An Italian club president has been banned for five years after attacking and injuring a referee in the dressing room at half-time during a lower division match, causing the game to be suspended.
Paolo Pilloni, president of Sardinian club Sanluri, punched match official Luigi Cannas on his cheek, causing him to fall backwards and bang his head against the dressing-room wall.
The attack happened after a penalty was awarded against Sanluri in the match against Tortoli in the Sardinian regional division of Italy’s fifth tier on Sept. 14.
Tortoli were awarded a 3-0 walkover win.
Sacramento’s MLS bid earns praise
Sacramento’s dark-horse bid to secure a Major League Soccer franchise won praise from league officials on Friday, who promised to continue serious negotiations with boosters led by mayor and former basketball star Kevin Johnson.
League officials touring the California capital city praised the site of a proposed downtown stadium and the success of the minor league Sacramento Republic FC, which is in the semi-finals at its level and has been selling out tickets since coming to town last year.
“In a short period of time, what this team has come to mean to this community is remarkable,” Mark Abbott, deputy commissioner of Major League Soccer, said.
Van Basten’s former assistant under fire
The saga around Marco van Basten’s health issues continues unabated with his former assistant at AZ Alkmaar being accused of leaking sensitive information about his condition to the media.
Alex Pastoor was supposed to swap roles with Van Basten after the former European Footballer of the Year said he could no longer deal with the stress of the job but is now accused of being the source of newspaper leaks.
“I know it for sure,” said technical director Earnest Stewart.
Pastoor left the club last week, because he could not agree terms over his new role but AZ have now said he departed because of doubts over his integrity.
Mourinho wants bigger FFP sanctions
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes clubs that breach Financial Fair Play rules would think again if the punishment was points penalties or being refused entry to the Champions League.
Man. City and Paris SG were fined and limited to a 21-man Champions League squad for this season after breaking FFP rules.
“There are fines that are known about, and if there are fines there is control,” he said.
“Now, are the fines fair? I think not, I think what is fair is to take away points and remove titles.
“If you have important capital, which allows you to overcome financial fair play, if after you win titles you are penalised financially, it continues and continues.”
‘I need to adapt to referees’ – Vidic
New Inter signing Nemanja Vidic admitted that he needs to adapt to Italian referees as the Serbian prepares to return from suspension for his new club today.
Vidic was dismissed in Inter’s opening league match against Torino for dissent after sarcastically applauding the referee.
“Obviously I have to adapt. I am still learning the way I have to play in Italian football and that includes the referees, the way they manage the games and hopefully I’ll do that as soon as possible,” he said.
“To be fair, I believe the referees have a hard job because the players sometimes try to make situations happen, asking for penalties or fouls. I have to say in England they didn’t do that as much as here, so it’s difficult for referees.”
Arsenal enjoy revenue boost
Arsenal generated revenue of more than £300 million in 2013-14 when the English Premier League club ended a nine-year run without a major trophy.
Arsenal returned to winning ways when they lifted the FA Cup in May, gaining a reward after investing in players including German midfielder Mesut Ozil, who cost £42 million.
Fans of the north London club had been disappointed by the lack of trophies and the sale in recent years of high-profile players including Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.
Improved TV deals, the successful FA Cup campaign and a renewed sponsorship deal with airline Emirates drove total revenues up by more than £20 million to £302 million in the year to May, 2014. Pre-tax profit fell to £4.7 million, reflecting in part the cost of transfer spending.
Toure stricken over brother’s death
Man. City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Yaya Toure’s form could be suffering as he comes to terms with his brother’s death.
The Ivorian has not matched the standards he set during a brilliant 2013-14 campaign, with critics coming out in force after Wednesday’s Champions League loss at Bayern Munich.
Pellegrini said: “He’s a player that makes a difference in big games.
“Maybe some of you think it’s strange he is not in the best moment, but we started the season and maybe he had a lot of personal problems with his brother, not what was said in the media, but in what he feels about it.
“There are a lot of human things and maybe that is why he is not at his best at the moment.”