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- Socceroos look forward at the Julian Assange Cup
- FA to honour Finney in England friendly
- Guangzhou Evergrande 4-2 Melbourne Victory | Asian Champions League
- Schalke 1-6 Real Madrid
- Western Sydney Wanderers 1-3 Ulsan Hyundai | Asian Champions League
- One Direction's Louis Tomlinson makes his Doncaster Rovers debut
- The Glazers have backed David Moyes to rebuild ageing United
- Manchester City join battle for Shaw
- Galatasaray v Chelsea: five Champions League talking points | Marcus Christenson
- In praise of … Betley Reserves
- Mel faces uncertain WBA future
- Galatasaray 1-1 Chelsea
- Galatasaray 1-1 Chelsea – as it happened | Barry Glendenning
- Schalke v Real Madrid: Champions League – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg
- Champions League: Galatasaray v Chelsea – in pictures
- Why Championship clubs are crying foul over financial fair play rules
- Clubs make legal threat over FFP
- Scotland's away kit: 'An occasion unknown since Beckham's glory days'
- David Moyes must restore United's soul - he has only his job left to lose | Barney Ronay
- Van Persie to consider United future
- Galatasaray v Chelsea: live Champions League last-16 webchat
- The Fiver | Half-time team talks through the medium of modern dance | Barry Glendenning
- Scottish mainstream media ignores Rangers tax tribunal
- Roy Keane: why edgy, angry, barbed ITV pundit makes compulsive viewing | Paul Wilson
- Lord Triesman cannot be sued for libel by Thai official, court of appeal rules
| Socceroos look forward at the Julian Assange Cup Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:12 PM PST Joe Gorman: Ange Postecoglou is doing what his predecessors as Socceroos coach failed to: plan for the future  |
| FA to honour Finney in England friendly Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:01 PM PST • Minute's applause will take place just before kick-off The Football Association has confirmed there will be a minute's applause before England's friendly against Denmark in memory of Sir Tom Finney. Finney died on 14 February, aged 91. He made more than 400 league appearances for Preston North End between 1946 and 1960 and won 76 England caps. To honour England's joint-sixth all-time top scorer, there will be a minute's applause just before kick-off at next Wednesday's friendly against Denmark at Wembley. The FA confirmed that both teams will wear black armbands. Finney's family have also been invited to the game. Finney's funeral will take place on Thursday at Preston Minster with the cortege starting at Preston North End's Deepdale stadium. Denmark will also honour Richard Möller Nielsen, who coached their national team to victory at the European Championship in 1992. Möller Nielsen died on 13 February, aged 76. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Guangzhou Evergrande 4-2 Melbourne Victory | Asian Champions League Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:46 PM PST Melbourne Victory threw away a two-goal lead as their trip to Guangzhou Evergrande ended in defeat  |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:40 PM PST Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored twice each as rampant Real Madrid ripped Schalke 04 apart in the first leg of the last-16 Champions League tie. Benzema and Bale quickly put Real in control as the La Liga side raced into a 2-0 lead at the Stadion Gelsenkirchen and Ronaldo also hit the post before the break. Ronaldo increased the lead with his 10th goal of the competition before setting up Benzema for the fourth with a delightful flick five minutes later. Bale added the fifth and Ronaldo rounded off the rout before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar pulled one back in stoppage time as Schalke slumped to their heaviest defeat in European competition. Schalke, backed by a fervent crowd, began brightly and nearly went ahead went Benedikt Höwedes headed wide from 12 metres in the first minute. Real quickly showed their class as Benzema fired home after Ronaldo's attempted backheel slipped through Felipe Santana's legs. Schalke's Julian Draxler was denied at point blank-range by Iker Casillas but the Bundesliga team's hopes were effectively killed off after another Santana mishap set up Bale, who squeezed between two defenders to score the second. Ronaldo hit the inside of the post and saw another shot blocked by the goalkeeper, Ralf Fährmann, before the break as Schalke lost their shape. The Portuguese, clearly frustrated by those misses, got on the scoresheet when he slipped past Joël Matip on the outside and fired past Fährmann. Schalke were by now in tatters and offered little resistance as Benzema combined with Ronaldo to add the fourth and Sergio Ramos sent Bale clear for the fifth. An utterly embarrassing evening for the hosts was completed with Ronaldo's second, and 11th of the competition, when he ran onto Benzema's through ball and rounded the keeper to score as Real equalled their best away result in the Champions League. Huntelaar's consolation goal hardly makes the task facing Schalke just to save face at the Bernabéu any easier. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Western Sydney Wanderers 1-3 Ulsan Hyundai | Asian Champions League Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:36 PM PST Sloppy defending cost Western Sydney Wanderers dear as they lost their opening Asian Champions League tie  |
| One Direction's Louis Tomlinson makes his Doncaster Rovers debut Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST Pop heart throb appearance against Rotherham United draws fans from 'up t'road' and as far away as Mexico When Doncaster Rovers reserves normally play a match, they can expect a hundred supporters – on a good day. But on Tuesday evening the Keepmoat stadium was filled with a 4,000-strong army of new Donnie fans, most of them under 16 and screaming themselves silly for the reserves' new star signing. No matter that One Direction heart throb Louis Tomlinson started the game against Rotherham Utd on the bench. Rarely can a Championship league reserve substitute have received such a rapturous response as he limbered up on the sidelines. "Eeeeeeeek!" went the crowd as Louis stretched his hamstrings in a yellow bib, comprehensively upstaging his team mates on the pitch. "Waaaaaaaaaaah!" went the stadium as the 22-year-old bent down into a lunge. It was the singer's first match for his home side since signing for Doncaster as a non-contract player last August – a canny move designed to both raise the profile of his beloved club and raise money for a local children's hospice. Like their idol, most of the crowd were also making their debut in a football stadium and didn't follow the usual etiquette of actually watching the match. They were less interested in whether number 19 was offside than whether Louis' girlfriend, Eleanor (damn her), was the silhouetted figure they could see in the executive box. Others sighed when told by their dads that a match lasted a whole hour and a half and they might have to wait until the very end to see their hero on the turf. Not all of the adults present were chaperoning their children. Liliana Irisson and Alma Lidia had travelled all the way from Mexico and were of a sufficient age to refuse to give their own. "Thirteen hours on a plane! 20,000 pesos! [£900]," said Liliana in broken English. She proceeded to translate Alma's explanation of why Louis was her dream man. "She say she love his blue eyes. He is a good boy. And his tattoos, she love. Very sexy." Rosie Webb, 11, looked on with disbelief. "We've just come from up t'road," she said in broad Yorkshire accent. "I'm just here for the football, me," she insisted. Her Rotherham Utd jacket suggested she was telling the truth. "All this screaming is stupid. They don't even know what they're screaming for," she griped. "It's very annoying. I should 'av come wearing ear muffs." Lurking outside the ground before kick-off, 15-year-old Donnie fans Grant Dyson and Jordan Smith had mixed feelings about their club's new signing. "On the one hand, it's good, isn't it?" mused Grant. "He's raising money for charity [Doncaster children's hospice, Bluebell Wood] and people are buying shirts and scarves, which is good for the club. On the other hand you could say it's a bit degrading. Some of the stuff we've had to put up with from other clubs – Leeds fans, Sheffield Wednesday fans, all mocking us for having a popstar on our team." Sheffield Wednesday supporter Paul Jackson said he'd never persuaded his girls – Abbi, seven, and Sophie, 10 – to come to a match before. "This morning when they got up I asked them if they wanted to come to watch football with me tonight. And they said 'no thanks, we'd rather stay at home.' Then I said, 