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      Ex-Manchester City and England star Micah Richards caught speeding in his Rolls-Royce and fined £1,000

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      FORMER England and Manchester City football ace Micah Richards has been given a four-figure fine after being caught speeding in his Rolls-Royce.The ex-Premier League defender, now a regular BBC and Sky Sports pundit, was nabbed by a camera travelling 5mph over the limit in a 30mph zone.
      Ex-England international defender Micah Richards pleaded guilty to speedingCredit: Rex
      Richards, 34, was caught last August 3 on the B6165 near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire – a short 20-minute drive from his home in the village of Nidd.
      And he has now pleaded guilty before Harrogate magistrates to one count of speeding – receiving a £666 fine, but also told to pay a £266 victim surcharge and £90 court costs, making a total £1,022.
      Rolls-Royce driver Richards also had three penalty points added to his licence.
      The Birmingham-born ex-international, who grew up in the Leeds suburb of Chapeltown, previously revealed how he was frequently pulled over by cops when returning to the city.
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      He has also spoken out about the racism his family suffered when he was growing up in West Yorkshire.
      Since leaving life as top-flight footballer and retiring in 2019, Richards has been dubbed “Mr Monopoly” by friends after amassing a multi-million-pound property empire.
      He regularly appears on BBC1’s weekly Match Of The Day football highlights programme as well as podcast shows alongside presenter Gary Lineker and fellow pundits such as Alan Shearer.
      And when featuring on Sky and BT Sport he provides post-match analysis with the likes of former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane, Liverpool and Scotland’s Graeme Souness and Tottenham Hotspur and England legend Glenn Hoddle.
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      Richards was at City’s Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as a CBS Sports analyst for his old club’s 4-0 triumph over Spain’s Real Madrid, winning 5-1 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Champions League final next month against Italy’s Internazionale who knocked out local rivals AC Milan.
      Richards came through the youth ranks at Manchester City, helping them win the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League the following year, before later stints with Italian Serie A club Fiorentina and back in England with Aston Villa.
      He scored one goal in 13 appearances for England and also played for the Team GB football side at the London 2012 Olympics.
      Richards warned budding young footballers last December about the dangers of becoming rich overnight – telling of his lavish spending sprees after hitting the big time.
      He recalled buying supercars such as a Ferrari F430 and a luxury mansion in the footballers’ paradise of Hale in Greater Manchester – as well as splashing out more than £100,000 on a single night out.
      Richards played 245 times for Manchester City and won 13 England caps
      Micah Richards’ luxury car collection has included his Rolls-Royce, an Aston Martin and this £130,000 Bentley ConvertibleCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Richards has also splashed out on a £200,000 Ferrari 458 Speciale, parking it here outside the restaurant Rosso in Manchester city centreCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke More

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      Brit footballer ‘carried out sex attack on sleeping woman then went to training’, court hears

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      A SCOTS footballer went to training after an alleged sex attack on a sleeping woman.Salim Kouider-Aïssa, 27, is claimed to have inappropriately touched the 23-year-old at a flat in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, on October 31 2021.
      Salim Kouider-Aissa in action for AirdrieCredit: SNS
      The star in action for Partick ThistleCredit: The Sun
      The woman said she went to a spare bedroom alone and was “shocked” to wake up to the Airdrie forward with hands on her.
      Kouider-Aïssa told a jury that he initially went in the same bed to have a “good sleep.”
      He added that he believed the woman was awake and consenting before carrying out a sex act on her.
      Kouider-Aïssa, also of Kirkintilloch, denies the single charge of sexual assault at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

