Football hooligans set to return to the terraces

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Football hooligans set to return to the terraces According to police sources, we may be on our way to the next brood of football hooligans.  Although official football statistics have yet to be released, it is reported that there were over 100 incidents last season.  That is a steep increase from the nearly 40 incidents reported in 2007.

There is no doubt that football hooliganism is on the rise, but a majority of that intensity is being seen in the lower leagues.  This is where tickets are less likely and there is not as concentrated a police presence which, apparently, offers some the opportunity to brawl.

The police say that statistics seem to indicate a worrisome increase of younger fans getting into the violence.  As it stands right now, nearly 300 teenagers in the UK are banned from attending football matches.  The figures reportedly show that nearly half of all football incidents in Wales, Northern Ireland, and England involved youths.

The police believe that one of the most effective tools they have against an upsurge of football hooligans is the banning provision.  While under ban, reported hooligans cannot go anywhere near football grounds and may even been restricted from the city or town centre on the days of matches.

More figures show that there are over 3000 of these footballs bans in place all over the UK in an effort to avert violence.  That means that about ten per cent of that number are teenagers. It has been questioned whether the violence has been caused by an increase in illegal alcohol intake. These statistics are difficult to quantify though as the ways the teenagers obtain the alcohol is mixed. All UK supermarkets are very harsh on ID presence in the purchase of wine, spirits and beer. The same goes for purchasing beer and wine online. Police assume however that a large percentage of the violence is fueled by alcohol.

Saturday saw trouble after the match between Southampton and Bournemouth.  There was quarrelling between people outside the football grounds and city centre.   One policeman commented how lovely Southampton is and that the people there don’t care to see the influence of hooligans.

Liverpool Football Club ownership battle goes on

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Liverpool Football Club ownership battle goes on The ownership troubles of the Liverpool Football Club have taken another twist as Peter Lim is stepping back into negotiations with an increased bid for the embattled team.  The billionaire Singapore businessman’s offer was originally overlooked in favour of a £300 million offer from the owners of the American baseball team the Boston Red Sox, NE Sports Ventures.  Now, Lim is back with a new offer.

The new offer may be of no avail since one of Liverpool’s major creditors, Royal Bank of Scotland, has gone to High Court to fight over who has the right to actually sell the Football Club.  IF RBS wins, the deal will go to the New England investors of Sports Ventures.

Lim, however, is countering with quite a deal.  First he will jump the offer to £320 million, all in cash.  Then, he will add £40 million for spending on players.  Such sums of money would pay off a £200 million acquisition debt, bank fees, and all of Liverpool’s existing debt.

The additional £40 million would be injected into the club so Roy Hodgson can get new players.  Lim says that he is committed to returning the Liverpool Football Club to the pinnacle of success.  He says that all the money is available immediately and that fact can keep the club from going under administration.

While his offer is generous and intriguing, it will probably have no bearing on the court case which is a fight between the club and investors George Gillett and Tom Hicks, who stand to lose £114 million if the Sports Ventures deal goes through.

Football Rich List

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The Football Rich List has been through a few changes this year and some millionaires and billionaires have seen better times.  Still, it is hard to cry for Manchester City’s owner who climbs from number two last year to number one, a Sheikh worth more than 20 billion pounds, who unseated last year’s number one richest, Lakshmi Mittal of QPR.  Mittal’s worth is, unfortunately, down to a paltry 17 billion pounds.

Let’s save our tears for someone more deserving like Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea who slid to number four with a fortune at 7.4 billion pounds as opposed to last year’s 7.8 billion, shall we.

While David Beckham is still atop the rich players list, he could use a handkerchief after seeing his fortune slip from around 125 million pounds to 100 million pounds.  Wayne Rooney’s troubles have appeared to take a bite from his wallet, as his wealth staggers down from 37 million pounds last year to only £25 million this year.

The richest manager is Fabio Capello who climbed from £30 million last year to 36 million this year, leaving Roy Keane at number two with £28 million and Sir Alex Ferguson number three with £26 million.

Here is the clubs rich list
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Liverpool may sell to the Yanks, again

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Liverpool supporters will see their club purchased by another group of American owners.  It was announced that the Premiere League team is being sold to the owner’s of the Boston Red Sox of American baseball fame.

There are, in essence, a lot of similarities between the clubs from different sports.  Both have one the world’s most well known venues; Anfield in Liverpool and Fenway Park in Boston.  Both have a large population of Irish expatriates as fans.

While it is true that a young player from Liverpool may have big dreams of scoring in front of the Kop, a rookie baseball player heralding from Boston will have dreams of hitting one over the famous Green Monster, Fenway’s 37-foot left field fence.

Liverpool haven’t been able to gain the English title as far back as 1990.  The Boston Red Sox had quite a bit longer loosing streak from 1918 to 2004.  The 86-year drought was called the “Curse of the Bambino”, said Bambino being Babe Ruth, who was traded by the Boston Red Sox to their adversaries the Yankees back in 1920.

Boston’s 2004 route to the championship in baseball was filled with adversity, similar to Liverpool’s 2005 “Miracle of Istanbul.”

On their way to victory, the Red Sox had to compete with the Yankees and many thought the 86-year curse of the Bambino would hold.  Boston, however, came away with a victorious series over New York and then went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals for the championship.

This was just two years after New England Sports Ventures purchased the team, the same folks who will now own Liverpool.

Croydon Athletic Football Club chairman found dead

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Croydon Athletic Football Club chairman found dead The chairman of the Croydon Athletic Football Club was just found dead in a garage.  He apparently died of a gunshot to the head.  Most recently, the club’s owner, Mazhar Majeed, had been arrested on charges of fixing matches versus the Pakistan team.

David Le Cluse, who was the chairman of the Croydon Athletic Football Club, was discovered dead in Surrey on Saturday.  It was reported that his body was found in a garage on Park Gate Road.  The location is not far from his home. The team currently play in the Premier Division of the Ryman League.

The club has reported through spokesmen that they are stunned and distraught at the death of their 44 year-old chairman.  They have also asked that the privacy of his wife and two children be respected as they grieve.

Le Cluse recently admitted that the club was under investigation by Customs and HM Revenues from the time when Majeed was arrested for allegedly conspiring to defraud bookmakers.

Certainly, the nature of his death at such a time leaves many unanswered questions.  The police are treating his death as unexplained and will, most assuredly, continue to investigate.

Mr. Le Cluse recently commented that the club was labouring under the burden of money-laundering investigations.  He was admittedly uncertain as to the future of the Croydon Athletic Football Club.