'oh, that's a shame because Louis is playing' and all of a sudden …" Both girls said Louis was their favourite in 1D. Sophie used to like Harry best, she said, "until not last Christmas but the Christmas before last", when she switched allegiance to Doncaster lad Louis. "She didn't like Harry's tattoos," said Paul. "He's got 27!" said Abbi, apparently unaware of the fact her new pin-up has also used his lithe little body as a canvas for the most permanent of inks. Louis has "the rogue" tattooed on his calves, one word on each. But on the evidence of Tuesday night, his footballing style appears less rogueish than hapless. He came on in the 64th minute and got his first touch two minutes later, promptly giving the ball away. He spent much of the rest of the match standing with his hands on his hips and playing with his hair – and attempting to shake off the two Rotherham players who seemed determined that no member of a boyband was going to show up their side. In normal convention, you want your team to win. But as Louis plays in defence, his fans were happy that Rotherham were trampling all over Doncaster, putting him at the heart of the action. They screamed when he fell on his bottom after over-exerting himself with a kick. They yelped when he stood by the goalpost during a corner. They cared not a jot that the final score was a nil-nil draw. They'd got nearer to Louis Tomlinson than most ever would when his band play Wembley – and all for a £7 ticket. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| The Glazers have backed David Moyes to rebuild ageing United Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST The manager's high-tech scouting set-up with its extensive list of possible transfer targets has impressed the owners David Moyes continues to have the firm backing of the Glazer family despite his dismal inaugural campaign as the Manchester United manager. The American owners are disappointed yet remain calm about Moyes' performance since replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at the start of the season. Even after the dire 2-0 defeat by Olympiakos in the Champions League and a title defence that has United 11 points from qualifying for next season's competition, the view is that this is a "once in a lifetime" happening. Such is the faith in Moyes that the ambition for 2014-15 is not to finish in a Champions League position but to win a 21st domestic title. The support Moyes enjoys from the Glazers is based on the depth and detail with which he has restructured the club. Moyes has reconfigured United's scouting system, with the 50-year-old creating a dedicated nerve-centre at Carrington that resembles the "bunker" from which he plotted player acquisition at Everton when manager. Ferguson's was a more intuitive approach that centred on tapping into the knowledge of his chief scout, Jim Lawlor, rather than having detailed files drawn up on players. Moyes has installed a bespoke facility that houses whiteboards, computers, high-definition screens, iPads and other state-of-the-art digital technology at United's training ground. This allows the manager easy access to data on players of all positions, ages and career trajectory from around the world, while also maintaining immediate contact with a global network of scouts. An illustration of how the system works can been seen in Moyes' need to strengthen at centre-back, with Nemanja Vidic leaving and Rio Ferdinand's future in the balance. Scouts provide differing targets who are established players at tier-one and tier-two clubs or less heralded options of potential only. The most important recruit to the set-up is Robbie Cooke, Moyes's chief scout at Everton, who joined last summer and reports to Lawlor. Yet as in other areas, the manager is particularly hands-on, executing duties Ferguson rowed back on during his 26-year tenure. The Glazers have been disappointed at how Moyes's first season in charge has unfolded. The sentiment is shared by Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, who had not envisaged quite how poorly United would fare. There is, though, an acceptance that a kind of perfect storm of factors have contributed to United's predicament. These include an ageing squad, deficits in central midfield and in the wide positions, plus the inevitable transition after the departure of English football's greatest manager. Lessons have been learned from last summer and a disastrous transfer strategy. There will be greater clarity and swifter action in the market. There is a confidence that no repeat will occur of the botched attempts to sign Everton's Leighton Baines and Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera, or the scenario that had United scrambling to sign Marouane Fellaini on deadline day for £4m more than his £23.5m release clause. The lists of four players, in descending order of preference, in each required position have already been drawn up. United are focused on left-back, centre-back, central midfield and in the forward department owing to doubts over the futures of Robin van Persie and Javier Hernández. The coup of prising Juan Mata from Chelsea, a direct rival, in January was indicative of the progress Moyes – and Woodward – have made and, with the size of the transfer fund available to the manager, there is an optimism the summer will yield the big signings required. There is also an awareness that United's profile means the club can be used as leverage by players hoping to secure better terms. Toni Kroos, the midfielder Moyes retains an interest in, is one believed to be doing so during his contract negotiations with Bayern Munich. Beyond Vidic and Ferdinand, Patrice Evra could also depart, though both the left-back and club have an option for him to sign for another year. United also hold an option on Ferdinand, which expires in mid-May, though the Frenchman is currently more likely than the centre-back to remain. Even if Evra does stay, Moyes will still pursue a left-back, with Southampton's Luke Shaw the No1 choice, though there is competition from Manchester City and Chelsea, who are in pole position to land him. Shaw is a Chelsea fan, with his parents living close to the club's Cobham base. There has been no offer yet of a new deal for Ryan Giggs and there is a break clause in the five-year contract Nani signed last September. Moyes believes Wilfried Zaha has a chance to be a long-term United player despite his occasional tardy time-keeping and his loan to Cardiff City. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manchester City join battle for Shaw Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST • City face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United Manchester City have identified Luke Shaw as a summer transfer target, with the manager, Manuel Pellegrini, intent on strengthening his options at left-back. City face stiff competition from Chelsea and Manchester United for the 18-year-old but, with Gaël Clichy having lost his first-team berth and doubts about the defensive abilities of his replacement Aleksandar Kolarov, the Southampton defender represents an attractive, long-term investment. Chelsea are in pole position, with Shaw being a fan of the club and the training ground in Cobham being close to where his parents live. Even if Patrice Evra decides to stay at United, David Moyes is intent on signing a left-back, though the champions have only an outside chance of landing Shaw. Evra and United hold an option that would allow the player to extend his contract by a year. Whether Evra would settle for being relegated to second choice is unclear but, given his affection for United and his influence in the dressing room, he may decide to stay. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Galatasaray v Chelsea: five Champions League talking points | Marcus Christenson Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:20 PM PST Fernando Torres strikes first blow for England after three blanks but Chelsea look short of the firepower to win the competition |
