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      Premier League spats are all the rage and we can’t get enough – it was a matter of time before an official got involved

      by

      ROLL up, roll up for the Anger Games.The Premier League’s age of rage shows no sign of abating after a week when Nottingham Forest’s groundsman and Brentford’s goalkeeping coach were charged by the FA for a pre-match bust-up.
      Andy Robertson was enraged after being elbowed by an official over the weekendCredit: Reuters
      Constantine Hatzidakis has come under the microscope after his elbowCredit: PA
      A few days earlier, two video analysts from Aston Villa and Arsenal were put up before the beak for a bout of fisticuffs in the Villa Park press box.
      Then we all revelled in a “disrespect” spat between Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham’s caretaker chief Cristian Stellini, which sounded like a mafioso blood feud scripted by Martin Scorsese, that started before kick-off and ended with both men red-carded.
      So, the footballing week simply came to its natural conclusion at Anfield, on Sunday, when a steaming Andy Robertson confronted linesman Constantine Hatzidakis, who responded with an elbow to the Liverpool man’s throat.
      With players, groundsmen, coaches, managers, caretakers and even two laptop-wielding tactics wonks all engulfed by red mist, it was only a matter of time before a linesman would choose to stick one on a fuming Glaswegian full-back.
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      Sadly, Watford’s hooligan mascot Harry the Hornet is currently absent from the top flight but this man has previously started high-profile rumbles from inside a giant fluffy wasp costume.
      We haven’t had a serious ballboy brawl since Eden Hazard, then at Chelsea, kicked off at a lad from Swansea.
      And as for the Premier League’s tea ladies, there is an apparent anger deficiency in a department where boiling point seems such an obvious target.
      Because pretty much everyone else involved in the top flight is permanently ranting and raging and, frankly, this is what the public demand.
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      Nottingham Forest’s groundsman and Brentford’s goalkeeping coach were involved in a bust up
      Cristian Stellini and Roberto De Zerbi were both red carded at the weekendCredit: Reuters
      When Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic received an eight-match ban — which the FA want to extend — for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh at Old Trafford last month, we were told the Serbian’s punishment would act as a deterrent.
      Apparently, it was going to boost the FA’s Respect campaign, when the last thing anybody in English top-flight football actually wants is anybody showing anybody else any respect whatsoever.
      ‘What about those grassroots? What about the poor children?’ I hear you cry.
      Well, any parent wishing to hold up anyone in professional football as a role model should be automatically referred to social services.
      No, what we want are more hissy fits, more bouts of the screaming abdabs, more weapons-grade “passion” to prove that the outcome of Premier League football matches matters more than dear life itself.
      Why pay through the nose for subscription TV if this stuff isn’t getting people consistently wound-up beyond all reason?
      What football really needed was for a linesman to join in and give as good as he got.
      When they talk about replacing assistant refs with robot linesmen, surely these droids — in the spirit of Hatzidakis — should be armed like Robocop or the Terminator?
      Aleksandar Mitrovic has been slapped with an eight-match banCredit: AFP
      Harry the Hornet was previously the Prem’s best wind-up merchant mascotCredit: AFP
      Since the Mitrovic flashpoint, incidents of players aggressively surrounding referees and laying hands on officials only seems to have increased.
      While no other culprit has been a big burly Serb with a mistaken reputation for thuggishness, the rest have got off scot-free.
      Hatzidakis may have been stood down pending an FA investigation but his violent retaliation is a boon to the Premier League’s great global soap opera, as it will be debated with worldwide wonderment.
      What was the most-talked about weekend incident?
      Erling Haaland’s bicycle kick? That  Matheus  Nunes thundercracker for Wolves against Chelsea?
      Mo Salah’s penalty miss in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal?
      Of course not. It was the extraordinary sight of a linesman tw*tting a player.