      The court heard Kouider-Aïssa played for Airdrie at Alloa that day – picking up an injury.
      He initially went home to Kirkintilloch before picking up friends in Glasgow’s west end.
      The footballer drove the men to friend Scott Spinelli’s flat where they drank and listened to music.
      The alleged victim and another woman later joined the men at the flat.
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      Jurors were told that the woman went to Mr Spinelli’s spare bed.
      The court heard Kouider-Aïssa was told by Mr Spinelli to stay in the living room.
      The woman said: “I woke up and I could feel someone behind me, that’s when I realised what he was doing.”
      She described that Kouider-Aïssa intimately touched her.
      She added: “I woke up really shocked, I went into bed myself and was shocked to have someone behind me.
      “I was shouting ‘what are you doing’ and he said ‘I thought you were awake, what have I done’.
      “I didn’t really know what to do, he went to get my friends for me.
      “They came rushing in…he told them that he thought I was awake.
      “It wouldn’t matter if I was as there was no consent.”
      Kouider-Aïssa stated in his evidence that he had difficulty sleeping on the couch.
      He said his reason for entering the bed beside the woman was to “get a good sleep.”
      Kouider-Aïssa claimed that the woman brushed his legs and put her leg over his, before he stroked her leg.
      He said: “I was questioning myself if she was awake.”
      Kouider-Aïssa stated the woman turned his back to him before spooning her then kissed her on the neck.
      He added that he went on to carry out a sex act on her stating: “I had belief she was consenting by the way she was moving about the bed, moving her body to me.”
      Kouider-Aïssa stated after the woman woke up and confronted him, he told Mr Spinelli: “I’ve f***ed it, I thought she was awake.”
      Kouider-Aïssa claimed he waited in his car before contacting teammate Max Currie.
      He said: “It was about 8am and Max came and picked me up and we went to get changed (at his flat) for physio.
      “I went to training, it was a Sunday, the football was on so I went to my uncle’s house to watch football.”
      Kouider-Aïssa handed himself into the police that night.
      Mr Allan said “You entered the bedroom of a stranger while she was sleeping?”
      He replied: “Yes.”
      Mr Allan asked what steps Kouider-Aïssa took to check that getting into bed was okay with the woman.
      He replied: “None.”
      Mr Allan said: “There is one easy way to make sure she was awake isn’t there?”
      Kouider-Aïssa: “I suppose so.”
      Mr Allan: “You didn’t ask her if she was awake during any of this?”
      Kouider-Aïssa: “No.”
      Kouider-Aïssa stated that he believes the woman was asleep after hearing the woman’s position at court.
      He later said: “There obviously has to be doubts, to this day, it’s been a while since… I still have a reasonable belief that she was awake for the last part and giving consent as well as that’s obviously why we are here.”

      The trial continues tomorrow before Sheriff Matthew Jackson KC.
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page More

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      Troubled boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald is jailed after KOing man outside pub in drink and drug-fuelled rampage

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      FORMER boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald has been jailed after floored a man outside a pub with a single punch.The Commonwealth gold medallist attacked Leevi Francis in a drink and drug-fuelled rage.
      Scott Fitzgerald has been jailed for punching a man to the ground outside a pubCredit: Reuters
      Leevi suffered a broken jaw and a cut below his eyebrow after being knocked unconscious outside the Grand Junction in Preston, Lancashire.
      Fitzgerald has now been jailed for 46 weeks after he pleaded guilty to GBH on the first day of his trial.
      Preston Crown Court heard how the boxer had been drinking all afternoon and smoked cannabis on November 27 last year.
      CCTV footage showed him “bouncing around the pub” before he went into the pool room.
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      Landlady Kirsty Allen kicked him out after he stamped on the floor hard close to the pool table.
      After being shoved outside by a group of drinkers, Fitzgerald first confronted another man.
      Seeing this, Leevi stepped in to help and was punched to the ground by the British light-middleweight champion.
      He lay unconscious for around a minute before being taken to hospital.
      Most read in Boxing
      In a victim impact statement, Leevi said a plate inserted into his jaw causes him pain at night as he told how he lost two stone after being left unable to eat.
      He also revealed he has suffered socially since the attack and feels anxious about his son’s boxing hobby.
      Ayaz Qazi, defending, told the court how Fitzgerald’s successful career, which saw him win a gold medal for his country in 2014, was blighted by his drink and drug use.
      The lawyer said he is now banned from professional boxing but has remained sober while being kept on remand in custody.
      Mr Qazi added: “He is utterly aghast and ashamed of the way he was behaving, this loutish and disorderly behaviour in public.”
      Sentencing, Judge Richard Archer said Fitzgerald using his fists was the equivalent of using a weapon in a fight.
      He said: “You know, as somebody who is supposed to be trained to control aggression and channel it for the purposes of professional sport, that when to behave that way – even by your own admission under the influence of drink and drugs – is entirely unacceptable.
      “You risk very serious consequences for your victim.
      “A professional boxer who under the influence is unable to charge the power in those fists could all so easily have rendered a man not just unconscious, but dead.
      “It is fortunate you are not facing a much more serious charge. There are many people who face those charges based on a single blow.”
      The sentence is the latest drama in the boxer’s troubled personal life.

