Paper Talk: Spain haven't forgotten Kevin Muscat's on-field misdemeanours
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THE football world just keeps on giving.
We're off to Romania to kick-off your weekend dose of Paper Talk.No worries, boys. Cluj's Damjan Dokovic bailed out teammate Vasile Maftei after his miss of the year contender - with a chip off the 'rebound' from forty metres!
FOOTBALL'S NO. 1 VILLAIN
Kevin Muscat might be trying to re-build his demeanour as coach of Melbourne Victory, but the football world has not forgotten his past since.
Spanish football website - El Gol Digital - compiled a list of the ten worst offenders the game has seen.
Roy Keane? Check. Luis Suarez? Check.
But none of them were as bad as Muscat. Perhaps Ange should bring him over to Brazil for a certain World Cup clash ...
10) Nigel De Jong, The Netherlands, 9) Marco Materazzi, Italy, 8) Mark Van Bommel, The Netherlands, 7) Roy Keane, Republic of Ireland, 6) Gennaro Gattuso, Italy, 5) Luis Suarez, Uruguay, 4) Andoni Goikoetxea, Spain, 3) David Navarro, Spain, 2) Pepe, Portugal/Brazil, 1) Kevin Muscat, Australia.
PRESSURE'S ON
Are Manchester City the ones to make Arsenal question their title credentials? There's such high stakes on the weekend fixture, and the players know it.
"We have to be ready and there are no excuses at City," said Mikel Arteta, who is not happy about the short turnaround from the mid-week Champions League game. "We have to be prepared.
"We know it can be a big statement if we win there. That's what we want to do."
THOUGHTS ON THIS?
European football's governing body UEFA on Thursday reiterated its wish that the so-called 'triple punishment' be reconsidered by the panel that governs the laws of the game.
Under the current laws, a player who denies an opponent a clear goalscoring opportunity in the box and concedes a penalty should also receive a red card and is therefore automatically suspended for a subsequent fixture.
However, at a meeting in Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country on Thursday, UEFA's Executive Committee asked for the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to recommend awarding only a yellow card rather than a red in such circumstances.
UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said: "The Executive Committee has asked IFAB to address the issue and clarify the situation at their next meeting so that there are no more red cards for fouls committed inside the box.
"We need to resolve the issue of the 'triple punishment' once and for all. Everyone is talking about it and feels it is an injustice."
Meanwhile, Infantino confirmed that Spain and new UEFA member Gibraltar would be kept apart when the draw for the Euro 2016 qualifiers is made in Nice, France next February.
The sovereignty of the British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula has long been disputed by the Spanish.
-AFP
GOOD LUCK IN THE JUNGLE, BOYS
Tottenham midfielder Sandro has been in an expansive mood in recent days, bantering with countryman Philippe Coutinho before Spurs' clash with Liverpool.
He's also weighed in on the decision to play World Cup games in Manaus in the Amazon rainforest.
Sandro, a Brazilian, says he hasn't even been to the area, which will host England's huge clash with Italy.
"Good luck with that," said Sandro. "I have never played there but I know it is very hot. Wow!
"It is also a long way from Sao Paulo, where England play next. It is about a four or five-hour flight."
He added: "I will joke with people from Manaus that all there is there is forest, river and that is it,' he said.
"It is beautiful, but that's the joke. Most Brazilians haven't been there. I want to go there. To fish, though, not to play football.
"I was surprised, because I never played there, (Manaus) don't have a good team.
"But that's Brazil for you. Everybody was surprised."
An aerial view of the Arena da Amazonia stadium, in Manaus.
Source: AP
Football fan, meet Ludivine Sagna.
The wife of Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has taken to posting snaps of herself on Twitter in her husband's kit.
Fine with us ...
WE DRUNK, WE SMOKED, WE WON THE LEAGUE!
Jack Wilshere was castigated for being spotted with a cigarette recently. How about this comparison then, a great anecdote about yesteryear from Ray Parlour.
"I'll always remember the first pre-season tour with Arsene Wenger," Parlour told Sportlobster TV.
"New French lads had come into the team like Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Gilles Grimandi. We worked our socks off and at the end of the trip Wenger said we could all go out.
"You know what we were like, we went straight down to the pub and the French lads went to the coffee shop.
"I'll always remember the moment Steve Bould went up to the bar and ordered 35 pints for five of us. After we left the bar we spotted all the French lads in the coffee shop and they were sitting around smoking, I thought how are we going to win the league this year? We're all drunk and they're all smoking, and we ended up winning the double that year."
WHAT'S THE POINT?
A few years back, sponsorship on a Barcelona jersey was sacrilege. Now, they're even putting advertising on the inside of their jersey!
Technology giant intel has signed a deal with the club and will develop technology for their training centre.
'I'M NOT DONE'
Ashley Cole is defiant.
Or there are very good marketing gurus at Nike who know the best way to promote their Tiempo Legend V boot ...
"Who you calling done? You think I'm done? I'm not done," Cole says, straight down the camera.
"I've won seven FA Cups, three Premier League titles, 105 caps. I want 130.
"After 13 years at the top, I should be done.
"But I'm not."
NOR IS JOE
The Daily Mirror reports that Joe Hart's six-game Manchester City exile could end in Saturday's crunch game, a reward for his professionalism at training.
STERN WORDS
Demba Ba scored the winner in the Champions League on Thursday but it wasn't enough to convince Jose Mourinho.
"He could do better," Mourinho said when asked about Ba. "He got his goal, it's a good feeling for him. He never played in the Champions League before; this is the first season he has played.
"And he has two goals in the Champions League, which is nice for him. More goals in the Champions League than in the Premier League."
Surely the same applies to Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto'o.
No wonder there are already murmurings that the Chelsea-Wayne Rooney link is back on the agenda.
The Daily Mirror reports: "the Reds remain relaxed about striker who still has 18 months to run on his current deal despite rivals lining up a summer bid".
Speaking of strikers, there's one pervading hole in Mourinho's XI that he wants to see back at Stamford Bridge - as an opponent.
Mourinho told Chelsea TV ahead of the Champions League knock-out draw: "It would be very difficult, especially in Galatasaray. It's hell.
"It's very difficult to play there. I played there last season with Real.
"But I think Didier (Drogba) deserves to come here and to feel the passion and the respect. I would love that. Bring the king back to Stamford Bridge."
Galatasaray's Didier Drogba would be welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.
Source: AFP
The Rumour Mill doesn't need much excuse. It's a part of the world where every quote, decision or body language could be seen as a sign of an imminent transfer.
And so it is with Radamel Falcao, one of the world's great strikers.
He insists he is happy at Monaco ahead of Saturday's trip to Guingamp, despite continued speculation over his "mystery" injury.
Monaco have been in fine form recently and trail leaders Paris Saint-Germain by just two points following four successive wins.
But the continuing absence of record-signing Falcao, who will sit out his fourth match in a row with a hamstring problem, has seen the rumour-mill spin into overdrive.
On Thursday, leading sports daily L'Equipe said the Colombian's continuing absence was a "mystery" and that all the elements needed to create a "problem" existed.
But the player himself swatted away any such suggestions.
"I'm happy at Monaco," he said. "I feel bad due to all the speculation."
- AAP
IN GOOD HANDS
Jurgen Klinsmann signed a four-year contract extension with the United States on Thursday which will see the former Germany star remain as coach until the 2018 World Cup, US Soccer said.
As well as head coach, the 49-year-old will also become the technical director for all US national squads.
Klinsmann has been at the US helm for two years and will be in charge for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil having steered the team to top spot in CONCACAF qualifying.
-AAP
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