      We are indebted to Roy Keane — employed by Sky Sports as an ill-tempered caricature to ensure outrage levels never drop below acceptable standards — for pointing out, at half-time and full-time, that Robertson acted like “a big baby”.
      Keane, who frequently led baying mobs of Manchester United players intimidating match officials during his playing days, clearly didn’t believe Robertson had been manly enough when provoking Hatzidakis.
      Study footage of Keane in his pomp and you will see proper eye-bulging fury.
      Note the veins in the Irishman’s temples seemingly ready to rip.
      Those were proper full-on adult strops.
      None of your Robertson-style dummy-spitting toddler tantrums.
      One of the game’s greatest con-jobs was the idea VAR would increase respect towards refs and calm tempers. Mostly, we used to accept referees were fallible humans without eyes in the back of their heads.
      Now that we’ve got men in Stockley Park poring over countless replays of every major incident, football demands forensic justice and gets more furious than ever when those heightened expectations are not met.
      Instead, we get Howard Webb apologising to Wolves and Brighton every alternate Monday — while  people still bleat on about officials “lacking consistency” when all of them consistently do over Wolves and Brighton.
      And we get the FA’s disciplinary department jammed up by flare-ups between increasingly unlikely members of club staff.
      It took five months for the FA to conclude a probe into the altercation between Forest groundsman Ewan Hunter and coach Manu Sotelo, after a disagreement over the length of Brentford’s warm-up at the City Ground in November.
      Because why wait for the opening whistle before you can start getting extremely annoyed?
      Even the tactics boffins aren’t immune. Arsenal’s “technical analyst coach” Miguel Molina apparently blew a kiss at Villa’s “head of performance analysis” Victor Manas after a late Gunners goal in February, sparking a physical brawl in an area once reserved for boring-old media neutrality.
      Stop rattling on about “expected goals”, please boys. Give us the stats for expected fights.
      Still, after the mild-mannered and emotionally intelligent Graham Potter was inevitably sacked by Chelsea, we realised the Premier League’s one true cardinal sin.
      The crime of not being angry enough.
      Blues in a jam now
      I KNOW most of you believe that all  members of the football media congregate en masse to enjoy Christmas dinner with the extended Lampard-Redknapp family every year.
      But despite this supposed chumminess, I can’t honestly suggest that Frank Lampard’s return as Chelsea’s caretaker manager — just before a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid — will do any good for either club or boss.
      I do, though, love the idea of James Corden advising Chelsea supremo Todd Boehly to give the gig to Lampard, who is famously loathed by Corden’s fellow West Ham fans.
      Corden’s Carpool Karaoke phenomenon, where the likes of Madonna, Paul McCartney and Michelle Obama sing along with Big Jimmy in his motor, should now be adapted for the Stamford Bridge dugout, where A-list celebrities get to manage Chelsea on a short-term basis to generate viral internet content.
      James Corden is pals with Chelsea chief Todd BoehlyCredit: Getty
      Erl’s Gunner win it all
      AFTER 44 goals in 38 matches for Manchester City, it would be a travesty if Erling Haaland is not crowned the FWA’s Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year — whether Manchester City win the Treble or nothing at all.
      Individual awards are exactly that and, while leaders Arsenal have several excellent candidates, suggestions that any of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have had a bigger impact on the season than Haaland are nonsense.
      Erling Haaland has been on fire for Manchester CityCredit: PA
      Roy’s a boy
      VETERAN Roy Hodgson’s outstanding return to Crystal Palace — with his previously-toothless team notching two wins and seven goals in two matches — represents a significant blow against ageism.
      Joe Biden, five years older than Hodgson, is the most powerful man in the world.
      Read More on The Sun
      He has his finger on the nuclear button — and will seek re-election as US President shortly before his 82nd birthday next year.
      So the idea that a 75-year-old might have struggled to bring the best out of Eberechi Eze was pretty low-grade by comparison.
      Roy Hodgson has made an instant impact back at Crystal PalaceCredit: Rex More