| In praise of … Betley Reserves Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:14 PM PST The Staffordshire County League football team have just guaranteed themselves a place in the record books They may not boast a Messi, a Ronaldo or even a Rooney, but Betley Reserves of the Staffordshire County League have just guaranteed themselves a place in the record books. In a Staffordshire County League division two game at the weekend, they became the first side in six and a half seasons to lose to Tunstall Town, who have themselves been saluted in these columns before as a team that always strove but never conquered. In a possible harbinger of imminent triumph, Tunstall had in January ended a run of 143 consecutive defeats with a 1-1 draw. The change is attributable, it seems, to the club's newly adopted youth policy. Where before they routinely fielded several players of 60 or even 70, they are now picking only one or two over the age of 40. This result leaves Town a mere nine points behind the last but one team in their league, Stone Old Alleynians – who do, however, have five games in hand. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Mel faces uncertain WBA future Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:02 PM PST • Club stop short of assuring Spaniard his job is safe West Bromwich Albion have responded to growing speculation about Pepe Mel's future by issuing a statement claiming that "constructive" discussions have been held with a view to improving results, although the club stopped short of offering any assurances that the Spaniard would remain in charge for the remainder of the season. Mel was appointed as Steve Clarke's successor on 9 January but his position as head coach has come under increased scrutiny on the back of a run of six games without a win and a shift in tactics that has prompted several senior players to express concerns about whether the change in style of play is hindering their chances of pulling clear of the relegation zone. Albion, whose next game is at home against Manchester United on Saturday week, are 17th in the table, one point above the bottom three. With reports suggesting Mel could be dismissed if results fail to improve in the coming weeks – one bookmaker has suspended betting on the Spaniard being the next Premier League manager to be sacked – Albion issued a statement, presumably in an attempt to clarify the situation. The statement, however, raised more questions than answers. Richard Garlick, Albion's sporting and technical director, offered no guarantee that Mel's position was secure in the short term, let alone the long term. He made no reference to the reservations the players have about the high-tempo pressing game that Mel has tried to introduce and avoided any mention of the changes that are being planned in relation to the recruitment and scouting set up. "We are going through a period of transition, which is natural following the appointment of a new head coach," Garlick said. "There is also a lot of frustration at our league position and run of form. I would be more concerned if there wasn't. "Various meetings have been held within the football department over the past few days to discuss our situation and what needs to be done to improve results in our final 11 games. The discussions have proved constructive. There has been a lot of soul searching and it is clear everyone has a real hunger and desire to keep the club in the Premier League. Pepe, the coaching staff and players will now do everything in their power to achieve this common goal." It is understood that Mel's tactical approach is only part of the problem in the eyes of some of the players. They also have concerns about the growing influence of Dave McDonough, Albion's director of technical performance and scouting. McDonough, who speaks Spanish, played a significant part in the appointment of Mel and has become a more visible presence on the training ground in recent weeks. The players have started to question how close McDonough is to Jeremy Peace, Albion's chairman, and what part he may have played in the decision to dismiss the popular Clarke as head coach in December. For the moment Albion's players have resolved to pull together and get behind Mel to pick up the results they need to preserve their Premier League status – something they believe will be easier to achieve if the Spaniard compromises some of his beliefs and puts more onus on counterattacking football. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:59 PM PST This knockout tie lacks the sense of dread that grips the other three English clubs after first leg defeats, with Chelsea retaining a sense of authority going into the return at Stamford Bridge. But events in Istanbul probably exposed Chelsea's challenge for what it is. José Mourinho publicly considers his team outsiders to win this competition and, in failing to kill off Galatasaray, they provided ample backing for that assertion. The visitors' initial profligacy was punished after the interval, and thereafter with Chelsea were stretched at times. They departed for home with a draw the like of which Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United so crave, but this still felt like a missed opportunity. The build-up to this tie had been dominated by talk of emotional reunions. Aside from Wesley Sneijder coming up against Mourinho, Didier Drogba's last kick in a Chelsea shirt had been to claim the 2012 Champions League title and this was his first collision with the club for whom he had enjoyed the most productive eight years of a fine career. The Ivorian had hugged his former team-mates at the pre-match lineups, and saluted the 1,300 travelling supporters in this sparkling arena, before the romance was snuffed out. Ramires saw to that with a crunching challenge within the opening 20 seconds to floor the Galatasaray striker. The foul was rightly penalised, but the point had been made. As Roberto Mancini had suggested on the eve of the tie, friends would become "enemies" once this contest had begun. Not that the game should have retained its competitive edge beyond the opening half-hour. By then Chelsea might have settled the tie, so porous was the Gala back-line with their game-plan handing the visitors the initiative from the outset. Hakan Balta and Aurelien Chedjou pushed high up the pitch, leaving tantalisingly wide open spaces at their back. Add to that the reality that Emmanuel Eboué and Alex Telles were eager sprinters from full-back, carrying a threat in the opposite half but forever caught out of position when possession was surrendered, and Chelsea quickly sensed their opportunity. Adrenalin also clouded the hosts' judgment in the din. Headed clearances by the Chelsea centre-halves suddenly became threatening through-balls, the visiting trio of creative midfielders relishing the regular opportunities to burst into space on the counter. Mourinho's selection made that possible, with the decision to pick Fernando Torres for a first start since 11 January justified by his slippery running where Samuel Eto'o might not have prospered so readily. André Schürrle, too, appeared fresh and eager on only his second start since New Year's Day. By the interval the visitors' only frustration was that they had gleaned only one reward. The lead could have been secured even earlier than it was, when Willian seized upon a scuffed clearance from the Gala goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, only for his lobbed attempt to deflect just wide from the Uruguayan's head. Yet lessons were not heeded by Gala. With Eboué charging head down into Chelsea's half, César Azpilicueta reclaimed possession, shifted the ball on, and was liberated by Schürrle's pass down the left. The Spanish full-back charged towards the by-line and drew out Muslera before pulling back for Torres to convert first-time into a gaping net. It was the forward's sixth goal in his last five Champions League starts and a reminder that this team do have striking options even if, after the trio of scoreless defeats endured by English clubs in this competition over the past week, the sight of a goal celebration felt like a novelty. Schürrle might have provided a second, only for his centre to arrive rather awkwardly with Ramires, and the Brazilian's attempt flew high. Galatasaray were helpless whenever the ball was lost in the Chelsea half, even if the home side were spared further damage before the break. Chelsea, of course, have been undone by an inability to kill off opponents too often this season, and that familiar sense of foreboding was fuelled when Torres collected from Hazard early in the second period and held off both Chedjou and the substitute Semih Kaya only to see his low shot turned aside by Muslera. The miss felt costly, as the home side finally found some rhythm of their own. Telles and Izet Hajrovic forced Petr Cech into saves even though the chances were only from glimpses at goal, and Chelsea were keenly feeling the absence of the cup-tied Nemanja Matic and the injured David Luiz in the centre of midfield, their vulnerability at set-pieces duly exposed. Drogba might have drawn Galatasaray level, climbing to nod down and across goal towards Selcuk Inan who, stretching beyond the far post, prodded on to the woodwork from a yard out. Within minutes, Sneijder's corner had bypassed the visiting defence and Chedjou emerged to volley in from close range. Cech denied Eboué and Telles in what time remained, yet Chelsea survived to claim their draw. They remain the most likely of the English contingent to progress into the last eight. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Galatasaray 1-1 Chelsea – as it happened | Barry Glendenning Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:46 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: It was an opportunity missed for Chelsea, who couldn't convert total first-half dominance into goals and ended up settling for a draw  |