      In 2021, worrying pictures emerged of super-welterweight champ lying on the street outside a pub.
      Fitzgerald took to social media to reassure fans after promotor Eddie Hearn voiced his concerns over the pictures.
      The boxer had been kicked out of a pub after drinking and taking drugsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      The British light-middleweight champion pleaded guilty to GBHCredit: Getty
      He has struggled with drinking and drugs, his lawyer saidCredit: Getty More

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      Cardiff WILL lodge £80million legal action against Nantes over Emiliano Sala death as club look at Tevez precedent

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      CARDIFF CITY have confirmed they will lodge an astonishing £80million-plus legal action against Nantes over the transfer of Emiliano Sala – just as The Sun first revealed.The club has been taking detailed legal advice for many months on this landmark case, more than four years after the tragic death of the Argentinian striker in the plane crash in January 2019.
      Cardiff are lodging an £80m legal action against Nantes over the transfer of Emiliano SalaCredit: Getty
      The striker tragically died in a plane crash travelling from the France to Wales in 2019Credit: AFP
      After failure to get satisfaction with Fifa, the Sport of Arbitration and the Swiss Federal Tribunal, the Championship club will next week lodge their legal papers in the French courts.
      A Cardiff statement said yesterday: “The Swiss Federal Tribunal has decided the Court of Arbitration for Sport does not have jurisdiction to deal with Cardiff City’s claim for damages against FC Nantes.
      “This is not a surprise and the club has already prepared separate legal action against them which will be started straight away.”
      They maintain that “FC Nantes must be held responsible for the accident” which they allege was “organised by their agent” Willie McKay who organised the ill-fated flight with a pilot who did not have a commercial licence, did not have the appropriate papers to fly at night, and who was actually a part time DJ and plumber!
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      The Welsh club added the legal action will be to “recover what the club paid for Emiliano and additional damages for further consequential losses”.
      They were forced by Fifa to pay the full £15m transfer fee, despite claims that he was not properly registered as a Cardiff player, but the main compensation claim will be the cost of relegation from the Premier League £100m minus the £20m parachute payments.
      Fifa originally imposed a three-window transfer embargo when Cardiff refused to pay the first instalment of the £15m fee.
      Cardiff failed in their appeal to CAS in January and agreed to pay £7m to enable the embargo to be lifted.
      Most read in Championship
      Now, as first reported in The Sun, the club’s legal team will formally go ahead with a massive compensation claim on the basis that Sala’s death was negligent, and their legal documents might even refer to the tragic death as ‘manslaughter’.
      The Carlos Tevez affair at West Ham is a precedent Cardiff City believe backs their £80m ‘relegation’ compensation claim.
      Sheffield United won £26m compensation 15 years ago, the cost they claimed for relegation.
      Cardiff feel their case is strengthened by the tape recording where pilot David Ibbotson revealed the plane was in such a “dodgy” state that he feared for his life in the journey from Nantes back to Cardiff.
      Ibbotson was so scared that he said he wanted to wear a life jacket as he had no idea why a loud and scary bang had occurred on the first flight and he told a friend that would be the last chat between them such was the shoddy state of the the Piper Malibu plane.
      Ibbotson had been hired by pilot David Henderson, who served a jail sentence for his part in the scandal, who had in turn taken instruction from Willie McKay, whose son Mark, had the mandate for the transfer from Nantes.
      Cardiff dropped out of the Premier League by just one point, and they argue that a new striker would have saved them from the drop, the cost of relegation was £100m plus, minus parachute payments of £20m.
      The Sala tragedy came too late for Cardiff to buy an alternative striker as the transfer window closed.
      Only a few Sala goals might have kept Cardiff up, just the way that vital Tevez goals saved the Hammers. More