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      Man Utd’s lack of desire in dour defeat to Newcastle isn’t a surprise – this spineless bunch have gone missing for years

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      WHERE’s the hairdryer when you need it?In the week that Sir Alex Ferguson was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, Manchester United were again betraying the values of football’s greatest manager.
      Erik ten Hag slammed his players after the defeat to NewcastleCredit: Getty
      He was ‘shocked’ by the lack of desireCredit: Getty
      Erik Ten Hag claimed he was shocked by the lack of desire and hunger from his players during Sunday’s tame surrender at Newcastle.
      But he really shouldn’t be surprised because this spineless bunch have been going missing for years.
      It’s a curious anomaly that six of this season’s seven League defeats have been suffered on a Sunday as Ten Hag has become more accustomed to Black Sabbath than Ozzy Osbourne.
      And while everyone is entitled to an occasional off day, it’s becoming a habit for the workshy Reds.
      READ MORE ON MAN UNITED
      That’s a serious concern for Ten Hag, because the lack of characters in this team of underachievers is threatening to sabotage all his hard work to make United a real force again.
      When the Dutchman ordered his players on a 14k run after August’s humiliating 4-0 defeat by Brentford, fans dared to hope that they had finally found a manager who meant business.
      And when he benched Cristiano Ronaldo before showing him the door, it was regarded as further evidence of his ruthless streak.
      But the message is clearly not getting through because too many players still refuse to put in the hard yards which is the minimum requirement for any ambitious team.
      Most read in Football
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      They weren’t just beaten by upwardly mobile Newcastle at the weekend, they were outrun, outfought and outclassed.
      It was exactly the same story during last month’s 7-0 massacre by Liverpool, the 6-3 humiliation at Manchester City, the 3-1 shellacking at Aston Villa and that early season embarrassment at Brentford.
      Players refusing to run back after losing the ball, chucking in the towel, gesticulating at underperforming team-mates, failing to defend set-pieces, leaving the dirty work to others and spending more energy challenging the referee than the opposition.
      And, yes, Bruno Fernandes, we do mean you.
      Handing the captain’s armband to the petulant Portuguese sends out all the wrong messages to a weak-willed dressing-room never slow to seize on an excuse.
      Imagine Roy Keane’s reaction if any of his team-mates ever confessed on live TV: “We didn’t have the right hunger or attitude.”
      His feet wouldn’t have touched the ground.
      But that is exactly what Luke Shaw admitted after the latest no-show which allowed upwardly mobile Newcastle to leapfrog United into third place in the table.
      It’s a good job that Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs have all been so hopeless this season which means United should still be able to hang on for a top four finish and Champions League qualification.
      Yet it was only a month ago that fans were seriously talking up a potential quadruple bid even though their team was eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
      Well now that gap has stretched to 22 and though United have a couple of games in hand they are still destined to finish a country mile behind the eventual Champions.
      Of course, that is nothing new for a club which has failed to challenge for the title since Ferguson left the dug-out in 2013.
      They still like to think of themselves as the biggest club in the world but that bold claim only holds water if we’re talking about commercial revenue and social media followers.
      On the pitch, where it really matters, they’re not even the biggest club in Manchester.
      Maybe this is all part of a cunning plan to crash the share price and force the Glazers to lower their asking price.
      Because anyone who thinks this lot is worth £6billion needs their head examining.
      RING ROO
      Wayne Rooney wants to try his hands at boxingCredit: Reuters
      WAYNE ROONEY has apparently been texting Eddie Hearn asking the promoter to set up fights for him against various celebrity influencers and YouTubers.
      Watching Anthony Joshua’s laboured victory over Jermaine Franklin at the weekend, Wazza now probably fancies a crack at the former heavyweight champ.
      It would certainly generate more interest than Saturday’s snooze-fest.
      BACH UP
      Thomas Bach has hit back at his criticsCredit: AP
      OLYMPIC president Thomas Bach has called critics of his proposal to include Russian athletes at next year’s Paris games “deplorable.”
      Presumably he’s referring to the outraged Ukrainians, who are ready to boycott the event if any of Putin’s people participate.
      Under Bach’s preposterous plans, Russian and Belarussian athletes will be allowed to compete as independent Olympians as long as they have not publicly supported Russia’s illegal invasion of a sovereign nation.
      And he doesn’t understand how abhorrent that would be to all the Ukrainians whose heroic resistance has inspired the whole world.
      If Britain, the USA and all our western allies are serious in their support for Volodomyr Zelensky, we must make it crystal clear that we will not be part of the IOC’s sportswashing charade.
      But don’t hold your breath on that happening because Wimbledon has already been forced to lift their ban on Russian and Belarussian players under the threat of sanctions from the tennis authorities.
      And while Russian football teams are banned from international competitions for now, it’s understood that ridiculous FIFA president Gianni Infantino is lobbying for their return.
      Don’t forget that Russia has been suspended from all major sporting events since 2019 due to constant breaches of anti-doping regulations.
      But now we’re being asked to forget about all the cheating and murdering because international rules are apparently made to be broken.
      RAF SERVICE
      Rafa Benitez has been linked with the Leicester City jobCredit: Getty
      THERE have been 13 managerial vacancies in the Premier League this season yet Rafa Benitez still remains out of a job. 
      It makes you wonder if he’s quite the football visionary he would have us all believe.
      AUS GOING ON?
      Max Verstappen won the Australian GPCredit: The Mega Agency
      DOES anyone know what happened at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix because I’m f***ed if I could understand how the race was won?
      Even world champion Max Verstappen could barely raise a smile when he took his place at the top of the podium after three hours of organised chaos.
      With more flags than the world semaphore championships and a restart every couple of laps, it was obvious that no-one had a clue what was going on.
      The FIA seemed to be making up the rules as they went along and showed absolutely no consideration for the bewildered spectators at Albert Park.
      Maybe it will all make sense when Netflix launches its next series but will anyone bother to wait that long?
      Read More on The Sun
      TOFFEE WRAPPED
      EVERTON have warned that they might not be able to compete as a going concern if they are relegated this season.
      How will we be able to tell? More