| Schalke v Real Madrid: Champions League – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:35 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: Real Madrid obliterated Schalke in the first leg of their last-16 tie, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale all scoring twice  |
| Champions League: Galatasaray v Chelsea – in pictures Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:51 AM PST All the best images from Istanbul where José Mourinho and Roberto Mancini's sides lock horns in the Champions League  |
| Why Championship clubs are crying foul over financial fair play rules Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:42 AM PST Teams scrambling to get into the Premier League say unfair rules will harm their chances of promotion by deterring investment The Football League Championship's financial fair play rules, which have been threatened with a legal challenge by "several clubs" who have not identified themselves, were introduced in April 2012 to address the huge losses sustained by many clubs in a division most are desperate to escape. Gaining one of three precious promotion places, in a fierce competition of 24 clubs playing 46 league games, is customarily done by paying lucrative wages to attract the right players, which makes it difficult for allclubs to keep their spending under control. The "parachute payments" made by the Premier League to cushion the financial blow of relegation for its clubs, now up to £59m over four years, hugely more than the other Championship clubs receive from their TV deal, further inflate wages. Vincent Tan's Cardiff City won the Championship last season at the cost of a £31m loss while at Hull City Assem Allam financed a loss of £26m so Steve Bruce could sign players good enough to finish second. In recent years overseas owners have bought larger Championship clubs, including Leicester City, Watford, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, perceiving the division as a cost-effective route to world club football's greatest riches, now up to a minimum £120m bonanza, including parachute payments, for a single season in the Premier League. Some of those owners have been bankrolling huge losses to amass a squad capable of winning promotion, notably Leicester, top of the Championship, who are believed by Championship sources to have instructed the solicitors, Brabners, to make the legal threat to the financial fair play rules. The Manchester-based solicitors have written to the league's chief executive, Shaun Harvey, objecting over six pages to the FFP rules, arguing they suffer from not being the same as those of the Premier League, will prevent clubs competing, restrict investment by owners and reduce players' wages – which is in fact one of its principal aims. "It is likely that, unless the FFP rules are modified, the Football League should expect a challenge from any number of clubs and/or players or agents suffering sanctions or the consequences of sanctions," warns Brabners' letter, which the Guardian has seen. Other clubs believed to be involved in instructing Brabners are Queens Park Rangers, who lost £23m in 2011-2012, the year of their most recently published accounts, Blackburn Rovers, who lost £37m in 2012-2013, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who made a £2m profit in 2011-12 in the Premier League but have since suffered consecutive relegations. None of those clubs responded to questions from the Guardian about whether they are in fact involved with the challenge to FFP. Harvey has responded by writing to all league clubs promising to "vigorously defend" the rules. Since taking over Leicester in 2010, King Power, the Thai duty free company owned by Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn, has since spent around £120m on the club, including financing a £30m loss in 2011-12. After Greg Clarke became the league's chairman, succeeding Lord Mawhinney in 2010, he made it his priority to warn Championship clubs they could not keep making such deep losses and he hailed the clubs' vote in favour of FFP as a "courageous decision". Harvey says the rules, which will be enforced for the first time in December based on this season's accounts, are already having the intended effect of dampening down spiralling wages. "The existence of FFP has certainly helped achieve one of the principal objectives, to bring down the wages of players, particularly of squad players," says Harvey. That assessment is echoed by Lee Hoos, chief executive of second-placed Burnley, strong supporters of FFP, who says the limits are helping him to negotiate players down from wage demands of £12,000 per week and inflation which "kills clubs trying to keep to budgets". Paul Barber, chief executive of Brighton, who lost £15m in 2012-13, said it is a struggle to explain to supporters how players' wages cause such losses at a club that appears to be generally flourishing. The context for Leeds United's turmoil and prospective takeover by the Cagliari owner Massimo Cellino is losses of about £1m per month, which the owners, Bahrain investment bankers GFH, have said they are no longer prepared to finance. The Championship's FFP rules, agreed by an overwhelming majority of clubs, 21 to three, after two years of detailed discussion, set limits for losses and real sanctions for overspending. Clubs which spend this season above the total permitted loss of £3m, plus a further £5m if paid in by an owner, and remain in the Championship, will be barred from signing players from January. The transfer embargo will be lifted only when a club shows that its spending has been brought within the limits, which reduce to £6m in total next season and £5m from 2015-16 onwards; a £2m loss, plus £3m invested by an owner. These limits are now to be reviewed after the huge increase in parachute payments after the Premier League's £5.5bn TV deals from 2013-16, which mean relegated clubs are paid £23m in their first year in the Championship, £18m the following season and £9m in each of the two seasons after that. Clubs which breach the allowed losses and are promoted to the Premier League will, under the Championship FFP rules, be fined on a sliding scale, with potentially massive payments at the top end. Clubs overspending the allowed limits, £8m, by more than £10m, a strong probability for some, will have to pay a fine of almost £7m plus a figure equal to their spending above £18m. If a club is promoted and has lost, for example, £30m, as Leicester did in 2012, it would have to pay £7m plus £12m, the level of overspending above £18m – a total fine of £19m. This possible level of financial penalty for seriously overspending clubs has focused clubs' minds as the rules come to be enforced and is believed to have been a substantial prompt to the threat of legal challenge. Brabners' letter takes issue with the fact that the detail of the fines has changed. The Championship clubs originally agreed they would share fines equally among themselves but the Premier League, which pays £2.3m a year in "solidarity" to each Championship club, disapproved, and now any fines will be paid to charity. The Premier League is understood to favour clubs whose owners are investing, even to subsidise losses, and did not want to see money shared from fines among clubs which do not have wealthy owners backing them. Harvey has promised the league will maintain the FFP rules, which aim to promote financial sanity in this most difficult of competitions, which suffers the enormous financial gap created by the top division after it broke away from sharing TV money in 1992 to form the Premier League. "We are comfortable that the [financial fair play] rules were incorporated properly," Harvey wrote to the league's clubs, "and that this is an attempt by a few clubs to impose their views on the majority, who approved their implementation. A position we will vigorously defend if required." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Clubs make legal threat over FFP Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST • Objectors are said to include Leicester, Blackburn and QPR The Football League has been threatened by several of its clubs with a legal challenge to the financial fair play (FFP) rules aimed at staunching the massive financial losses sustained habitually by many clubs in the Championship. The Manchester-based law firm Brabners, which says it represents "several Championship (and one League One) Clubs" but did not name them, has written to the League's chief executive, Shaun Harvey, making extensive objections to the principles and details of the FFP rules, warning of legal action if substantial changes are not made. "It is likely that unless the FFP rules are modified, the Football League should expect a challenge from any number of clubs and/or players or agents suffering sanctions or the consequences of sanctions," the letter, which the Guardian has seen, warns. The FFP rules require clubs backed by wealthy owners to limit their losses this season to £8m or face sanctions, either a transfer embargo or, if they have been promoted to the Premier League, a fine. The measures were agreed in April 2012 by the overwhelming majority of Championship clubs, 21 voting for to three against, after two years of detailed discussion, because their financial losses were considered increasingly unsustainable. The League's chairman, Greg Clarke, commended the vote as "a courageous decision". Championship sources have said the clubs objecting include Leicester City (whose most recent accounts, for 2011-12, show the club lost £30m), Queens Park Rangers (who lost £23m in 2012) and Blackburn Rovers (who lost £37m in 2013). The League One club which Brabners says it represents is believed to be Wolverhampton Wanderers. Their most recent accounts, for the 2011-12 season when they were in the Premier League, show a £2m profit but they have since suffered consecutive relegations. Clubs which make losses greater than the permitted £3m, plus £5m which must be covered by an owner's investment, will be prohibited from signing new players in January if they are still in the Championship. If they have been promoted to the Premier League, such clubs face a fine on a sliding scale, from £1,000 for a relatively small loss to multi-millions of pounds for those who spent excessively enough to make very large losses. Leicester, QPR, Blackburn and Wolves did not respond to questions about whether they were the clubs instructing Brabners to make the legal challenge. Harvey has responded by writing to all Football League clubs promising to maintain the FFP rules: "The League has received a letter from Brabners solicitors on behalf of several unnamed Championship (and one League One) clubs which raises a number of issues including the potential of a legal challenge," Harvey's letter, which the Guardian has seen, states. "We are comfortable that the rules were incorporated properly and that this is an attempt by a few clubs to impose their views on the majority, who approved their implementation. A position we will vigorously defend if required." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Scotland's away kit: 'An occasion unknown since Beckham's glory days' Posted: 26 Feb 2014 10:06 AM PST Scotland's rhubarb and custard number has divided opinion so we turn to our fashion guru for the definitive assessment of the Tartan Army's new threads Scotland launched their new away kit on Wednesday, a lurid yellow, pink and white hooped number described by the Scotttish FA as "a fun, modern interpretation of one of Scotland's most iconic jerseys" and described by everyone else as the football shirt equivalent of a packet of Refreshers. Or a Fruit Salad. Or a Zoom lolly. Or some rhubarb and custard sweets. Or a selection of pear drops. Or a fitting tribute to beloved 1980s puppet character Pob. It may not be quite in the league of Athletic Bilbao blobs in 2004 or La Hoya Lorca's sprout-infested effort of last season but, as the midfielder Scott Brown put it, "It will certainly make us stand out from the crowd." So then we turned to Guardian column and fashion guru Hadley Freeman for the definitive assessment of the Tartan Army's new threads. "Here we have one of those rare occasions, unknown since the glory days of Beckham, when a fashion moment in football will get more approval from the fashion world than, I strongly suspect, the football one. "Fluro" - the fashion shorthand for fluorescence, try to keep up with the lingo here - is not an especially major trend this summer, at least not in menswear, but that makes the Scotland team's decision to embrace it that much more impressive (quick fashion lesson: following trends is cool, not following them is even cooler.) "Admittedly, to some untrained eyes, this kit might make the Scotland team resemble an 80s boyband, or possibly S Club 7 in their earliest outings. But to those wearing their fashion goggles, this looks like a delightful, if admittedly unexpected, homage to Marc Jacobs menswear. The hotpink piping around the neckline is especially daring (fashion speak for bizarre and therefore amazing) and the gap between the pink and first yellow stripe is just at nipple height, amping up the camp element to the look. I fully expect the edgiest of male fashion bloggers to be wearing the Scotland kit in the front row of Paris fashion week by tomorrow." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| David Moyes must restore United's soul - he has only his job left to lose | Barney Ronay Posted: 26 Feb 2014 09:59 AM PST Manchester United's manager has to stop being a tactical Roundhead and embrace some of the club's lost cavalier spirit Wide-eyed, furious, blue nylon sports coat tossed by the to-and-fro-conflicting winds of the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium: the similarities between David Moyes' recent appearances on the touchline and a particularly harrowing modern-day production of King Lear have never been quite so pronounced as during the abject 2-0 Champions League defeat by Olympiakos. To date, Moyes might have been able to draw a little comfort from Lear's own note of jaded positivity: the worst is not, So long as we can say "This is the worst". Well, even that's gone out the window now. This was the worst. Not just the most depressing performance to date of a careworn season, but perhaps even United's worst performance in the Champions League, a night when a team containing eight players who have been to the final of this competition looked not just second best against eager, mid-range opponents, but drained of invention, vim, team libido and any sense of basic sporting coherence. It was not so much the result, which might yet be reversed at Old Trafford: United have the attacking talent and the pedigree. It was more the tone, the sense of a champion team in an advanced stage of incremental disintegration. Part of the joy of the Champions League lies in detecting exactly what it is – attacking patterns, team spirit, outstanding players – that makes an unfamiliar team irresistible in their domestic league. Looking at United on Tuesday it was easy to imagine baffled locals scratching their heads and wondering exactly what were the qualities that have somehow allowed this collection of coasting stars, once-weres, and never-will-bes to disport themselves around Europe as reigning champions of England. There is a point of crisis being reached here. For all the excellent intentions among the club hierarchy and supporters to allow Moyes time to build a team, United have lost six and won four of their past 12 games. The idea that qualification for next season's Champions League might be achieved by winning the competition has been exposed as a touching delusion. There is even a sense of liberation, of a lifting of the veil, in the realisation that what is needed here is not a steady hand or a light-touch succession but the total refurbishment of a team laced with fatigue and relative mediocrity. There have, of course, been embarrassing defeats in Europe before, but few as bleak as this. United returned to the European Cup in 1993 after a 24-year break, resuming with a 5-3 aggregate victory against the now-defunct Kispest Honved, and ending their run that year on a slightly crazed night in Istanbul. Two years later they were thrashed 4-0 at the Camp Nou, and in the mid-1990s regularly beaten with chastening ease by Juventus. But with all these defeats there was still a sense of strength in reserve, of a breaking in, of a young team learning how to win. The 1-1 home draw with Monaco in 1998 was a notable low, albeit against opposition containing three World Cup winners in waiting. The disastrous 1-0 defeat in Lille in 2005 stands out, as do two dead rubber losses, the 3-0 shellacking by Maccabi Haifa in 2002 and the home defeat by Cluj last season. But still, nothing really compares to this. United didn't just look bad in Greece. Much worse, they didn't look like United at all. A Manchester United who do not win titles but play with verve and fails on a grand scale – Big Ron's United, Tommy Docherty's United – is still recognisably Manchester United. A Manchester United who lose