Sir Alex questions FA argument

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Sir Alex questions FA argument Sir Alex Ferguson believes that the disagreement between England manager Fabio Capello and the FA  will end up having a negative effect on the international team, unless the two parties can bury their differences and learn to work together again.

The difference of opinion stems from the FA’s decision to take the captain’s armband from Chelsea defender John Terry until the verdict in his upcoming trial is delivered. Terry faces a charge of racially abusing another defender, QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, and is set to appear in court in July.

Capello has already launched a stinging attack on the FA for taking the step, arguing that Terry is innocent until proven guilty and that the English football authorities are delivering their own justice. But the comments in the media could end up putting the England manager himself in hot water and he has been summoned to appear before the FA to explain why he so publicly disagreed with the organisation’s decision.

Other managers, including Fergie, have been weighing in on the issue, with Terry’s club manager, Andrew Villas-Boas backing Capello for taking a stand and defending one of his player’s against unfair treatment. Villas-Boas added that the England manager had the right to hold an opinion on the matter and shouldn’t be prevented from expressing that opinion by his bosses at the FA.

A meeting between Capello and the FA is set to take place this week to discuss his future as England manager and whether or not he breached his contract by criticising his employers so publicly. The FA’s main problem seems to be that Capello had not told them that he intended to give an interview on the subject to an Italian television company so they were unprepared for the subsequent media storm.

John terry, meanwhile, has been attempting to keep a low profile; his only recent statement has been to the effect that he will continue to play for England even though he is no longer allowed to wear the captain’s armband.

KOP racism row rolls on

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KOP racism row rolls on Liverpool FC’s reputation took another dive recently, when a young footballer accused supporters in the famous KOP stand of racially abusing him as he played in a FA Cup match at Anfield.

Twenty-year-old Tom Adeyemi, who was born in the UK but whose parents are originally from Nigeria, was playing for Oldham Athletic in the match, which his team went on to lose 5-1, when he appeared to react angrily to something said in the crowd in the dying minutes of the game.

Adeyemi, who was visibly upset by the incident, was calmed on the pitch by his own captain as well as Liverpool players, including Steven Gerrard. Merseyside Police are now investigating the incident and a man has been arrested and charged.

This is the second time in recent weeks that the successful club has been involved in a racism scandal, following the banning of player Luis Suarez for eight matches after he was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Witnesses to the incident involving Adeyemi claim that some Liverpool fans started to chant Suarez’s name after the young Oldham player became upset.

Adeyemi, who is on loan to Oldham from his home-town club of Norwich City, declined a place at prestigious Cambridge University to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional footballer.  The youngster, whose family runs a successful business in Norwich, secured three A grades in his A Levels two years ago.

Gareth Thomas states his support for gay footballers

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Gareth Thomas states his support for gay footballers Gareth Thomas, the previous captain of the Welsh rugby team has made a public statement about his support for gay footballers and his desires for the breakdown of prejudices that he has seen towards homosexual people in the sport.

He is regarded as the most high-profile sportsmen in the UK who is openly gay and he has recently made his remarks in a BBC documentary. He stated that many talented players are being turned off the sport because of its homophobic nature.

In the documentary he commented, “If the Football Association were to issue a statement saying that they would take a hard line on any homophobic behaviour in the game then more talented footballers would join in the sport.”

The documentary has recently aired on BBC3 and is presented by Amal Fashanu. Amal Fashanu’s uncle is Justin Fashanu, who was an openly gay footballer. After he came out he received a lot of abuse for being gay and ultimately committed suicide in the late 1990s. In the documentary Ms Fashanu confronts her father who was hostile to his brother after he revealed that he was gay.

The documentary features an interview with her father, John Fashanu, where he states, “I’m sick of the scandals that I hear day after day, I have a name to protect and my brother is tarnishing it. I wouldn’t even like to get changed in the same room as my brother, and I’m fairly sure the rest of the football world feels exactly the same way.”

Justin at the time commented about his brother’s remarks, “I thought he was a more tolerant man and I am disappointed that he feels this way.” In the documentary John says that he has certain regrets about his behaviour about his brother’s homosexuality and his reaction to it.

Al-Ahly fans bring Cairo to a standstill

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Al-Ahly fans bring Cairo to a standstill Thousands have marched from all over Cairo in support of al-Ahly and they all congregated in the capital centre, Tahrir Square. Fans within the city had already taken care to set up barriers that blocked off the square so that they could all meet up.

Once most had arrived the large group headed towards the interior ministry and surrounded it chanting out to the leaders demanding their rights and threatening that if they do not receive any rights then they will use their own methods to get them. They added that martyrs are loved by God, insinuating that there is little that would stop them.

The crowd was mostly younger men although during the march many women also joined in carrying al-Ahly and Egyptian flags. While the main goal of the gathering seemed to be to demand freedom, each different marchers had their own particular messages to convey.

While some choose to express anger at the governors of the Port Said, some at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, some at the interior minister, and just in general to the police that were monitoring the event. Despite what many thought, the event was planned and not as a result of the violence that caused the death of 70 people at the Port Said football match this week.

Supporters did however bring up the violence that occurred at the game stating that the Scaf is the reason why these disasters continue to occur with one supporter at the rally explaining that if the Scaf is not able to make a football match safe to attend it is impossible to imagine that they could bring stability and security to the entire country. Others are asking that the Scaf and police be held responsible at trials to bring honor to the martyrs that gave their lives for the cause.

Premiership’s manliest footballer is Wayne Rooney

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It’s now official, England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has edged out his teammate Ryan Giggs to take the coveted title of the manliest footballer in the Premier league, with Ashley Cole being named as the least manly in the public vote Leading UK grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge organised the survey, which saw 26 year old Rooney pick up 20% of the public’s votes.

Ryan Giggs was placed second with 18% of the vote, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Chelsea and England player Frank Lampard tied for third place with 10%. Other players who made the manly top ten included Joey Barton, Nemanja Vidic and John Terry.

Nick Gibbens, spokesperson for The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “When he’s on the pitch, Wayne is certainly what you would describe as a ‘real man’ and is a deserving winner of the title ‘Premiership’s manliest footballer’.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve, never pulls out of a tackle and always puts his body on the line for his team, qualities that make a man a ‘real man’. Wayne also has the recent addition of a full head of hair, and I’m guessing this could have secured him a few extra votes.”

Chelsea and England left back Ashley Cole was voted least manly Premiership footballer, picking up nearly a quarter (24%) of the public vote.

Spanish forward Fernando Torres, a teammate of Cole at Chelsea, came second in the least “manly” category on 21%. Peter Crouch was third on 14%, former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri took fourth spot with 11% and Manchester United winger Nani finished fifth on 5%.

The Bluebeards Revenge, dubbed the “world’s manliest grooming brand”, also asked participants who they thought was the manliest Premiership team and the league’s manliest manager.

Stoke City, famous for their physical and no-nonsense approach, topped this list on 23%, with Manchester United second on 16% and Liverpool third on 15%.

Arsenal, renowned for their pretty passing game, were judged to be the ‘least manly’ Premiership side, closely followed by their North London rivals Tottenham.

Chelsea’s rugged boss Andre Billas-Boas took the accolade for manliest Premiership manager, with a whopping 49% of the vote, followed by Martin Jol (7%) in second and Roberto Mancini (6%) in third.

Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger scooped the honour for the least manly Premiership manager.

The Bluebeards Revenge, a shaving range that can actually reduce stubble by up to 40% over a 60-day period, surveyed 1,835 people via email in December 2011.

Please see attached spreadsheet for full survey results.