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      Tony Adams: Arsenal might be eight points ahead in Premier League title race.. but it’s STILL Man City’s to lose

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      IF Manchester City were eight points clear with ten games to go, there would not even be a question about the title race already being over.But because it’s Arsenal in that position, I still don’t think they’re favourites to be champions.
      Arsenal could find it harder and harder the closer they get to the finishing lineCredit: EPA
      Erling Haaland and Co will be desperate to close the gap for champs Man CityCredit: Rex
      Speaking from personal experience, I know just how difficult it is to get over that finishing line for the first time.
      Arsenal are going to get tighter and tighter with every game they play.
      In our last ten games of the season we were scrapping at home against teams who had absolutely nothing to play for.
      We lost 2-1 at home to Derby and Dean Saunders scored twice. I was ready to rip his head off.

      I was screaming ‘Jesus Christ, why are you trying so hard? Do you want Liverpool to win the title again?’
      He told me he was  trying to win the Golden Boot and I said ‘well just stop it’.
      But that’s how it’s going to be for Arsenal over the next two months because every game is going to feel like a cup final.
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      City might have as many as 18 more games to play but Pep Guardiola has so much talent at his disposal that he can pick one team in the league and another for the cup competitions.
      Most read in Football
      They’ve won the title before and because they’re coming from behind they will be able to play with much more freedom than Arsenal.
      Speaking from personal experience, I know just how difficult it is to get over that finishing line for the first time.Tony Adams
      It’s going to be so tight and right now I’m experiencing a proper Fever Pitch moment because I’m watching every game from the edge of my seat like a proper fan.
      Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that Arsenal have been knocked out of the Europa League because it was never going to be their priority once they hit the top of the league.
      We all saw what happened in that competition when they rested some of their top boys and they’re definitely not going to win the league with their back-up players.
      Even with their best players available, they might not do it.
      I might be the only person saying this but I still think it’s  City’s title to lose. More

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      Once the home of Carlos Tevez, Oscar and even Gazza, China’s football revolution has come to a grinding halt