like this, who play at half-speed and do die wondering, become unrecognisable. This is a club whose visceral appeal, grandest successes – and, yes, global brand – are all built out of a sense of adventure. In Greece they were lacking in the noble desperation, the doomed sense of spirit that has traditionally accompanied United's defeats in Europe. Even against superior opponents you expect a sense of epic, theatrical collapse. This was like watching a car crash in po-faced slow motion, a defeat of such meekness it is hard to know what to compare it with. There might have been an echo of Premier League clubs' slightly crazed post-Heysel ban forays into Europe, or of England's embarrassment in Croatia in 2007 but those defeats at least tended to have about them a sense of bold and energetic inadequacy. Whereas United here simply produced a cheap imitation of a pragmatic European away performance, with a midfield of static old heads, no movement between the lines of attack and a passive retreat into an old-style central block across the pitch. In many ways their tactics were the exact opposite – the anti-Klopp – of Borussia Dortmund's in St Petersburg earlier in the evening, where Dortmund produced a state-of-the-art Champions League away performance, pressing and counter-pressing in a whirl of fluid motion and, above all, acknowledging that these matches at this stage are there to be won. United looked, as they have too often, physically diminished. Early in the match Alejandro Domínguez simply ran straight through the centre of their midfield, stopped at the last by a desperate Nemanja Vidic tackle. Robin van Persie, reduced to lolling about in search of knock-downs and deflections, was regularly outmuscled by Kostas Manolas. Throughout, only Olympiakos looked like a team at least attempting to play modern attacking Champions League-level football – and succeeding, too, as the second goal came shortly after Tom Cleverley was dispossessed high up the pitch. It is no surprise to see a similar energy lacking in a United team who have been allowed to weather with age. United famously failed to sign a single specialist midfielder for six years in between Owen Hargreaves and Marouane Fellaini, and have since signed two – Fellaini and Juan Mata – whose greatest failing is a basic lack of mobility. It is hard to know exactly who to blame for this. There is the wider problem with investment in the team. United may be champions of England, still in the Champions League and a club in vibrant commercial good health, but they have been heavily out-recruited by their rivals in the Premier League and abroad. Their last real gung-ho summer of spending was seven years ago, since when what has gone out of the club every year has invariably looked better than what has come in. Moyes may be restrained to a degree by his available personnel. He may also be a tactical Roundhead by inclination but given the near-impossible nature of a job so heavily laced with succession anxiety he might simply have been better served embracing his naivety in Europe, playing the Manchester United way with Adnan Januzaj and Shinji Kagawa on the pitch from the start and a team geared to go for the win that might also have brought defeat, but surely a less miserable one than this. Moyes has nothing to lose here but his job. Perhaps the best he can hope for right now is to look, even in failure, like a Manchester United manager. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Van Persie to consider United future Posted: 26 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST • Sir Alex Ferguson key factor in luring Dutchman from Arsenal Robin van Persie is uncertain whether to remain at Manchester United and will consider his future in the summer. It is understood that the Dutchman has no release clause in a contract that will have two years left in July and the champions would resist any attempt by the player to leave. The manner in which United resisted Wayne Rooney's desire to move to Chelsea last summer when he had become disgruntled with life at Old Trafford is now considered the default stance at the club when seeking to retain top-line players. The approach with Rooney has proved a success, with the England striker committing fully to David Moyes' team. Last week he signed a five-and-a-half-year deal that keeps him at United until he is 33. Following United's dismal 2-0 Champions League defeat at Oympiakos on Tuesday, Van Persie signalled his disquiet by complaining that his team-mates were taking up positions he wanted to occupy. Although the striker was careful to defend Moyes, his frustration with his fellow players was also an implied criticism of the manager's tactical approach. In the opening last-16 first-leg defeat by the Greek championsVan Persie was starved of chances and squandered United's best opportunity towards the end of the match. Van Persie was particularly disappointed when Sir Alex Ferguson, Moyes' predecessor, retired at the end of last season. Ferguson was a key factor in Van Persie agreeing to sign for United from Arsenal instead of Manchester City in 2012 in a £24m transfer, despite City having offered him a higher salary. As in his final campaign at the Emirates Van Persie had a virtually injury-free season last year and his goals were crucial to Ferguson claiming a 20th title for United. This term, however, Van Persie has been blighted by injuries and, with the summer's World Cup in Brazil potentially the 30-year-old's last, he is keen to be in prime condition for the tournament. Moyes' position remains secure, with the manager retaining the full backing of the club's American owners, the Glazer family, despite the defeat by Olympiakos that leaves United's hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals hanging by a thread. If Olympiakos, considered the weakest side in the last 16, are not defeated by three goals at Old Trafford in the return leg in three weeks' time, United will go out of the competition and would struggle to qualify for next season's tournament owing to their Premier league position. In a season of disappointing results the manner of the defeat by Olympiakos at the Karaiskakis Stadium, in which United managed a single shot on target, proved a new low for the club. Yet despite this – and a league position that has United 11 points from Liverpool in a Champions League berth – Moyes retains the full support of the club, though by the second leg, on 19 March, United could be even further behind in the Premier League. Before playing hosts to Olympiakos, United travel to West Bromwich Albion on 8 March and then meet Liverpool at Old Trafford a week later. The prospect of Champions League football next season is fading but the Old Trafford hierarchy are not unduly troubled about how this might impact on Moyes' drive to overhaul the squad in the close season. The view is that elite players will still want to join the 20-times champions in the belief that United would miss only a single season of playing in the European Cup. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Galatasaray v Chelsea: live Champions League last-16 webchat Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:32 AM PST Dominic Fifield was online to answer your questions about the Champions League last-16 tie in Istanbul  |
| The Fiver | Half-time team talks through the medium of modern dance | Barry Glendenning Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:22 AM PST TALKING TURKEYWith political demonstrations against The Man scheduled in Istanbul's Taksim Square today and 1,300 travelling Chelsea fans having been told to assemble there before being transported to their Big Cup game against Galatasaray tonight, the Fiver can't help but wonder what might possibly go wrong. Minor stabbings (in so much as actually sticking a blade in somebody can ever be described as 'minor') perpetrated by locals on a couple of visiting fans last night could make for an even more tense atmosphere in what sounds like a potential powder keg, so the Fiver's hoping all concerned go about their respective business of protesting and bus-boarding in a peaceful manner without so much as a single plastic patio chair being hurled in anger. During his pre-match lecture on professional ethics (chronicled in yesterday's Fiver), José Mourinho - who once poked former Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova in the eye from behind and played a prominent role in the hounding of Swedish referee Anders Frisk into retirement – took time out from tut-tutting the assembled hacks to spout some of his more common-or-garden cobblers about his rag-bag team of Chelsea journeymen being no good. Unlike similar comments made last weekend, he fully intended these ones to be broadcast. "They have fantastic players who