Tuesday, 4 February 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Mignolet defends Touré over error

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST

• 'You play with 11 men and lose or win with 11 men'
• Raheem Sterling says 'we lacked a bit of concentration'

Simon Mignolet has come to the defence of Kolo Touré and insisted it would be wrong to pin Liverpool's draw at West Bromwich Albion solely on the Ivory Coast international's glaring error.

Liverpool dropped two points in the race for Champions League qualification on Sunday when Touré gifted Victor Anichebe Albion's equaliser with a wayward pass across his penalty area. Brendan Rodgers's team would have gone four points clear of fifth-placed Everton with victory at The Hawthorns and led through Daniel Sturridge's 17th goal of the season. But, having failed to build on Sturridge's goal, Mignolet believes Liverpool must take collective responsibility for the missed opportunity.

"Kolo is more than experienced to deal with those kind of things and it's not about Kolo, it's not about another individual, it's about the team," said the Liverpool goalkeeper. "We have to do the things we do as a unit, all together. You win games, you lose games, all together. Every goal you concede is a disappointment, you have to accept those things. You play with 11 men and you lose with 11 men or you win with 11 men. That's how it goes.

"In the first half we did our jobs really well. We got up 1-0 and deservedly so. We played dominant football. In the second half they put us under pressure and we conceded. We have to move on from that and you take a point away from home. We've got a massive game against Arsenal next and we have to make sure we refocus on that."

Raheem Sterling, who enhanced his prospects of an international recall with an impressive display against Pepe Mel's team, attributed the draw to a loss of concentration from Liverpool. The 19-year-old winger said: "The manager told us that we tried to play football and that's the most important thing. It's just one of those games where we lacked a little bit of concentration and they got back into it. Hopefully we can cut the mistakes out of our game and be right up there at the end of the season. We'll just pick up and go again for the next game. I still think we're right up there."

Mignolet has also been responsible for defensive errors in recent weeks but showed a return to form with a superb reaction save from Gareth McAuley before Albion levelled. "That's what you are going to get as a footballer," he said. "Not all the things always go your way and you have to accept that."

But the £9m summer signing from Sunderland believes he has become a better goalkeeper at Liverpool as a result of confronting the prolific attack of Sturridge and Luis Suárez on a daily basis in training. The Belgium international added: "I see it day in, day out and I know what they can do to the opposition. I know what other goalkeepers are in for and the quality Daniel and Luis have. Together it is unbelievable. It's nice to play against them day in, day out on the training pitch because they make me better as a goalkeeper. If you go one v one against either of them, as a goalkeeper you learn lots of things."

Andy Hunter

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Szczesny: Defensive solidity the key

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Arsenal have kept 10 clean sheets in last 11 home games
• Szczesny credits greater understanding for fine record

Wojciech Szczesny has pointed to Arsenal's newfound defensive solidity as reason for optimism in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in a decade, as Arsène Wenger's current side attempt to emulate the club's miserly defence of a bygone era to glean silverware this term.

Sunday's 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace was a 10th clean sheet at the Emirates stadium in Arsenal's last 11 games in all competitions, the only goal shipped there since October the late equaliser conceded to Everton's Gerard Deulofeu in early December. While Szczesny has excelled this term, he has benefited from the assurance of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny ahead of him, with their central defensive partnership a base upon which the team's attacking talents have built.

"Our defensive record, especially at home, has been fantastic," said Szczesny. "We know if we keep clean sheets we have got every chance of winning a game, and that's been the case. It's massive for us. As a unit, we have been together for much longer. We understand each other's games now and have had a more settled back four. Over the last couple of seasons we'd had a little bit of less luck with injuries in that part of the team, and I never played with the same back for more than two or three games.

"Now we play with the same back four, sometimes rotating the full-backs now and again, but in general we stay with the same defence. We understand each other's styles, we read each other's games, and have a very good understanding. If you want to win the championship then you have to be solid defensively. That is the most important thing. We know that clean sheets gives you the best platform to go and win games so, if we can keep a few more until the end of the season, we can get our rewards.

"I wouldn't say our defence's strength goes unnoticed: we keep winning games at home, and that is the best reward we can possibly get. Whether you need a striking force like Man City or a defence like we have had recently, I think you have to mix the both together to find the perfect team. We will see at the end of the season which one pays off."

City, who visit the Emirates Stadium in March, were one of the few teams to tear apart a defence who have shipped only 21 league goals this term, winning 6-3 at the Etihad in mid-December. "They've been incredible," said Szczesny. "They seem to score five or six goals every single game, so you've got to respect that. The teams that go to the Etihad now are sort of scared of them, it's a natural thing. You have to credit them, they've been fantastic. We just hope that we've got the edge and we will try to challenge them this season."

The London club, who will welcome Jack Wilshere back from ankle trouble at Anfield on Saturday, will be without Thomas Vermaelen for the trip to Liverpool with the Belgian expected to miss the next few weeks with a knee injury. Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge will test Arsenal's defensive prowess in that fixture as Wenger's team enter a daunting run of fixtures that is likely to determine the success or failure of their campaign.

"They (Suárez and Sturridge) have been fantastic, and their goalscoring record speaks for itself," added Szczesny. "They're great players. But we managed to keep a clean sheet against them at home [in a 2-0 success in November] and we'll try to do exactly the same thing away from home and hope for a result. I've never felt scared of facing anyone. We're looking forward to Saturday."

Dominic Fifield

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Leeds United get no protection from Football League's tepid test | David Conn

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:15 PM PST

Massimo Cellino would be able to buy Leeds United despite a previous conviction for false accounting and a recent arrest on suspicion of embezzlement

It has been the modern fate of Leeds United fans to endure crises on the flipside of the Premier League miracle ever since their former chairman, Peter Ridsdale, announced the club's 2002 financial collapse with the landmark admission: "We lived the dream."

The nightmare appeared to have calmed under the somewhat unlikely ownership of the Bahrain-based investment bankers Gulf Finance House, who bought the club from Ken Bates in 2012, appointed Brian McDermott as manager and nursed crowds back up to 30,000. Yet now the club has crumpled again, after a hideous weekend and the on-off sacking of McDermott by a lawyer, Chris Farnell, apparently acting for Massimo Cellino, the owner of the Serie A club Cagliari, who has a fraud-related conviction and still has no signed agreement to take over Leeds.

Now, if GFH maintain its intention to sell the club to Cellino, Leeds fans could find themselves the extreme test case for the rules governing who is "fit and proper" to own an English football club.

It may well shock them to learn that a man with Cellino's criminal record, with further possible proceedings hanging over him after his reported arrest last year on suspicion of embezzlement – his Italian lawyer, Giovanni Cocco, said he denies any wrongdoing – looks like he would pass the Football League's "owners and directors test", formerly the "fit and proper persons test", were he to seal the deal with GFH.

The rules, introduced by the Football League in 2004, then by the Premier League after years of resisting and claiming they would be unworkable, were designed precisely to stop fraudsters taking over clubs, beloved sporting institutions to which fans pledge loyalty for life.