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      THERE’S a China crisis in football.Harsh Covid restrictions and the country’s dawdling economy have seriously delayed president Xi Jinping’s planned revolution in the game.
      Carlos Tevez spent a year playing in China for Shanghai ShenhuaCredit: AFP or licensors
      Oscar left Chelsea for China in 2017Credit: AFP
      This was for on-the-slide foreign players to receive spectacular rewards in heavily-funded teams to go with thousands of pitches to encourage the proletariat.
      The fixation washed over league football here, too.
      Because at one time, Aston Villa, Wolves, Birmingham City and West Brom all had multi-millionaire Chinese owners.
      Villa were glad to get rid of theirs in 2019, Blues have been trying to for years.
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      Albion fans hate theirs, which leaves Wolves who have generally been well-treated by Fosun Group, whose interests vary from Covid vaccinations to Thomas Cook.
      Professional football in the Middle East oil states is attracting mercenaries who previously would have turned to the Chinese Super League to help fill their bank accounts.
      Paul Gascoigne in 2003 was a rarity.
      He wanted somewhere to play.
      Most read in Football
      Elsewhere, the draw of the yuan since 2004 was staggeringly high.
      Oscar, the Brazilian formerly of Chelsea, and Carlos Tevez, briefly of West Ham, are two who paved their retirement with gold.
      Oscar earned £550,000 a week while Tevez pocketed a ‘mere’ £400,000 a week.
      Hundreds and hundreds of others from around the world joined the gold rush — no fewer than 232 from Brazil.
      Then along came Covid…
      In the country from which the pandemic was unleashed, its government reacted with a rigid lockdown for nearly three years.
      Major clubs have closed and a cap of £3million a year was imposed on all earnings.
      Although the Chinese Super League draws big crowds in the immensely populated cities, and most of its 16 clubs still feature foreigners, the standard is not particularly high.
      And football lovers get their biggest kicks from Premier League viewing.
      Their national team has qualified for the World Cup finals once in 40 years.
      But Xi believes in sport as a binding communal activity — as any good Communist might.
      And after goalless failure in 2002, his reaction was to create fresh pitches on a breathtaking scale of 600 times the 82 on Hackney Marshes.
      Such political orders seldom work out and, sure enough, only about 3,000 have so far been laid.
      And despite pictures showing lots of boys training in military fashion, plus a population of 1.4billion, China has not produced an international star.
      Plainly, the production line is not functioning well and even more slowly since the Chinese claim to have invented football.
      As hands and feet were used, it was more like rugby than football.
      Finally, in the Middle Ages it was banned under the Ming (no relation to Tyrone) dynasty.
      Xi is a fan of physical exercise for the masses.
      An official state goal is for China to be the best team in Asia by 2030 and World Cup winners by 2050 — both of which are just about conceivable but not until attitudes change.
      European coaches there say parents want their children to be, say, accountants or nuclear scientists and are suspicious of ball-kicking tempting them away from study.
      Which explains why, crucially, about as many people as on Sunday mornings on Hackney Marshes actually play the game in their spare time.
      Meanwhile, the kids they want to attract to play the game are among ultra-millions watching the Premier League on TV.
      Read More on The Sun
      Gazza was a rare Brit to try China and not because he wanted to study nuclear fusion.
      He stayed for two months and then legged it home. More

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      Troy Deeney: It’s silly Ivan Toney was snubbed for England’s World Cup charge and Southgate’s right to pick him now

