Newcastle United’s Cheick Tiote narrowly avoided jail this week after he admitted possessing a fake driving licence.
Midfielder Tiote was handed a seven-month suspended sentence after he admitted buying a fake Belgian licence for €15,000.
He then attempted to swap the forgery for a full UK licence, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Suspending the imprisonment for 18 months, Judge James Goss QC told Tiote that he would have to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
“I give you credit for your plea of guilty, which has saved you from an immediate sentence of imprisonment,” the judge said.
Agger staying
Daniel Agger made it clear he has no plans to leave Liverpool after fresh speculation surfaced saying the 28-year-old defender was frustrated at not playing and may have to consider his future.
But the Dane yesterday moved quickly to reassure fans that he is happy at Anfield and does not want to move on.
He tweeted: “Please stop all the tweets about me leaving! I’m not going anywhere! Will be back in the team soon.”
Agger lost his place in the side due to injury and manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted he will continue to pick the team on merit.
Djourou ruled out for Hamburg
Johan Djourou has been ruled out for several weeks with a torn muscle in his groin, Hamburg have confirmed.
The Swiss defender, who is on a season-long loan from Arsenal with the Bundesliga side, suffered the injury during Hamburg’s 3-0 win at Freiburg on Sunday.
He had to be replaced after 22 minutes and an examination earlier this week revealed the extent of the problem.
Hamburg confirmed the 26-year-old would be out for a number of weeks, definitely missing the match with Borussia M’gladbach on Saturday.
Elche denounce their own fans
Primera Liga club Elche have denounced their own fans who racially abused Granada’s French defender Allan Nyom in Saturday’s game at their Martinez Valero stadium in Alicante.
Nyom reacted to a chorus of what referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande said in his match report were “monkey chants” from one section of the crowd by angrily booting the ball towards them and was booked.
“The club repudiates in the strongest possible terms the racist chants directed at the player Nyom that came from one very small section of the crowd,” Elche said.
“In fact, after the incident, Elche CF called via the public address system for an immediate end to the behaviour and ordered that it not be repeated.”
Zola calls for goal technology
Gianfranco Zola called for goal-line technology to be introduced in The Champion-ship after Watford had what he felt was a goal ruled out in the 1-1 draw at Brighton on Monday.
The Hornets were leading 1-0 and were convinced they had scored another just after the interval through Fernando Fo-restieri but referee Keith Hill did not see the ball crossing the line and, unlike in the Premier Lea-gue, he had no option to consult video technology.
Zola said: “Everyone has seen it apart from the ref. I am disappointed because it would have given us three points. In a championship in which so much money is involved it (technology) would help the officials keep everything under control.”
Zaha still in United plans says Moyes
David Moyes insists Wilfried Zaha is still firmly in his plans at Manchester United.
Zaha, who has won 12 caps for England U-21s and two for the senior side, has yet to make his Premier League debut for the Red Devils and has been linked with a loan move away in the January transfer window.
Moyes said: “I just don’t think we have had the right opportunity to get him on as much as would have liked.
“I’ve said I would look at (a loan) in January as I wanted to have him here for six months to see how we work. It’s not that Wilf has done anything wrong, it’s just that we have big competition.”
Robson charity auction a big hit
A charity auction set up in memory of former England manager Bobby Robson has helped to raise around £350,000 for cancer services.
Big names from the world of sport, including former Man-chester United manager Alex Ferguson, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and England cricketer Graeme Swann, supported the Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough online auction by donating prizes and experiences.
Robson died of cancer in 2009.
The 2013 auction total will top the 2011 fund-raiser by more than £150,000, organisers said.
All the funds raised will go for the Sir Bobby Robson Foun-dation, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and two Suffolk hospitals in the fight against cancer.