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      Sunderland star Jack Diamond appears in court charged with rape and sex assault

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      SUNDERLAND star Jack Diamond has appeared in court charged with rape and sexual assault.The footballer, 23, was arrested following an alleged attack in May last year.
      Sunderland footie star Jack Diamond appeared in court todayCredit: NCJMedia
      The winger has had his contract with Lincoln City terminated and his currently suspended from SunderlandCredit: Getty
      Cops said the incident is believed to have taken place at an address in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
      Following an investigation, Northumbria Police arrested Diamond on one count of rape and one count of sexual assault.
      Arriving at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court today, he wore a black suit and silver tie.
      Standing in front of a judge, the winger spoke only to confirm his date of birth and address.
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      The suspected offences are against a female aged 16 and over, the court heard.
      Frida Hussain, QC, defending, said Diamond intends to plead not guilty to both charges.
      The young footie star was on loan at League One club Lincoln City who have since terminated his contract.
      And home club Sunderland FC suspended him with “immediate effect” while court proceedings are carried out.
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      A spokesman for Diamond previously said: “Jack Diamond strenuously denies the allegations which have been made against him.
      “Jack is looking forward to clearing his name in court.”
      A Sunderland spokesperson said: “Sunderland AFC has been notified that criminal charges have been brought against Jack Diamond by the Crown Prosecution Service.
      “The player has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the judicial process, and his loan agreement at Lincoln City Football Club has also been terminated.
      “As this matter is subject to a legal process, the club will not be making any further statement at this time.”
      Diamond will next appear at Newcastle Crown Court on June 2.
      He was released on unconditional bail.
      He has been charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assaultCredit: NCJMedia More

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      Conor McGregor brutally reacts to Manny Pacquiao’s huge £6.8million court battle with now-deleted tweet

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      CONOR McGREGOR has responded in a now-deleted tweet following Manny Pacquiao’s huge £6.8million court battle.Pacquiao in 2020 signed with Paradigm Sports management, who also represent the company’s highest-earner McGregor.
      Manny Pacquiao with Paradigm’s Audie AttarCredit: Instagram @audieattar
      Conor McGregor reacted to Manny Pacquiao’s huge £6.8million court battleCredit: AFP
      But PacMan failed to have a fight under Paradigm and was instead sued for breach of contract.
      Following a case in California, Pacquiao was left to owe $8m (£6.3m), with £4m in damages, £1.7m in legal fees and additional 10 percent annual interest on the verdict amount for three years.
      McGregor, 34, took to social media, reacting to the news by posting: “And don’t let it happen again, @MannyPacquiao.”
      And in a now-deleted tweet, he added: “Manny owes 8 in all. 5.1 he owes and then 2.1 in legal costs.
      READ MORE ON CONOR MCGREGOR
      “Legal fees are heavy but that’s what we do. Heavy weight operations.”
      Paradigm signed Pacquiao, 44, as a client three years ago amid rumours of a fight with McGregor, who lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
      A bout with Mikey Garcia was also in the works until Pacquiao was later announced to be facing Errol Spence Jr.
      American Spence, 33, pulled out injured and was replaced by Yordenis Ugas, who won the fight and sent Pacquiao into retirement.
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      But Paradigm alleged that Pacquiao’s other representatives –  Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions – interfered with their deal.
      It led to Paradigm filing the lawsuit, which Pacquiao lost when the jury ruled that he acted in bad faith.
      The Orange County jury voted 9-3 in favour of Paradigm in the case.
      Paradigm CEO Audie Attar said in a statement: “We are elated to learn of the jury’s ruling in Paradigm’s favor in our suit against Manny Pacquiao.
      “The jury plainly found that Pacquiao testified falsely in denying Paradigm’s claims against him, and his excuses for his conduct proves our case that a breach of contract was committed.
      “Hopefully, Manny will have learned a lesson from the verdict and will henceforth act with the honesty and integrity that was so lacking in his treatment of Paradigm.”
      Pacquiao retired as a professional following defeat to Ugas, 36, but returned last December for an exhibition bout.
      The Filipino icon has revealed his next exhibition is set for the summer while he has also opened the door to a full boxing comeback. 
      Manny Pacquiao is open to a boxing comebackCredit: AFP More