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE was right to select Ivan Toney.Not everyone will agree with that.
      Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been called up for England but was in just as good form ahead of the World CupCredit: Getty
      It is more a reflection of the world that people are saying he shouldn’t be in it because he’s got things hanging over his head — we all have things hanging over our heads at some point in life.
      We should also be asking why this FA process has taken so long?
      Why is Ivan still having to wait for a hearing date? It is leaving him in the lurch.
      Based on his form, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be picked — and there was no reason for him not to be picked last season.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?
      He was in exactly the same form, so is he going to get game time this time or are they going to completely ignore him again?
      It is easy to pick and play someone when there is no pressure, as opposed to a major tournament when you need to win.
      There is no point picking these players and then in pressurised moments just revert back to what you already know. I hope this is a sign there will be a change in approach.
      Most read in Football
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      Ivan managed not being picked for Qatar really well, he carried on scoring and everyone else is doing the talking for him now.
      Before a World Cup, it is all about picking your best squad but what did Holland do in the quarter-finals against Argentina in Qatar?
      They were 2-0 down and just decided to launch the ball into the box for a big boy like Wout Weghorst. When can we do that?
      The goal that knocked us out against France was a ball into the box and a header from Olivier Giroud as a targetman. We didn’t have that option.
      Harry Kane is decent with his head but in any major tournament you will never substitute him, so you need a back-up option to chuck in alongside him for when things go wrong and we need a goal.
      The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?Deeney on Toney
      That is what Ivan will bring.
      You can’t just have people who run in behind.
      That’s why Jamie Vardy wasn’t always a great option at international level.
      When your biggest threat is to run in behind, most teams would just drop off.
      And if that game against France went to penalties, you have one of the best, if not the best, penalty taker in Europe right now.
      All of that just makes it strange and a bit silly that he has not been given a chance.
      Trent Alexander-Arnold deserves to be in the Three Lions’ squad as cliched fears over his defending are getting tiredCredit: AP
      In his time as England’s first-choice striker and captain, Kane will not have had someone behind him who is as hungry to prove himself and as confident to take his place as Ivan.
      He will have the mindset, ‘I can score just as well as you can’.
      Kane has earned the right to be the man but you need to have that mentality of wanting to take someone’s position.
      But bigger than that for Ivan, it is just about getting regular call-ups to show he can do it all the time.
      Until he starts and scores for England, he is going to have to keep proving himself time and time again — and prove to Gareth he doesn’t need to play Marcus Rashford down the middle in Kane’s absence.
      And Ivan needs to do that sooner rather than later, because if that betting ban kicks in, he may not get back into the squad straight away.
      Who knows what he will come back like after a period out of the game.
      Everyone wants players picked based on how they are playing for their clubs. But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down. So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
      I am not surprised that Trent Alexander-Arnold was not picked but I fear his lack of form and defensive issues are just becoming a narrative more than reality.
      Because he is good going forward and is going through a bad time, that scrutiny has risen.
      The narrative is he can’t defend at all and I question that.
      Is he a great defender? No, but I don’t think there are many about.Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier are not ‘great’ defenders but you don’t hear anything about them.
      If you offered Trent to Arsenal or Manchester City, you think they would turn you down?
      When you look at the squads, it is a difficult one.
      How everyone wants it is players are picked based on how they are playing for their clubs.
      But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down.
      Read More on The Sun
      So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
      If you bring in new guys based on how they are doing and they fall short, ultimately, your job will be on the line. More

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      Barcelona face bleak future amid ‘ref bribe’ scandal.. but the weird and wonderful club will never be shown red card

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      OFF the field Barcelona are a mess but none of their previous scandals equal the new allegations of bribing a referee.The city’s prosecutor alleges that between 2001-2018, two club presidents bribed the vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, with £6million.
      Barcelona have been alleged to have bribed a refereeCredit: Getty
      Their defence is that they asked Negreira in his words “to ensure neutral refereeing”.
      An odd objective to request and it seems to suggest some referees were not neutral which is, by definition, the only reason they exist.
      The allegation against former Barcelona club presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu is quite different.
      The charge is that they wanted Negreira “to carry out actions aimed at favouring Barca in the decision-making of the referees in the matches played by the club and thus in the results of the competitions”.
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      It will be a sensational, long lasting and costly investigation.
      If guilty the club faces a bleak future.
      Heavy fines, lost points, relegation are all possible, although not, I think, closure.
      That would be too much dynamite.
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      As Barca is the very heart of Catalan culture, enforced closure would all but start a war and might even re-charge demands for separation from Spain.
      And arch-rivals Real Madrid have lit a fuse or two.
      President Florentino Perez supports the investigation but as he has form with pressuring a referee, that’s rather like the pot calling the kettle black.
      Both Barca and Real still favour a European Super League and the result of this wrangle could be the end of this obnoxious scheme.
      Bribing refs strikes at the very heart of football.
      Nothing compares with the damage it would cause.
      In the Premier League cries of “you’re a cheat ref” are the crow-like squawks of frustrated fans.
      Referees may make wrong decisions and sometimes appear to be half blind, but instances of corruption in our league are just fiction.
      Which leaves me with two questions: Why on earth would two men running a club worth £5billion try so pathetically, not to mention expensively, to bribe a senior refereeing official who went on to acknowledge payment in his business accounts?
      Why should a club featuring several of the all-time giants of football, Lionel Messi, Xavi, Carles Puyol and half-a-dozen others, even think of risking their future by paying such a dubious source?
      The players are affronted at the idea of needing outside help.
      As former defender Gerard Pique put it “Barca have not bought referees, I would put my hands in the fire on it.
      “If you want to buy a referee, you do it on the ‘black market’, not by declaring invoices and leaving evidence of payments…
      “You go with dirty money and that’s it, things are simpler than going to the vice president of the CTA and paying him. It doesn’t make sense.”
      Since 2001, Barca have won the Champions League four times, the Copa del Rey seven, LaLiga ten, which almost certainly will be 11 soon.
      And now they have debts of £1.3bn and lost Messi to PSG while, according to Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann: “Barcelona are the only club that has no money — but then buy every player they want.”
      They have been fined three times, so far, for breaching LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules.
      Read More on The Sun
      A weird and wonderful club.
      But they’ll never be shown the red card. More