are used to playing games like this," sighed his opposite number Roberto Mancini, before ridiculously downplaying his own team's chances. "They are 80% to go through. Yes, I said 80%, not 18%." Of course Galatasaray themselves have no shortage of decent players who are used to playing games like this, with many of them having done so under the stewardship of Mourinho. Midfielder Wesley Sneijder is one such man, having won Big Cup with Internazionale back in 2010. "What can I say about Mourinho?" he said, getting the Fiver's antennae twitching at the prospect of a lengthy diatribe about his former manager's poor table manners, addiction to Tetris and irritating habit of delivering half-time team talks through the medium of modern dance. "We won this trophy together. But tomorrow is completely different, although outside the match we are friends. It's an important game, a game I want to win. I respect him a lot as we all respect Chelsea. We want to go all out for victory." On a day of potential violence on and off the field in Turkey, Sneijder's comments brought to mind the words of our fellow pacifist Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: "Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love." LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE TONIGHTQUOTE OF THE DAY I"The shirt is a fun, modern interpretation of one of Scotland's most iconic jerseys and pays homage to the colours of Lord Rosebery" – the Scottish FA manfully attempts to defend the newly launched Scotland away kit. "It will certainly make us stand out from the crowd," added Scott Brown, presumably through gritted teeth and a rictus grin. FIVER LETTERS"I notice both your comment about having tens of readers (yesterday's Fiver) and your regular assertion that 1057 pedants write in to complain (almost every Fiver you care to mention). Does this mean that arithmetic is just another thing to add to the long list of things that The Fiver is not very good at?" – John Stainton. "I hate to be pedantic (OK, I'm a Fiver reader so that's a lie) but if the average Australian teenager has 1,057 things in their bedroom (yesterday's Fiver letters) then why is the show called OneFiveZeroSeven?" – Brendan Mackinney. "Re: Phillipa Suárez's letter (yesterday's Fiver letters). Based on the Monaco population Phillipa states, the Stade Louis II can house nearer 51.2% of the population rather than 51.25% claimed. Traditional use of more decimal places is to increase accuracy, not decrease it. Even if you add on 38 'participants' (22 players, 10 subs, two managers, four officials) you're at almost exactly 51.3%. This has ruined an otherwise perfectly average edition of The Fiver, so thanks for that" – Glenn Leete. "Sorry to be pedantic, Fiver. I would like to point out that just because Luis spells his name with an acute accent over the a, doesn't mean we all do. We are not related and easy to tell apart: he is the one that can score goals and bite people very hard, whereas I am the one with many talents, none of which pays quite as well' – Phillipa Suarez (not Phillipa Suárez) • Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our prizeless letter o'the day is: Glenn Leete. JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATESWe keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you. BITS AND BOBSIs David Moyes going to get the sack? Naaaaaaa. Chelsea's security advisors and the British Consulate in Istanbul are working together to investigate two stabbings on travelling supporters, prior to this evening's Champions League tie against Galatasaray. Shay Given wants out at Aston Villa. "It has been really frustrating not playing. Maybe there is a Championship club out there who might want me on loan", he fished. WemblEE have tied up a six-year multi-million pound partnership deal with EE, providing a "technology road map" (whatever that might be) for fans attending the venue, starting with Sunday's League Cup final. Adidas have agreed to stop selling World Cup T-shirts that 'encourage $exual tourism' 27 January: Sunderland manager Gus Poyet recalls Connor Wickham from loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday. 18 February: Wickham says: "I've spoken to the manager, and he's just said I'm in his plans." Today: Wickham joins Leeds United on loan. STILL WANT MORE?In our brand new series on revolutionary rule changes, Breaking the Law, dangerous free-thinker and possible madman John Ashdown suggests we need to think outside the box when it comes to penalties. Page 42 Stunnah Marina Hyde on why outrage over Rooney's £300,000 deal is aimed at the wrong target. Some people are scared of spiders. Some people are scared of heights. For some it's snakes. Or enclosed space. Jonathan Wilson, though, is terrified of Sunderland winning the League Cup. If Tuesday night wasn't bad enough for Manchester United fans, here's Daniel Harris with five more of their most miserable nights in the Champions League SIGN UP TO THE FIVERWant your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up. And you can also now receive our weekly World Cup email, O Fiverão; this is the latest edition, and you can sign up for it here. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Scottish mainstream media ignores Rangers tax tribunal Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:52 AM PST I imagine that a big tax case involving a top English Premier League football club would be widely reported in the English-based national newspapers. But things, as I've pointed out many times, are different in the Scottish media. So the latest set of hearings into the tax affairs of Rangers, at a tribunal in Edinburgh, have been all but ignored by the newspapers. On the first day of the upper tier tribunal, the only mainstream media coverage I could find was a report on the STV website. Given that the tax matter, which involves £36m, was a contributory factor in the financial collapse of the club, you might have thought it worth covering. The STV article was a comprehensive outline of the case made against Rangers by HM Revenue and Customs following a previous (lower tier) tribunal which ruled against HMRC and in favour of the club over its use of employee benefit trusts. That decision was said by HMRC to be "deeply flawed." The article also pointed out that - unlike the first tribunal - this one is being held in public and is therefore reportable. Of course, it won't be reported if there aren't any reporters at the hearing. At least the Scottish Sun has lighted on one important factor. The tribunal judge is, wait for it, a Celtic fan or, in Sun-speak, "a CELTIC fan." He is Lord Doherty whose "real name" (love that touch) is "Joseph Raymond Doherty." In its "exclusive" page one report, The Sun quotes a spokeswoman for the judiciary of Scotland as saying: "This was all raised well in advance with both parties and no objection was taken." The hearing continues. Will the lack of reporting continue too? Sources: STV/BBC/Scottish Sun theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Roy Keane: why edgy, angry, barbed ITV pundit makes compulsive viewing | Paul Wilson Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST The former Manchester United captain was entertaining as a player – not always for heroic displays of midfield indomitability – and is making a success of his career in punditry Roy Keane appears to be making a success of his career in punditry, if the object of the exercise is to stand out from the crowd and get yourself talked about. The former Manchester United captain was not only withering about the clueless performance against Olympiakos in Athens – with good reason – he went on to be withering about the "flat" performance of Michael Carrick in a post-match interview. This led Mrs Carrick to call him a rude name in a tweet she later deleted, blaming her emotions for getting the better of her, so it can easily be seen that ITV has hired someone out of the common run in Keane. He is edgy, where most pundits are emollient, he looks genuinely angry about things whereas the industry norm is to appear smug and self-satisfied, and he is more likely to nail some extra barbed wire to the fence than sit on it. So well played, ITV. This is supposed to be an arm of the entertainment business after all, and you can no longer rely on Manchester United to supply much of that commodity. Keane was entertaining as a player, of course, and not always for heroic displays of midfield indomitability like the one in Turin that defined his career as he kept United on course for a treble in 1999, albeit at the expense of his own appearance in that year's Champions League final. Keane was also compulsive viewing because you never quite knew when his temper would get the better of him, when his desire to succeed (or gain revenge