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      Former LaLiga star accepts six-year prison sentence after confessing to leading drug trafficking ring

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      A former LaLiga footballer has accepted a six-year prison sentence after confessing to leading a drug trafficking ring.Sergio Contreras, better known as Koke, agreed to a plea bargain deal at a court in Malaga after being warned state prosecutors were seeking to have him imprisoned for 16 years ahead of his trial.
      Sergio Contreras played for the likes of Marseille, Malaga and Sporting LisbonCredit: AFP
      He has accepted a six-year prison sentenceCredit: AFP
      The ex-striker, whose clubs included Malaga, Marseille and Sporting Lisbon, was one of 17 defendants accused of buying large amounts of drugs that were smuggled in lorries into different European countries.
      Koke had been described in a pre-trial indictment as the gang leader.
      The drugs were mainly marijuana and cannabis resin, but also included cocaine.
      The gang Koke has now admitted he led was raided in November 2019 following a police operation codenamed Operation Vinculada that involved wiretaps and undercover follows.
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      One of the drug runs linked to the ex-footballer’s gang, consisting of vacuum-packed marijuana and cocaine hidden inside a cargo of garlic, was valued at £350,000.
      All 16 of the defendants who showed up for a trial at Malaga’s Provincial Court on March 27, which ended up being suspended following a no-show by a 17th female defendant police are still hunting, admitted their guilt at a brief hearing on Tuesday.
      As part of the plea bargain deals they struck following a subsequent period of negotiation between state prosecutors and their defence lawyers, they have agreed to accept prison sentences of between two and six years reflecting their different responsibilities in the gang.
      Jail sentences for first-time offenders in Spain normally end up being suspended.
      Most read in Football
      Koke, 40, started his footballing career at hometown club Malaga.
      He went on to join Marseille before being loaned to Sporting Lisbon.
      He produced the best football of his career in years at Greek side Aris, where the first of his two spells there included a brief cameo in a 2011 3-0 Europa League defeat to Manchester City.
      The forward retired from football in 2016. More

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      Exeter City star Jevani Brown named player of the season by teammates weeks after admitting beating up a woman

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      A FOOTBALLER has been named player of the season by his teammates — weeks after admitting beating up a woman.Exeter City striker Jevani Brown, 28, pleaded guilty last month to an assault on a night out.
      Exeter City player Jevani Brown has been named player of the season by his teammates — weeks after admitting beating up a womanCredit: Rex
      He also faces trial in July for allegedly attacking a second woman, which he denies.
      Brown, top scorer with 14 goals, has been suspended by the club since being charged, but posed with the award at the League One side’s end of season bash.
      In a statement released last month, the club said: “Jevani Brown appeared at Exeter Magistrates Court this morning in relation to an incident in February.
      “He pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and not guilty to a second charge of assault.
      read more on Exeter City
      “A trial date has now been set to hear the case at Exeter Crown Court on July 7.
      “As the legal proceedings remain active there will be no further comment from Exeter City Football Club.”
      One angry fan complained: “Is this a good message to send?”
      “He’s admitted assaulting a woman and is about to stand trial on another similar charge.
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      “This goes way beyond club loyalty and I say that as a season ticket holder. Disgusting.”
      Teresa Parker, of campaigners Women’s Aid, said: “His fellow players voting him their player of the season undermines the club’s actions.” More