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      Gary Lineker and Marcus Rashford show footballers are a better opposition to the government than the actual Opposition

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      FOOTBALLERS, eh? What a bunch of loony-left woke snowflakes.Well, not really, no.
      Gary Lineker has been a vocal critic of the governmentCredit: EPA
      During Gary Lineker’s playing days, the overwhelming majority of professional footballers voted Conservative.
      And even now, here are a group of self-made men, many of them who grew up in deprived areas, who have fought their way up in a cut-throat industry, an absolute meritocracy, and become multi-millionaires through their own talent and willpower.
      What could be more Thatcherite than that?
      And in an export market damaged by Brexit, the Premier League — “the greed is good” league — is perhaps Britain’s most successful global business model.
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      It’s hardly a breeding ground for dangerous leftist militants.
      But as the Gary Lineker affair has underlined, footballers past and present are increasingly able to oppose Government policy more stridently and successfully than the actual Opposition in Westminster.
      Before Lineker’s suspension from Match of the Day and the remarkable near-blackout of BBC Sport, we had Marcus Rashford campaigning against child poverty and the determination of footballers to “take the knee” in support of racial equality.
      These are extraordinary times because, until recently, the stereotype of footballers as monosyllabic morons was a staple of comedy sketch shows. They were widely portrayed, unfairly, as a bunch of thickos.
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      But in the social media age, footballers have found their voices — and many are intelligent, socially conscious, opinionated and extremely good at delivering messages.
      Premier League dressing rooms are some of the most racially diverse and cosmopolitan workplaces in the country.
      And the league itself is a success story for multiculturalism and internationalism, in an age when England has become insular and isolationist after Brexit.
      When footballers feel strongly about uniting to oppose, for example, racism, they do so from a position of knowledge.
      Likewise, Rashford experienced child poverty first-hand.
      Tory MPs enjoy kicking footballers and ex-pros in the media but it is not a popular strategy.
      After Rashford’s miss in the Euros final penalty shoot-out against Italy in 2021, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke claimed the Manchester United forward “should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics”.
      During that same tournament, several Tory MPs criticised the England team for taking the knee.
      And the opposition to that gesture centred around the Black Lives Matter organisation being “Marxist”
      Again, the idea of Premier League footballers, some of the nation’s highest earners, following the Communist Manifesto is laughable.
      You’d do well to find any coming out for post-match interviews and declaring: “At the end of the day, the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains, Clive.”
      And Lineker himself is fighting the HMRC over a £4.9million tax demand — as part of a wrangle over his employment status.
      Marcus Rashford forced a government U-turn regarding child povertyCredit: Getty
      That debate over whether Lineker should be regarded as a BBC employee or a freelancer came up again after his “Nazi” tweet last week.
      Did he have to abide by the BBC’s vague impartiality guidelines, or was he free to speak his mind?
      When peace broke out, and Lineker’s return to Match of the Day was confirmed for next weekend, the unapologetic former England striker repeated his support for refugees.
      The whole fiasco has been a PR disaster for the BBC hierarchy.
      Thankfully it is now over and the public will be able to watch a proper BBC Match of the Day next weekend, including live coverage of two FA Cup quarter-finals.
      There are many football fans who cannot afford subscription TV and they have been let down badly by the Beeb’s ham-fisted approach to Lineker.
      But with the solidarity of his colleagues, Lineker has “won” his argument with the BBC.
      Just as Rashford forced government U-turns on child hunger and ended up being awarded an MBE.