Yet neither the rules of the Football League nor the Premier League exclude people whose record appears to make it screamingly clear to many supporters that, in common sense terms, they cannot be "fit and proper".

Instead, wary of being challenged in court, the leagues drafted rules which stick tightly to a set of specific criteria, which prospective owners of historic clubs either pass or fail. There is no catch-all category that would keep away people whose conduct might bring the game into disrepute, like apparently sacking a manager before they even have control of a club, or trail past convictions behind them.

Extraordinarily, there is not even a measure that prevents people taking over a club if they are under investigation or facing charges for an alleged criminal offence of dishonesty. In the case of Cellino, who was arrested in Italy last year as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds, he would be regarded by the Football League as innocent until the case is concluded.

His past convictions, for fraud in 1996 – Cocco said his fine and conviction were expunged on appeal – and a 15-month suspended sentence in 2001 for false accounting at Cagliari, make it most likely Cellino would pass the "owners and directors test" and be considered "fit and proper" to take over Leeds United.

The Football and Premier Leagues' rules do not bar from ownership, or the boards of clubs, a person who has convictions for fraud. Instead, mindful of fair play for reformed characters as recognised by British law, the Football League rules disqualify people only if: "They have unspent [our italics] convictions for offences of dishonesty, corruption, perverting the course of justice, serious breaches of the Companies Act or conspiracy to commit any of those offences."

The question of whether a conviction is "spent" is determined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Its aim is to allow people's reputations and life chances not to be forever burdened by a crime committed years earlier, and sets out specific lengths of time after which a criminal conviction is "spent", and people can be considered rehabilitated.

According to the solicitor Joy Merriam, who represents criminal specialist lawyers on the Law Society's council, the act applies also to convictions in other countries, so cover Cellino's record in Italy. Some convictions, including ones which resulted in a prison sentence of over 30 months, are excluded from the act and so are never "spent". However, section five of the act sets out that a conviction which resulted in a prison sentence of longer than six months but less than 30 – regardless of whether it was suspended, Merriam said – is "spent" after 10 years.

So Cellino's convictions in Italy, which date from 1996 and 2001, approaching 18 and 13 years ago, would be considered "spent" in English law, Merriam said. "If the facts are as reported," Merriam said, "he would appear to be able to rely on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and the convictions are spent."

Merriam said she found it "surprising" that the leagues do not include a "catch-all" in their rules which would allow them to bar a person from taking over a club if they believed he would not be good for a club or the wider game: "It is fairly standard for professional organisations to include a requirement that a person would not be accepted if he is likely to bring the organisation or industry into disrepute," she said.

The football authorities have always resisted that, rejecting it continually as a matter of opinion, which they would not be able to justify objectively, and so open to challenge. It means both leagues have a tight set of rules which appear to allow a person with Cellino's record to take over one of the biggest clubs in the country, whose large and passionate support has been on heartfelt display in recent days.

Several stages remain before that could happen. GFH, rocked by Leeds fans' vehement opposition, have clarified that they have not yet signed a deal with Cellino. However, they do have an agreement in principle to sell the club to him, after long negotiations with Andrew Flowers, the owner of Enterprise Insurance, partnered with GFH's own David Haigh, collapsed – according to Haigh because the money they required was not there.

GFH's priority is to make some money, having spent £20m in barely a year just to maintain McDermott with a squad decent enough for upper mid-table in the Championship. Sources close to the negotiations explain that following a constant search for other investors, including Leeds and Yorkshire business people, with months spent entertaining Flowers, Cellino was the only potential buyer to arrive, quickly, with the money ready.

McDermott, who calmly outlined in his press conference the humiliating telephone sacking then reinstatement by GFH, reflected: "This club doesn't belong to anybody but the fans."

That is true of football clubs in supporters' hearts but mostly, in English football, not in reality. Nor is the quality of ownership as protected, or "fit and proper", as many fans would wish. Additional reporting by Lizzy Davies in Rome

David Conn

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Cellino to pass test to buy Leeds

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:15 PM PST

• Italian would likely pass Football League's test for owners
• Calgliari owner has a conviction for a fraud-related offence

Massimo Cellino, the Italian businessman who has agreed in principle to buy Leeds United, would very likely be approved by the Football League as a "fit and proper person" to own the club, despite a conviction for a fraud-related offence and a continuing investigation into him for alleged embezzlement. However, a rival consortium will meet with the Leeds owners on Tuesday in a late attempt to take control of the club.

The Football League's "owners and directors test", formerly the "fit and proper person test", disqualifies people from owning or being a director of one of its clubs if they have "unspent" criminal convictions for offences of dishonesty, including fraud. Cellino's lawyer in Italy, Giovanni Cocco, confirmed to the Guardian that Cellino, the owner since 1992 of Serie A club Cagliari Calcio, was convicted of a fraud offence in 1996, although Cocco said it was expunged on appeal.

In 2001 Cellino, an agriculture magnate known as "the king of corn", was convicted of false accounting at Cagliari and given a 15-month suspended sentence.

Last year he was arrested as part of an investigation into whether public money was improperly used to finance building part of Cagliari's stadium, accusations Cocco said Cellino will strenuously deny.

Neither the conviction nor the current investigation appear to bar Cellino from taking over an English professional football club. The question of whether a conviction is "spent" is determined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which sets a time of 10 years for the offences Cellino committed and the sentences he received.

Cellino's conviction, in 2001, approaching 13 years ago, would be considered "spent" in English law, said Joy Merriam, a criminal specialist solicitor on the Law Society council.

"If the facts are as reported, he would appear to be able to rely on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and the conviction is spent," Merriam said.

Cellino, whose lawyer in England, Chris Farnell, purported to sack Leeds manager Brian McDermott on Friday, still has an agreement in principle to buy Leeds from Bahrain-based owners Gulf Finance House, although the deal has not yet been signed.

GFH will meet on Tuesday with another consortium attempting to secure ownership of the club, including Mike Farnan and Andrew Flowers, who were both involved in separate bids last month.

Farnan, formerly managing director at Manchester United International, believes Cellino's deal for Leeds has not been completed. He told the Guardian: "Agreeing and doing are two different things.

"We hope that there is a window of opportunity to settle this. The team that we have working on this are good people within the industry, they are businessmen and football people combined. We want to sort this mess out once and for all."

McDermott, speaking about his purported sacking and reinstatement by a GFH announcement which he read on his iPad, said on Monday: "Whether it [his sacking] was illegal or not, I don't know. But whoever sacked the manager has to own the football club.

"My personal feelings are that I want to be Leeds United manager and that's it. First and foremost nothing else matters. That hasn't changed. I have to say the support I have received personally has been fantastic. Whatever happens we don't need another day that we have had. We need some calm."

