny that there’s really a serious problem, but most agree that the racist element could create a lot of tension and hostility during the World Cup matches.

A former Zenit coach, Raymond Verheijen, feels that the racial issue is a serious one and should be dealt with by action from the sports governing body. He said he was shocked that Zenit fans had gone so far as to demand an all-white team, and that the club and the Federation should take responsibility for preventing and/or punishing racist behavior in the football world.