Singer Katy Perry wore this for her boyfriend, British comedian Russell Brand. The West Ham supporter confirmed he would bring her to West Ham’s match against Everton, but denied speculation he would be taking her up the Arsenal.
Ronaldo Out: Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s World Cup playoff against Bosnia on Nov. 14 and Nov. 18. Real Madrid doctors discovered a bony deposit in his injured ankle, the same injury that forced him to have surgery after Euro 2008. He aggravated the injury when called back prematurely for Portugal’s qualifier against Hungary. In a pure coincidence, doctors believe he could return to face Barcelona on Nov. 29.
Back in the Saddle: The Court of Arbitration Sport has overturned Chelsea’s transfer ban until FIFA makes its final decision over the Gael Kakuta fiasco. Because FIFA bureaucrats must milk as many swanky business lunches as possible, they won’t decide until the spring. This should leave Chelsea free to supplement their designs on the Premier League and Champions League in January.
Organized Labor: La Liga players may strike over proposed reforms to Spain’s tax code. The Spanish government plans to eliminate “The Beckham Law” in 2010. The law, instituted in 2002, reduces the tax rate for overseas soccer players in Spain from 43 percent to 24 percent, giving Spanish clubs an advantage when signing elite players. The reform would only affect contracts signed after 2010.
Haters Beware: MLS fined DC United president Kevin Payne $5,000 last week for “public comments deemed detrimental to the public image of the league.” Payne criticized the Colorado Rapids, the New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake for negative and boring tactics that create “a lot of games in our league (he) can’t watch.” How about fining those clubs for playing in a manner “detrimental to the public image of the league?”
Barcelona Bound: Barcelona and Manchester City reportedly are negotiating rated Fancy Dan Robinho’s move to the Catalan club in January. The supposed options for the 25-year-old are a six-month loan, an 18-month loan followed by a permanent deal or an immediate $56 million transfer. At what point must a player legitimately accomplish something to be worth $50 million?
Buying Arsenal: Nuggets and Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke is preparing to buy Arsenal. The Denver Billionaire increased his stake in the club to 29.9 percent. Under the shareholder’s agreement, he must make a bid for the entire club should his stake reach 30 percent. Kroenke may wait until after the season to finalize the deal, when he will have the cash from selling his 40 percent stake in the St. Louis Rams.
Yet more evidence that Sven-Goran Eriksson is a slave to money.