David Conn
James Riach

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Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:05 PM PST

Chelsea have just reminded the Premier League that they have not forgotten what it takes to be champions. José Mourinho's team played as though affronted by the suggestion they would not dare play Manchester City at their own game and, in the process, there was a peacock-like spreading of feathers from the team in the darker shade of blue. They won through Branislav Ivanovic's first-half goal but could also reflect on three other occasions when they struck the woodwork, alongside a clutch of other opportunities to emphasise their superiority.

City, in stark contrast, looked like a side that had forgotten the fact they had scored four goals or more on 14 different occasions this season. They badly missed Sergio Agüero but their shortcomings were widespread and a jolting night could have heavy consequences for Manuel Pellegrini's side. Chelsea are now level on points, with Arsenal two ahead at the top, and the manner of the win left the clear sense that Mourinho's team have the togetherness, ambition and manager to last the course. Mourinho made his own point with the adventure of his team.

The first cries of "he's parking the bus" rained down on Mourinho inside the opening minutes. Yet it quickly became evident that Chelsea would not restrict themselves to conservatism. They counter-attacked with great purpose and the taunts of "you're worse than Allardyce" from the home stands, half an hour in, felt incongruous to how the match was actually shaping. Ivanovic's breakthrough arrived within the next 90 seconds.

Mourinho is also entitled to think his team should have made it easier for themselves bearing in mind that extraordinary moment a few minutes earlier when Chelsea suddenly broke, four-on-one, from deep inside their own half and Ramires could not beat Joe Hart with the final effort. They also had another golden opportunity before half-time only for Samuel Eto'o to turn his shot against the woodwork.

Mourinho had left out Oscar but his attacking quartet created all sorts of problems. Eden Hazard, in keeping with his recent form, dazzled on the ball. Willian and Ramires were full of energy and movement and there was more than one occasion when the three players behind Eto'o took advantage of the space left by Yaya Touré's natural instinct to attack, exacerbated by Martín Demichelis's sometimes chronic lack of control and positional discipline.

Touré tends to be forgiven for his own lapses because of the other gifts that make him such a formidable opponent. A holding midfielder, he spends more time in the opposition penalty area than an ordinary striker and he was prominently involved in most of City's early attacks.

Their first move of real distinction culminated in Aleksandar Kolarov's left-wing cross flashing across the six-yard area, just a few inches too far in front of Touré's desperate lunge. Touré aimed a curling shot just over the crossbar shortly afterwards and it was his clever little pass that led to David Silva's little flick drifting the wrong side of the post.

Yet City were unusually ragged in the first half. The sense that everything was not quite right could be gauged by the early show of anger Vincent Kompany directed towards Matija Nastasic after they both went for the same ball. The free-scoring, all-conquering City attack could not get into their groove and it was rare to see so much disorganisation in their defence.

The acclaim must go to Hart for keeping out Ramires after all four of Chelsea's attackers had crossed the halfway line with only Nastasic in an orthodox defensive position. Yet City should count themselves fortunate that Ramires did not show more conviction with his shot. Demichelis, deputising for the injured Fernandinho in central midfield, was reckless in the extreme, a danger to his own team during a ten-minute period after Ivanovic's goal.

More than anything, Hazard was a constant menace. No other player has tormented Pablo Zabaleta so relentlessly this season. It was Hazard's cut-back that led to Eto'o driving his shot against the joint of bar and post and the Belgian was instrumental in the goal, drifting from left to right and then playing in Ramires for the first chance. Kompany was alert to the danger and charged down the shot but the follow-up effort, off Ivanovic's left boot, was a peach, arrowing its way diagonally into the bottom corner.

The game quickly settled into the same routine after the interval. Nemanja Matic's 30-yard effort was only a few inches away from a second goal, flicking off the angle of bar and post. Hazard, such an elusive opponent, typified what made Chelsea so impressive, blending high skill with tremendous work ethic.

Willian played as though determined to justify his selection ahead of Oscar and, in defence, John Terry demonstrated for long periods why Mourinho now says he is currently the best centre-half in the league. He and Gary Cahill dominated Álvaro Negredo to the point the Spaniard lasted only 11 minutes of the second half. Cahill was superb and it was his header, direct from a corner, that took Chelsea's woodwork count to three.

Silva's 73rd minute free-kick required Cech to make a stretching save but City's attacking thrusts did not have anything like their usual cohesion or impetus and, at the other end, Nastasic was grateful for the referee Mike Dean's leniency after pulling down Oscar, a late substitute. City had scored 72 times in their previous 18 home games but maybe there has been so much focus on that it has been overlooked why Chelsea have the best defensive statistics in the land. This was the night they supplied the hard evidence.

Daniel Taylor

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Manchester City v Chelsea: five talking points | Jamie Jackson

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 01:59 PM PST

The Martín Demichelis midfield conundrum, Joe Hart's career catharsis and Álvaro Negredo gets José Mourinho-ed

1 The Martín Demichelis midfield conundrum

After 31 minutes Manuel Pellegrini's decision to field the centre-back in the defensive midfield slot was called into question when he misjudged a ball played up to Eden Hazard. The Belgian was allowed to turn infield and move possession on to Ramires and from the resulting play Branislav Ivanovic opened the scoring.

A muscle injury to Fernandinho suffered in training meant the manager had entered this important match without the Brazilian, who has is one of his most important players.

Yet instead of turning to specialist midfielders Jack Rodwell or James Milner, the Chilean plumped for a creaking 33-year-old. Demichelis was asked to stifle the quicksilver Hazard, who is a decade younger and whose fleetness of thought was illustrated by the Argentinian being booked for a foul on him minutes after Chelsea's opener.

When the sides emerged for the second half and the pony-tailed No26 was still on the field and still being mugged by Hazard, the questions regarding Pellegrini's decision continued.

2 Win gives Chelsea the edge in Premier League title race

Ahead of kick-off the Pellegrini mantra went: "In football you never know. We have to play for 45 points more so many things are possible. Nothing should ever be taken for granted. Of course if we continue to play the way we are, we will have chances to win [the championship], but its still early. It is another important game at the top as we can go six points ahead of Chelsea if we win."

Defeat, then, was not on the agenda. So, after Pellegrini was forced to watch as the league's best manager – José Mourinho – outwitted the league's best squad to take all three points and do the double over City, Chelsea now become slight favourites in what promises to be a thrilling title run-in.

3 Álvaro Negredo gets José Mourinho-ed

Seconds from the break the forward fell into the Portuguese's trap when he went down from a challenge near the Chelsea manager's technical area. Mourinho, who by now was enjoying Chelsea's dominance over a disintegrating home side, wasted no time before accusing Negredo of hamming up his fall.

The 51-year-old was rewarded with City's Spanish striker losing focus and biting back at his tormentor. Mourinho had City precisely where he had hoped: leading 1-0 and with Pellegrini's team in disarray as Mike Dean blew for half-time.

City's manager had shrugged off the loss of Sergio Agüero for a month due to a hamstring injury by pointing to how his side had prospered without him when absent due a calf problem earlier in the season. In this he pointed to the contribution of Negredo but here he was starved of chances by his subdued team-mates and was substituted before an hour had elapsed.

