Bayer Leverkusen director of sport Rudi Voeller was critical of the standard of Bundesliga refereeing after a total of 10 yellow cards and two red were shown in his club’s 0-0 draw at Freiburg on Saturday.

Leverkusen were reduced to 10 men after less than half an hour when Emir Spahic was sent off before Freiburg’s Pavel Krmas followed 12 minutes from the end.

“I had a relaxed chat with (referee) Felix Brych and told him that our FIFA referees in Germany are always too quick to show yellow cards,” Voeller told Sport1.de.

“He’s an excellent referee, but the first red card shouldn’t have been given, and so shouldn’t the second one.”

Chelsea consider Twickenham move

Chelsea have taken the first step towards a possible temporary move to Twickenham after making an approach to the Rugby Football Union.

The RFU has confirmed it has been sounded out about the prospect of the Premier League club using the 82,000-capacity home of English rugby while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped.

Chelsea announced in June that they are looking at possible expansion plans for their stadium, although dates for any work have not been specified.

It had previously been mooted that the club could seek out a permanent new home, however suitable London sites are in short supply.

Robben counts cost of summer dive

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben believes he is still being punished for diving to win a penalty during the World Cup.

The Dutchman threw himself down to procure a penalty for Holland in their 2-1 win over Mexico, but he says he is now paying the price with referees reluctant to whistle for fouls against him.

He felt he was fouled in the penalty area by Daniel Halfar in Bayern’s 2-0 win over Cologne on Saturday, but no whistle was forthcoming.

“I made a mistake at the World Cup and I owned up to it, but now it seems like I am being punished for it,” Robben told Sky television.

Pardew focused on Potters points

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is treating owner Mike Ashley’s joke threat to sack him as a back-handed vote of confidence.

The 53-year-old woke on Saturday morning to read claims that he is “Dead. Finished. Over.” if the Magpies lose at Stoke tonight.

Club officials immediately dismissed Ashley’s comments to a reporter in a Soho bar as a joke.

Pardew said: “I think he was trying to be supportive in his own kind of way. They (the comments) are what they are and unfortunately we have had those sort of headlines for two or three weeks.

“The focus for me really can only be Monday night.”

Totti thanks ‘unique’ Roma supporters

Francesco Totti described the Roma fans as “unique and fantastic” after celebrating his 38th birthday with a 2-0 home win over Verona.

Alessandro Florenzi and Mattia Destro, who scored with a spectacular shot from near the halfway line, ensured that Roma extended their winning start on Totti’s special day.

“On the day of my birthday, there are many people I wish to thank,” Totti said on his website.

“Fortunately I am able to thank many of them directly, but there is a huge thank you, as big as the heart of Rome, so very important, that I want to say now... it is for our marvellous fans.

“Yesterday just as today, you have always made me feel special. You are unique and simply fantastic!”

Sakho apologises for early exit

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has apologised on social media for leaving Anfield before the Merseyside derby against Everton.

The 24-year-old France international, who was not selected in the squad for the match, was photographed by a fan leaving the stadium before Saturday lunchtime’s clash, which finished all square.

The former PSG man has taken to social media to apologise for any offence caused.

“I really want to apologise to the club, the supporters and every person who felt offended when I left the stadium this afternoon,” he said on his Facebook page.

“I’m aware that it was a bad choice from my part to go isolating to watch the game!”

Tevez pays tribute to ‘great’ Buffon

Carlos Tevez paid tribute to goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for his crucial penalty save in the 3-0 victory away to Atalanta on Saturday night.

The Argentine striker hit a brace for Juventus, his second goal coming just moments after Buffon had parried a German Denis spot-kick on 58 minutes.

The score was still 1-0 at the time and Buffon’s save denied the home team an equaliser which might have altered the course of the game.

“We all know Buffon is great, the whole world knows it.

“After that we had to react and score straightaway, which thankfully we did,” Tevez told Sky Sport Italia.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.