on Alf-Inge Haaland) would lead to a meltdown of discipline and a momentary abandonment of team responsibilities that inevitably brought another furrow to the brow of a sorely tested Sir Alex Ferguson. Sorely tested because, although he undoubtedly had good value from Keane over the years, having publicly to defend the clearly indefensible at times made the United manager's job very difficult. At least in part, Ferguson's famous withdrawal from post-match press conferences came about because hard-nosed news hacks had worked out a fault line to explore. Every time Keane did something inexcusable, such as taking a swing at Alan Shearer, Ferguson could be asked whether he condoned the player's actions or not, or whether he would be having a word with him about his future behaviour, and the manager would be trapped between his loyalty to his player and the impossibility of ticking him off in public. Ironically, Keane now specialises in ticking people off in public, though in a role removed from that as manager. But I digress. This week 10 years ago, in an unremarkable away tie at unheralded Porto who, despite winning the Uefa Cup a year earlier against Celtic were not thought likely seriously to impede Manchester United's progress to the Champions League last eight, Keane was sent off three minutes from the end of a 2-1 defeat for a sly but petulant foul on Vítor Baía, the home goalkeeper. Chasing a ball into the penalty area in the closing stages of the game, Keane vaulted the goalkeeper as Baía spread himself to gather, but could not resist planting a foot as he cleared him and was dismissed for the most unnecessary, footling foul since David Beckham on England duty against Diego Simeone. Technically, Keane was guilty of a stamp. It was hardly that, any more than Beckham's offence was a dangerous lunge, but it was clearly a foul, it was spotted by the officials, and feeling goodness knows how foolish, Keane had to go. Keane must have felt doubly foolish when Uefa confirmed he would have to serve a one-match ban, and extra silly when Porto made the most of his absence to survive 1-1 at Old Trafford, proceed to the next stage and triumph in the final. "You get shocks in life and I didn't see that one coming," Ferguson said. It might not be wholly fair to blame Keane for his side's unexpectedly early exit in 2004: the officials played a part in judging a valid Paul Scholes goal to be offside and Tim Howard might have done better with the Benni McCarthy free-kick that let to the all-important equaliser. But United's chances were not enhanced by having to play without their captain, for whom Eric Djemba-Djemba was not quite an adequate replacement. Thus did Keane play a small but important part in the rise of José Mourinho, who properly announced himself that night at Old Trafford with his demented bird impression along the touchline. Mourinho ought to have been famous for his Uefa Cup win the year before but, largely due to the way Porto played in an unmemorable final, his charisma remained undetected. He began to get noticed as a personality after the Old Trafford game, around the same time as it became clear that with players of the quality of Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, Porto were a team to be reckoned with. Mourinho and Carvalho would arrive at Chelsea within a year, Deco a little later, and the rest is history. If it makes Keane feel any better, he probably does not have Mourinho on his conscience, along with Baía, Shearer, Haaland and the rest. The Portuguese would have announced himself somewhere, sooner or later. You cannot keep down a football genius, and anyone who can turn up at the perennially underachieving Internazionale and supervise a treble inside two years, winning his second Champions League in the process, qualifies as such in most judges' opinion. Yet this time 10 years ago, the present Chelsea manager was so far from a household name that the report of the Estádio do Dragão game from 10 years ago on the Uefa website did not even mention him. Ferguson got a mention, but not Mourinho. A fortnight later, after Old Trafford, the same Uefa archive captured Mourinho – "It's fantastic not only for the club and the players but also for the country" – singing like a canary. He has barely paused for breath since. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Lord Triesman cannot be sued for libel by Thai official, court of appeal rules Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:32 AM PST Judgment expands freedom of expression beyond conventional limits of parliament and avoids 'chilling effect' on free speech Lord Triesman, the former chairman of the Football Association, cannot be sued for libel by a Thai official, the appeal court has ruled, in a judgment that significantly expands freedom of expression beyond the traditional limits of parliament. The unanimous decision by three senior judges relies on the ancient immunity granted to speakers under article 9 of the bill of rights 1689, which protects MPs and peers' proceedings from being "questioned in any court or place outside of parliament". The Thai official, Dato Worwawi Makudi, the head of Thailand's football federation, had attempted to sue Triesman for defamation following the peer's appearance before the culture, media and sport select committee in May 2011. The lawsuit, if allowed to continue, would have created a "substantial chilling effect" on free speech in parliament and affected the ability of witnesses to give evidence to select committees, lawyers for John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, had warned judges in a 10-page submission during the case. Triesman alleged that Makudi had demanded the television rights to a proposed Thailand-England friendly in exchange for supporting England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Makudi told reporters the accusations were "not true and groundless", saying he had to speak out "because my reputation has been tarnished and it defames my family". Triesman's comments led to the Dingemans inquiry being set up by the FA, to which Triesman gave evidence later the same month. In those hearings Triesman, a Labour peer, referred back to his evidence given to the select committee but did not repeat or expand on the allegations. Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the court of appeal acknowledged that the central question was whether subsequent references outside parliament were protected from Makudi's libel claim by the force of article 9 of the bill of rights. Article 9 states that "the freedom of speech, and debates or proceedings in parliament, ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place outside of parliament". Lord Justice Laws said: "Not all such repetitions are the gratuitous choice of the Speaker. There will be occasions when it will be in the public interest that he should repeat or refer to his earlier utterance in parliament. "And it may be a public interest which he ought reasonably to serve, because of his knowledge or expertise as a parliamentarian, or an expectation or promise (arising from what he had said in parliament) that he would do so. In those circumstances it is by no means obvious that his later speech should lack the protection of article 9. "I accept … that there may be instances where the protection of article 9 indeed extends to extra-parliamentary speech." Protection, he suggested, should be given where comments are made for "a public interest in repetition of the parliamentary utterance which the speaker ought reasonably to serve" and where there is a connection between the occasions of "his speaking in and then out of parliament … is reasonably foreseeable at the time of the first and his purpose in speaking on both occasions is the same or very closely related". Each occasion would have to be considered individually, he added. "The notion of public interest is not, I acknowledge, sharp-edged. Nor is the category of cases in which a member of parliament or witness ought reasonably to serve such a public interest. As always, the common law will proceed case by case." Referring to Triesman's appearance at the inquiry, Laws said: "There was plainly a public interest in Mr Dingemans's inquiry, which would be served by the respondent's contribution. Equally plainly, there was a close nexus between his evidence to the [select committee] and his interview with Mr Dingemans. "The prospect that he might be called on to repeat his allegations was not only reasonably foreseeable but actually foreseen: he undertook, in effect, to do so … In my judgment, article 9 prohibits an examination in this action of the respondent's assertions to Mr Dingemans." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
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