4 Catharsis for Joe Hart in the Manchester City goal

In the dying moments of the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge a dismal misjudgment from the City No1 allowed Fernando Torres to nip in and score the winner in Chelsea's 2-1 victory. Following that howler in late October Hart missed seven league games as Costel Pantilimon was given a run in the side by Manuel Pellegrini so, having subsequently re-established himself as the first choice goalkeeper, Monday night was a chance to comprehensively move on from this nadir.

For the first part of the first half Hart was virtually a spectator as City dominated. There was a regulation gather of a Samuel Eto'o shot from the left and, later, maybe even a stifled laugh as a David Luiz free-kick sailed skywards.

Then came what might have felt Hart's redemptive moment as he flung himself at a Ramires shot to make fine save and prevent a certain goal.

5 A tale of two captains at the Etihad Stadium

On show were arguably the domestic game's two finest central defenders in John Terry and Vincent Kompany, who are each wearing the captain's armband and are each at differing points on their career trajectories.

The Chelsea captain's must decide whether he takes the international boots out of mothballs to declare himself ready for one last hurrah at this summer's World Cup. This is a narrative that becomes more prominent now spring approaches and the final reckonings for Roy Hodgson's England squad are made.

In this latest audition the 33-year-old marshalled his defence expertly while winning tussles with Negredo, though Edin Dzeko did beat him in the air, which is supposedly a strength.

If his body holds together, Kompany is guaranteed to lead Belgium in Brazil and Monday night's display – the powerful challenge on Samuel Eto'o that transformed defence into attack was one of many – showed a 27-year-old who is at the peak of his powers.

Jamie Jackson

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Manchester City v Chelsea – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 01:59 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Chelsea became the first side to win at Manchester City in the league thanks to Branislav Ivanovic's first-half goal

Jacob Steinberg

Premier League: Manchester City v Chelsea – in pictures

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 12:29 PM PST

With Manchester United's fall from dominance, the two emerging giants of the Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium. We bring you the best images from the game as they happen

Steven Bloor

Rule-makers ponder video replays and sin-bins

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:42 AM PST

• 'Triple punishment' issue also to be debated
• FA wants ban on personal statements on undershirts

Football's law-makers will study the use of video replays by match officials and sin-bins, it has been announced.

The International Football Association Board, which meets in Zurich on 1 March, will hold discussions on the controversial issues.

No decision will be taken next month but the topic of video replays has been included for discussion under "any other business" along with the use of "sin-bins in recreational football".

Meanwhile, the Football Association is seeking a rule change that would see players banned from revealing personal statements on their undershirts. The practice has become popular, especially for players paying tribute to someone who has died, as the former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, now at Galatasaray, did after the death of Nelson Mandela in December.

The proposal from the FA reads: "Currently what a player can reveal on any item of basic compulsory equipment is different to what he can on an undergarment, ie he can't reveal a personal statement or image on his outer jersey but he can on his undershirt. This amendment seeks to outline a consistent approach to both the outer jersey and all types of undergarment."

The FA's proposal underlines players who do have personal statements on undershirts should be punished.

Its proposed new wording says: "A player/team of a player that reveals an undergarment that shows political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturers' logo will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by Fifa."

It is expected that sin-binning, which is being used in a trial in the Dutch amateur leagues this season, will be considered by two new Ifab advisory panels that will be set up at the 1 March meeting.

The panels, a football one made up of former players and coaches and a technical panel of referees and law experts, will provide guidance and recommendations to Ifab, the body made up of Fifa and the four British home associations, which makes the final decision on law changes.

The Ifab will also look at the so-called "triple punishment" issue, when a player is sent off after conceding a penalty, and the offside laws.


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Swansea chairman dismisses rumours over Michael Laudrup's future

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:42 AM PST

• Jenkins denies club have discussed sacking Laudrup
• Swans have won just one of the last 10 in the league

The Swansea City chairman, Huw Jenkins, has dismissed suggestions Michael Laudrup's future as manager has been discussed.

Speculation surfaced following Saturday's 2-0 loss at West Ham that Laudrup's tenure as boss could come to an end as Swansea fight for their Premier League status.

"I haven't heard anything in reference to Michael and neither have we met, or discussed, or done anything about Michael," Jenkins told BBC Sport Wales. "A couple of us did actually meet up on Sunday morning to have a cup of coffee like we normally do. That's as simple as it was. That's where the first rumour came from.

"It's difficult for me to say anything because there isn't anything to discuss.

"When you end up losing matches, when everything is so tight at the bottom of the Premier League, you get rumours and you get stories. We have had them for many weeks. If we win everything is fine. If we lose it's not."

The Upton Park defeat left the Swans with one win from 10 Premier League games ahead of Saturday's south Wales derby at home to Cardiff.

Swansea are 12th in a congested table, two points above the Hammers, who occupy the final place in the relegation zone, three points clear of 19th-placed Cardiff and five points better off than bottom club Fulham.

Jenkins added: "The bigger picture as always is winning a Premier League match and it so happens this week we are playing Cardiff. Winning the match, I can assure you, is the most important thing for both teams."


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Tony Hateley obituary

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST

Powerful striker for Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool known for his prowess at heading the ball

The footballer Tony Hateley, who has died aged 72, was a striker famed for his heading ability and prodigious goalscoring at several clubs, including Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Liverpool. At Anfield, for one season, his alliterative pairing with Roger Hunt earned them the nickname the H-bombs.

Hateley's entry into top-flight football came with Villa, with whom he played for three years from 1963. Among his memorable feats there were four second-half goals against Tottenham Hotspur that brought his side back from 5-1 down to draw 5-5. His 68 goals in 127 league appearances kept Villa in the First Division and brought him to the attention of Chelsea.

At Stamford Bridge, Peter Osgood had recently broken his leg and the manager, Tommy Docherty, paid a club record £100,000 to buy Hateley in 1966. Osgood was a supremely elegant player around whom Chelsea's pass-and-move game was based; Hateley was something different. Everything good about him took place with his feet off the ground, and on terra firma he was not quite so convincing. Hateley struggled. The 1966-67 season saw him score only six goals in the league, although his was the winning header against Leeds in the 1967 FA Cup semi-final that took Chelsea to Wembley; it was the summer of the All-London final. Pitted against Tottenham Hotspur, unable to match the wily Terry Venables and the indestructible Dave Mackay, Chelsea lost 2-1.

So Hateley was on the road again, this time to Liverpool for £96,000. The Merseysiders had just finished their first season without a major trophy for four years and Hateley, thought their manager Bill Shankly, was the man to change all that. The 1967-68 season was only three games old when he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United, but although Hateley scored 27 goals that campaign he did not quite fit in. Liverpool were a passing team and now they were having to launch long balls to the big man up front, where skilled defenders soon learned to contain him.

Bob Paisley, Shankly's assistant, was no fan and was said to have begged persistently for Hateley to be substituted in one particular match. His pleas fell on deaf ears until Hateley was floored after colliding with an opponent. Paisley quickly called for a stretcher and bound the striker's legs together before he was carried off. When Shankly inquired later after Hateley's welfare, Paisley supposedly said: "He's fine. I was just making sure that after I'd got him off you'd not get him back on again."

Liverpool finished the season without silverware again and Hateley moved to Coventry City for £80,000. He managed only four goals in 17 games there, lasted one season, and moved to Birmingham City.

Born in Derby, Hateley's future had been more or less settled at Normanton junior school, where as a six-footer towering over his contemporaries he won the Derbyshire schools high jump championship and was switched from centre-half to centre-forward to capitalise on his prowess at achieving lift-off. He began his career at Notts County in 1958, returning to the club at the end of his career after his move away from Birmingham City and scoring 32 goals in 57 games to help County to the Fourth Division title in 1970-71. He followed up with a brief spell at Oldham Athletic, then at 33 went to the US, but his knees gave out after three appearances for the Boston Minutemen.

So it was that in 1974 he ended a career of 434 league games over 16 seasons, scoring 211 goals with seven clubs and attracting a combined total of transfer fees – around £400,000 – that was then a record for English football.

There was a failed business venture, then a job as a sales rep for a brewery. His final years were clouded by Alzheimer's, a disease that has afflicted many footballers who sustained injuries heading a heavy, sodden ball.

Hateley is survived by his daughter, Tina, and son, Mark, a former England centre-forward, from the first of his two marriages.

• Tony Hateley, footballer, born 13 June 1941; died 1 February 2014

Julie Welch

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… This week's Football Weekly is here

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:57 AM PST

On today's rip-snortin', singin' and a-dancin' edition of Football Weekly, James Richardson has Barry Glendenning, James Horncastle and Jacob Steinberg for company as they look back on Sunderland's annihilation of Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby and all the rest of the action in the Premier League.

Next, we turn our attention to the shambles at Elland Road, before diving headfirst into a super-sized European round-up, including Sid Lowe telling us about Atlético Madrid heading to the top of La Liga for the first time in 18 years.

Iain Macintosh and Simon Burnton are with us on Thursday, so make sure you are too.

James Richardson
Ben Green
Jacob Steinberg
Barry Glendenning
Sid Lowe

Contrary to perceived wisdom, he is quite a whizz at maths | The Fiver

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:38 AM PST

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SPECIAL ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR …

When a team managed by the Special One is involved in a football match, the actual football can often become a bit of a sideshow to the main event: José Mourinho's pre-game psychobabble. But having recently criticised West Ham for playing the kind of overly defensive football he incorrectly thinks people played in the 19th century, it will be interesting to see how a man renowned for his ability to park a bus when the necessity arises will set up his team when they travel to the Etihad Stadium, home of free-scoring Manchester City. If the Fiver had to guess, we'd say there's a good chance Chelsea's players will be wearing flat caps, monocles and smoking pipes, as they sit in the giant hansom cab wedged beneath their crossbar, as the Premier League's answer to a panzer division roars relentlessly and repeatedly towards their goal.

Off the pitch, as is his wont, Mourinho has been trying to nick a couple of early mind-goals on the break. Having sniped about his opposite number's inability to do sums, the Chelsea manager had a moan about the unfairness of financial fair play, pointing out that it's been impossible for Chelsea to compete with City financially since the introduction of these rules that nobody in the world, least of all those at Uefa who made them up, appears to understand. "If City want to make it impossible, yes it's impossible because we are not competing outside what is important for us: the fair financial fair play," said Mourinho, insinuating that Certain Other Clubs are not. "We are working, thinking and believing that financial fair play is going to be in practice," said Mourinho, "So there are things that are impossible for us. Financially, no [we can't compete]."

As is his particular wont, Pellegrini retaliated by steadfastly refusing to rise to the bait, choosing instead to look characteristically wise and enigmatic, which is quite an impressive feat for somebody who, as Mourinho reminded us, is unable to count to three. Asked if tonight's game between City and Chelsea is a title decider, Pellegrini proved that contrary to perceived wisdom, he is quite a whizz at maths. "Apart from the fact that Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton are still in the running there will be 42 points to play for after the Chelsea game," he said, without having to resort to the trusty abacus Manchester City bean-counters will be using to help them dazzle their Uefa counterparts in the months and years ahead.

• Live on big website tonight, join Jacob Steinberg for minute-by-minute commentary of Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It was probably known to the burglars that the owner was not there at the time because he has got a job in West Ham" – a barrister explains the Ocean's Eleven-style planning that went into the burglary of Big Sam's house in Bolton that led to the Hammers boss being relieved of a fake Rolex, among other things.

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"I'm probably not the first of 1,057 pedants to point this out, but Wetherspoons pubs don't have jukeboxes – they're generically music-free. I believe establishments of the Wetherspoons Lloyds Bar chain, on the other hand, have music. Actually, would any readers of the Guardian (pedant or otherwise) drink in a Wetherspoons, or is that beneath them?" – Matt McCann (and 1,056 other Wetherspoons pedants - thus answering Matt's question too).

"I guess as it is Arsenal, signing injured players just saves time …" – Noble Francis.

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BITS AND BOBS

In scenes only slightly less confusing than Guy Pearce's flashbacks in Memento, the shambolic running of Dirty Leeds has led to the club unsacking sacked boss Brian McDermott.

Neil Lennon may give up scouting missions for the Queen's Celtic after having coins and drinks lobbed at him while watching Aberdeen v St Johnstone. "Eventually you've got to say 'right' and maybe need to look at something else in your life. It makes me think twice about going to games," he sniffed.

David Cameron has spotted an open goal and had a shy at it after intervening to ensure pubs will be granted extended opening hours during England's World Cup games. His next move will be to attempt not to abandon his children in them.

West Ham have appealed against the red card shown to Andy Carroll for standing near Chico Flores.

Neymar has alluded to 'false friends' being in some way responsible for the inflation of his Barcelona transfer fee from around £50m to around £80m. Insert Jonathan Wilson tactics punchline here.

FA suits have charged Newcastle and Norwich for 'failing to control their players' in the 0-0 draw that was only briefly entertaining for the very same reason.

Fun and games in South America dept: 100 Corinthians fans broke into the club's training camp to give players a motivational headlock after their recent poor form. "They tried to strangle the player who scored the most important goal in our club's history [Paolo Guerrero]. We didn't deserve this," sobbed club president Mario Gobbi.

And Arsène Wenger said he wouldn't have signed back-knack victim Kim Kallstrom, 87, if he hadn't felt the Countdown-clock-style pressure of transfer deadline day weighing heavily on him. "It was 5pm on Friday night, so it was a case of sign him or nobody," he du, du, du du, du, du, du, du, du, du-ed.

STILL WANT MORE?

The Football Weekly crew were so pleased with their efforts today that they went down the pub early. See if they were right to do so here.

Fans of conversations about the 32 different directions available on a compass will be disappointed to learn our talking points blog is on the weekend's Premier League action.

Having moaned about Big Sam's bus-parking earlier in the week, will José Mourinho have the guts to do the same against Manchester City, asks Daniel Taylor.

What on earth was Arsène Wenger thinking when he signed Kim Kallstrom, howls David Hytner.

Gary Lineker himself reckoned this Sid Lowe piece on Luis Aragonés was wonderful, and who are we to argue?

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

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WELL, THAT WENT WELL THEN

Barry Glendenning

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Green weedkiller Weedingtech backed by private equity maverick Jon Moulton

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:38 AM PST

Investment veteran joins Roman Abramovich in supporting Ben Goldsmith's herbicide-free product

The private equity veteran Jon Moulton has joined Roman Abramovich and a son of the late Sir James Goldsmith in backing the producer of Britain's only herbicide-free weedkiller.

Moulton and his family contributed to Weedingtech's recent £750,000 fundraising, which takes the company past its £2m funding target.

Weedingtech raised its first instalment of finance in August from investors including Abramovich, who owns Chelsea FC, and Ben Goldsmith. Weedingtech's product is Foamstream, which kills weeds using foam, hot water and steam instead of chemicals. Abramovich invested through Ervington Investments, which he set up to fund clean technology.

Goldsmith, an environmental campaigner and the brother of the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, helped found Weedingtech, . The company developed Foamstream with Cambridge University's department of plant sciences, and sells the weedkiller to local councils and water companies.

As well as being environmentally friendly, the product is a potential growth market for investors as governments tighten restrictions on the use of chemical weedkillers.

Moulton said: "This is a sizeable market opportunity that is only going to get bigger as more traditional herbicides are legislated against. Weedingtech have the right products, platform and expertise to capture a commanding position in this new marketplace."

Moulton is known as a maverick in the private equity industry, which he has criticised for exploiting tax loopholes in the past. He tried to buy MG Rover in 2000, and has more recently invested in Reader's Digest UK.

Weedingtech will use the money it has raised to expand its product range and to market Foamstream in the UK and Europe. It plans to make weedkillers for household and agricultural use.

The funding round also got support from Clearly So, a social finance organisation that taps a network of wealthy investors.

Sophie Marple, one of the investors, said: "This technology could transform the weedkiller market, and by investing in them through Clearly So I hope to become part of its journey to success."

Sean Farrell

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Anderson: 'United players want out'

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:19 AM PST

• Midfielder warns of summer exodus from Old Trafford
• Brazilian joined Fiorentina in January and is likely to stay

Anderson has claimed a number of Manchester United players "want out" in the summer, with the midfielder, who is on loan at Fiorentina, stating they may want a fresh challenge.

Anderson only joined the Italian club last month on a temporary basis but said he was there for the long term. The Brazilian signed from Porto in 2007 together with Nani, who the 25-year-old named as one who may depart in the close season. The futures of several senior players including Nemanja Vidic, the captain, Patrice Evra, and Rio Ferdinand are also in the balance. "I am sure that lots of players want out," Anderson said. "Especially people like myself and Nani, who have been in Manchester for seven or eight years. Manchester United is a huge club, a club that does everything for its players, but sometimes a footballer wants to leave just to experience a different way to play football and to learn something as well."

He signalled his intent to make the move permanent. "Playing in Manchester was great, it is a prestigious club with a lot of history. But I was there for seven or eight years and I want to show Fiorentina my quality and fight for a spot in the starting line-up," Anderson said. "I thank all Manchester United fans for their love but I'm here to stay."

Jamie Jackson

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The best goals of the week

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:43 AM PST

Featuring a backheel from Turkey, a 45-yard blaster from Portugal, a volley from Israel and a passing move from Barnsley

Paul Campbell

Leeds United fans rally behind Brian McDermott while chaos engulfs club | James Riach

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:37 AM PST

Despite many poor performances, Leeds supporters are backing a manager who has the best interests of the club at heart
• McDermott refuses to walk away despite takeover shambles

From the outside it may have appeared peculiar that Brian McDermott's "sacking" on Friday provoked such a vehement response from Leeds United supporters. After all, the team had not won in eight attempts and were in the midst of a run that included a 6-0 capitulation at Sheffield Wednesday and an FA Cup defeat to fourth-tier Rochdale.

Such was the dismal nature of the performance across the Pennines that McDermott and Leeds were the subject of an almighty stream of invective at the final whistle, an outpouring of frustration that had been building since a dire goalless draw at home to Barnsley in December and a descent to desperate route-one tactics.

Yet for all Leeds' failings during their bleak winter, despite the four goals scored and 15 conceded, McDermott's redeeming feature was that he clearly had the best interests of the club at heart. He was swimming, against the strongest of tides, for the future of Leeds United.

Given the club has sunk to the depths in recent years and remains engulfed in chaos, faith in those in charge has not been a luxury regularly afforded to Leeds fans, yet McDermott's presence at the helm has been some solace amid the uncertainty. Losing Ross McCormack, the club's top scorer who had been strongly linked with a move away from the club, and the former Reading manager in a matter of hours – which at one point on Friday seemed a real possibility – was enough for fans to descend on Elland Road in protest against the prospective new owner Massimo Cellino, attempting to speak to the Italian and barricading an entrance to the stadium, after he had tried to put Gianluca Festa in the dugout for last week's draw with Ipswich.

The ensuing weekend arguably constituted the most farcical series of events to have ever taken place at a football club. As cynics have put it, even the writers of the TV programme Dream Team would have struggled to come up with a more ridiculous script.

For supporters of Leeds, who had thought they had seen it all since the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2004, their plight represents a new low. Two relegations, administration, points deductions, play-off defeats, the dissolution of a team who could certainly have won promotion back to the top flight and a series of shambolic ownerships have driven Leeds to darkest despair. It is understandable that fans are sceptical that Cellino, who has twice been convicted of fraud, is capable of delivering salvation.

The strange thing is, though, that on the surface Leeds had appeared to be steadily edging into calmer waters. Fifth in the Championship before their poor run over Christmas and New Year, with crowds regularly clearing the 30,000 mark, the team may have been punching slightly above their weight in the table but the mood around Elland Road was one of cautious optimism.

When the managing director, David Haigh, and the chairman, Salah Nooruddin, embarked on a lap of the pitch with the former player Robbie Rogers before Leeds' game with Barnsley they were greeted with cheers, some fans even shaking hands with the men they believed had established a modicum of normality at a club crying out for stability.

The mood had changed on Saturday, but McDermott's name rang out like never before during a 5-1 home win over Huddersfield. He retained his dignity again on Monday under absurd pressure and Leeds fans can only hope that he remains in charge for their trip to Yeovil on Saturday.

"I don't hold grudges, but this situation should never happen to a football manager," McDermott said. "We need some calm." A rare dose of sanity among the madness.

James Riach

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Is David Cameron right on World Cup pub opening times?

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:36 AM PST

The Prime Minister has intervened after Lib Dem minister Norman Baker refused publicans' requests for extended opening hours for England's world cup matches. Was Cameron right to overrule his decision?

Tony Pulis laments Crystal Palace's inability to take chance against Arsenal – video

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:25 AM PST

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis is disappointed that the Eagles were unable to get on the scoresheet against Arsenal

Luis Aragonés's funeral attended by Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Cesc Fàbregas and Carlos Puyol – video

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:17 AM PST

The stars of Spanish football attend the funeral of former Spain manager Luis Aragonés who died on Saturday at the age of 75

Arsène Wenger: Arsenal wouldn't have signed Kim Källström if there was more time in the transfer window – video

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:15 AM PST

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger admits that he wouldn't have signed Kim Källström if there had been more time left in the transfer window

Brian McDermott refuses to walk away from Leeds despite takeover chaos

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:37 AM PST

• Manager still in charge despite being sacked on Friday
• 'All it's done for me is to give me more drive'

Brian McDermott has revealed his bizarre treatment over the weekend has only increased his drive to succeed as Leeds United manager.

McDermott, 52, returned to work at the club's Thorp Arch training base on Monday, having been sacked and subsequently reinstated since leaving it on Friday. That evening it appeared he had been fired by the prospective new owner Massimo Cellino, but the current owners GFH Capital were forced to release a statement the following day to insist he remained in position.

"Why would I want you walk away from being the Leeds United manager? It doesn't make any sense. All it's done for me is to give me more drive," said McDermott, speaking for the first time about a tumultuous 72 hours. "The reason I am sitting here is because this is Leeds United, I am Leeds United manager and I want to be Leeds United manager.

"I have spoken to a lot of people in the game, a lot of really important people that have said 'you shouldn't go back', but if you saw the support that the team got, that the staff got, the personal support I got on Saturday, it was incredible.

"The fans proved they're a class act. It's their football club and it doesn't belong to anyone but the fans. It has to be said that whoever eventually takes this football club on has to have those people first and foremost in their minds. Nothing else matters."

McDermott was referring to the incessant chanting of his name by Saturday's 31,000 crowd, the club's biggest since the opening day of the season. The 5-1 victory over Huddersfield, secured in his absence, was Leeds' biggest since he arrived on a three-year contract last April.

"That performance on Saturday tells you everything you need to know. It's time now for us to come together and move forward," said McDermott, whose selected XI for the match was changed on Friday night by a third party on and later reinstated.

"I got a phone call on Friday night, from the football club, from Chris Farnell, to say that I had been relieved of my duties and there was a letter on its way to me. So that was that," recalled McDermott. "On Saturday morning I got another phone call from GFH to say that wasn't the case and a couple of statements came out."

The second of those – while the match was in progress – provided confirmation that McDermott remained Leeds manager. However, with the ownership issue at Elland Road still unresolved, McDermott's long-term future has a spectre hanging over it.

"I spoke to David Haigh and Salem Patel of GFH today and they are the owners of the football club. Obviously, I've had certain assurances about my position, the running of the football club, and that all football matters are down to me but who's going to be the future owners, I don't know," he admitted.

McDermott met the controversial Italian businessman Cellino, who owns the Serie A club Cagliari, last week, and has had to carry out his daily duties with Gianluca Festa – Cellino's football adviser – hanging in the background. Festa, the former Middlesbrough defender, was involved in the re-selection of the team in the hours immediately after McDermott's Friday evening phone call. Festa also tried to take a place on the Leeds bench for last week's match against Ipswich last week. However, McDermott was assured of autonomy in talks with GFH over the weekend. "Basically, I am responsible for all football matters at the club. Nobody will be invited to the dugout, dressing room or to speak with the players unless the manager okays it," he said.

Cellino's company, Eleonora Sport Ltd, became the leading candidate to buy the club after the collapse of a deal GFH Capital had agreed with Sport Capital – headed by Haigh and businessman Andrew Flowers, the owner of Enterprise Insurance – following a two-month period of exclusivity. However, Cellino, 57, who has two previous convictions for fraud has yet to have his Leeds takeover ratified by the Football League. A second group, a Yorkshire-based consortium called Together Leeds, have also been in negotiations to invest.

Richard Gibson

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Perfect Bayern challenge Bundesliga to raise game, not the white flag | Raphael Honigstein

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:28 AM PST

Bayern's 5-0 win once more brought accusations of the unfair hoovering up of talent. But that's not altogether fair or accurate

"There is no perfect football," Pep Guardiola insisted after the final whistle. It may have been meant as a comforting note to the opposition – no one's ever quite invincible, he was saying – but it didn't sound too convincing. Even the hard-to-please Catalan manager couldn't help but rank Bayern Munich's casual 5-0 destruction of Eintracht Frankfurt as "the best Bundesliga performance" of his reign. It really came close to the perfect win, especially from his personal vantage point. After a series of uninspiring, minimum-effort matches, Sunday saw Bayern giving Guardiola's ideals shape on the pitch again.

The home side passed the ball around with a sense of ease and purpose not seen since the high-watermark of Bavarian Guardiola-ism, the 3-1 win at Manchester City. The goals, from Mario Götze, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Dante and Mario Mandzukic, were a mere inevitable by-product of their absurd superiority. "Bayern are in a different league," said the opposition manager Armin Veh. "The players are worth every cent."

The fact that the manager's Wunschspieler (the player he wanted the board to buy) Thiago Alcântara administered a midfield master-class in the Allianz Arena, will have pleased Guardiola even more. "Thiago or nothing," he had told Bayern in the summer. This game came close to "Thiago and nothing" at times: the Spanish international set a new Bundesliga record with 185 touches and 148 successful passes. The 22-year-old's unprecedented domination of proceedings came in the absence of Toni Kroos, who was left on the bench after a spot of petulance. The German midfielder, who is locked in contract renegotiations, had theatrically thrown down his gloves after his substitution during Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Stuttgart. Thiago's brilliance not only vindicated Guardiola's decision but also helped to reinforce the warning message that was being sent to Kroos and his advisers: don't overplay your hand.

An extremely pleasant evening for those of the red persuasion was rounded off by impressive political statements from Bayern's ultras. They honoured their Jewish former club president, Kurt Landauer, who was persecuted by the Nazis, with a choreography and also unveiled a small banner that read "football is everything, including gay".

Those were the good bits. Unfortunately for the league leaders, however, the game might well be remembered for something completely different and altogether more troubling. For Veh had done something that's been fairly commonplace in the Premier League in recent years but hitherto unseen in the Bundesliga: he had left out two regulars, Sebastian Rode and Carlos Zembrano, in order that they could feature in the relegation six-pointers against Braunschweig next week. They were both one yellow card away from suspension.

A pragmatic, smart decision, you might say, and you wouldn't be wrong. But that doesn't make it less upsetting. For the first time ever, a Bundesliga manager, has effectively thrown in the towel before kick-off. "It's a catastrophic message," wrote Reviersport in a strong editorial. "Veh has basically denied that his team had any chance to succeed. This was a Europa League participant cowardly lying down for a table topper – a pathetic attitude in sporting terms."

That's one view. Veh's move could also be read as a protest against Bayern's hegemony in the league. He knew he would receive little flak for his capitulation from their rival title contenders because they no longer see themselves as credible contenders in the first place. Unbeaten Bayern are 13 points clear of Leverkusen (2-1 winners v Stuttgart) and 17 points ahead of Dortmund (2-1 at Braunschweig), so who apart from Braunschweig would have possibly cared? If the reaction on social media is anything to go by, there's a lot of support for Veh's honesty – or cynicism – and an appetite for repeats. The rest of the league could effectively boycott Bayern by sending out the reserves in the remaining fixtures, and Guardiola's title would be rendered meaningless.

It's not so much Bayern's financial power that unnerves rival fans as the perceived misuse of their funds systematically to weaken opponents. Hans-Joachim Watzke's recent accusation that Bayern were trying "to destroy Dortmund" by picking up Götze and Robert Lewandowski served to underline that age-old notion. It's been repeated so often that it has become accepted as a universal football truth by anyone but Bayern themselves. "Last year, Götze and Lewandowski played for Dortmund, and they were 25 points behind us," Bayern's ambassador Paul Breitner angrily shot back on Sunday.

The reality is certainly a bit more complex. Of the current Bayern team, Götze is the only player who comfortably fits the alleged pattern. It is idle to speculate whether Bayern's and Dortmund's positions in the league would be materially different if that particular transfer hadn't happened. But even if one accepts that the Black and Yellows have ample reason to feel aggrieved, that doesn't account for the weakness of the rest of the field. The two other recent champions, Stuttgart (2007) and Wolfsburg (2009) didn't need Bayern to snatch any of their players to implode within six months of their triumphs. Has Schalke's progress since gatecrashing the Champions League semi-finals in 2011 really been hampered because they sold their goalkeeper to Bayern a couple of months later? No one at Hamburger SV, a club who were wealthier and more successful than Bayern in 1983, has yet blamed three decades of subsequent failure on the sale of Daniel Van Buyten to Munich in 2006.

Bremen? Regularly and happily sold to plenty of other clubs, namely Schalke. And whenever the example of Leverkusen, who lost the trio of Lúcio, Zé Roberto and Michael Ballack to Bayern after 2002, is mentioned, it's conveniently forgotten that the more pertinent, underlying reason for the breakup of that team was the end of unsustainable cash injections from parent-company Bayer in the wake of the Kirch crisis.

Interestingly, Bayern's failures in Europe between 2001 and 2010 were routinely blamed on them buying only the best of the Bundesliga. Now that they're able to cast their web much wider and rely more on homegrown players, there should actually be a higher number of very good players than ever before left at the other clubs in the league. More are being produced, in any case.

The real problem for the Bundesliga, then, is neither Bayern's systematic destruction of their rivals nor their suffocating wealth. Competitive imbalance in financial terms is still lower in the Bundesliga than in Serie A and in Spain, where Real Madrid and Barcelona will pay about 20 times as much for their squad than the smallest team. In Germany, the factor is closer to 13.

No, it's something else. Unlike the 70s team of Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller, who were eminently beatable domestically, and unlike countless other star-studded Bayern teams who routinely found a way to sabotage their own output, the current crop consists of exceptionally motivated professionals who are being coached at a level that is in line with their capabilities. It's a rare, happy constellation, and history suggests it won't last indefinitely. In the meantime, it's down to everyone else to raise their game, even if raising the white flag will be seen as the much easier option.

Results: Braunschweig 1-2 Dortmund, Leverkusen 2-1 Stuttgart, Schalke 2-1 Wolfsburg, Augsburg 3-1 Bremen, Mainz 2-0 Freiburg, Hannover 3-1 Gladbach, Hertha 1-1 Nürnberg, Hoffenheim 3-0 Hamburger SV, Bayern 5-0 Frankfurt.

• Bundelsiga table

Talking points to follow …

Raphael Honigstein

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Dieudonné M'bala M'bala: French 'quenelle' comedian banned from UK

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:23 AM PST

Home Office warns border officials not to let controversial comic into UK to support Nicolas Anelka in 'quenelle' gesture hearing

The controversial French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala has been banned from entering Britain after several of his shows were cancelled in France.

Dieudonné had said he would travel to the UK to support his friend, footballer Nicolas Anelka, who is facing a disciplinary hearing after performing a "quenelle" – an allegedly antisemitic gesture – during a Premier League match.

The Home Office has declared the performer persona non grata and warned he will not be allowed into the country.

The Home Office has sent out a warning to airlines and other transport companies as well as border officials, that the performer, known by his stage name Dieudonné, is an "excluded" individual.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Mr Dieudonné is subject to an exclusion order. The home secretary will seek to exclude an individual from the UK if she considers that there are public policy or public security reasons to do so."

Several of Dieudonné's shows were banned in France last month at the start of a 22-date tour amid fears that his stereotypical portrait of Jews and mocking of the Holocaust were a risk to public order.

Dieudonné fans and civil liberties campaigners accused the French government of attacking free speech and of censorship. The comedian rewrote his shows dropping the most offensive material.

Anelka, a striker with West Bromwich Albion, has been charged by the Football Association after performing a quenelle when he scored a goal against West Ham on 28 December.

The 34-year-old player said he was expressing his support for his friend Dieudonné, who claims to have invented the gesture, described by some as an inverted Nazi salute.

Dieudonné, who has convictions for inciting racial hatred through his antisemitic jokes and comments, insists the gesture is simply anti-establishment. However, he has failed to distance himself from groups and individuals who have posted photographs of themselves doing the quenelle outside synagogues, Holocaust memorials, Jewish schools and even at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

Anelka has insisted he is "neither antisemitic or racist". The hearing is not expected before the end of February.

The document outlining the ban on Dieudonné was leaked to the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. It states that the 47-year-old comic "should not be carried to the UK" (pdf).

It warned transport carriers they faced a fine of up to £10,000 if they allow him to travel to Britain.

"The above-named has been excluded from the UK at the direction of the secretary of state on 31 January 2014. Carriers required to provide data to e-Borders will be refused authority to carry him to the UK He is not eligible for carriage. If he travels he will be denied entry at the UK border."

France's interior minister, who supported the ban on Dieudonné's shows, said he was no longer artistic or funny but engaged in the "mechanics of hate".

"We cannot tolerate antisemitism, historical revisionism and racism, and the highest jurisdiction in our country has agreed," he said.

Dieudonné was questioned by police two weeks ago after a bailiff who arrived at the comedian's home to serve a writ claimed he was attacked.

The comedian is at the centre of several official and police inquiries after allegations of unpaid fines, the "fraudulent organisation of bankruptcy" and another claim that he incited racial hatred after making antisemitic remarks about radio presenter Patrick Cohen.

During one of his shows Dieudonné told the audience: "When I hear Patrick Cohen speak, I tell myself, you know, the gas chambers … a pity."

Kim Willsher

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