      Neither Lineker or Rashford has ever come out as Labour Party supporters and it’s very possible they might vote for somebody else.
      But while Keir Starmer is too scared to speak freely about immigration or Brexit for the fear of losing votes, footballers have become the outspoken voices of reason in a fractured and angry nation.
      Maybe they should form a party of their own and stand at the next election. They’d probably win it.
      BOYLE IN THE BAG
      AFTER Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund, I sat next to an elderly Scottish gentleman on the District Line, who was chatting to a couple of match-going tourists from America.
      They asked the man sitting next to me whether he’d been to the States and he certainly had.
      His name was John Boyle who, as well as winning a European trophy with Chelsea, had captained and then managed Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1970s in the North American Soccer League.
      I asked him whether he’d played against Pele and it turns out Boyle had marked the great man, who was “still a fit lad in his mid-30s” when playing for New York Cosmos.
      Boyle sounded totally enthused by Chelsea’s performance against Dortmund.
      And coming from a man who marked Pele, that’s probably a more ringing endorsement than Blues boss Graham Potter might have imagined receiving a week or two ago.
      SOUL FAR AWAY
      ENGLAND’S record 53-10 defeat by France at Twickenham — after head coach Steve Borthwick had benched skipper Owen Farrell — was the equivalent of England’s footballers losing 7-1  to Germany in a  competitive match at Wembley after Gareth Southgate had dropped Harry Kane.
      But while there was isolating booing at the final whistle, the response of the 81,000 crowd was generally one of mild indifference.
      The Twickenham crowd, dominated by corporate day-trippers, will get behind England if they’re winning but it doesn’t actually seem to matter to them if their team loses.
      And that makes the whole experience feel pretty soulless.
      HORSING AROUND
      ANYONE keen on cutting public expenditure might ask why so many mounted police were deployed to the “posh derby” between Fulham and Arsenal.
      It is the least menacing fixture in the Premier League.
      And the Met’s horses were getting so much friendly attention, Craven Cottage felt like a petting zoo.
      BRAIN GAME
      ANTONIO CONTE claimed Spurs were “too soft” in their Champions League exit against AC Milan.
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      But wasn’t his defensive general Cristian Romero sent off for two reckless challenges — the second of which scuppered an attempted late rally?
      Tottenham were too soft? Too brainless, more like. More

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      in Motorsport

      F1 returns to Saudi Arabia with ‘iron shield’ around Jeddah track to keep nervous drivers safe after 2022 missile strike

      by

      FORMULA ONE returns to Saudi Arabia this week.It was the scene of one of its most difficult political struggles in decades – but there is unlikely to be a repeat this time around.
      Last year a missile strike hit a fuel depot located near the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix trackCredit: Splash
      Security has been beefed up after a Yemini terrorst group took responsibility for the attackCredit: The Mega Agency
      The issue was not with F1 or the rulers of the Kingdom and their controversial regime but in fact the drivers, who you may remember had threatened to strike on the eve of last year’s GP.
      It followed a missile strike on a nearby fuel depot that sent black smoke into the skies near the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and subsequently clouded the race’s future on the F1 schedule.
      After over four hours of talks, the drivers were persuaded to race after being assured of their safety, but the security – plus Saudi’s questionable human rights record – had unified the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association like never before.
      They left Jeddah last March seeking further discussions with F1 but that is where the trail went cold – only it didn’t.
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      The organisers of the Saudi GP have since made considerable efforts to speak to the drivers to address the issues they had raised.
      Away from the cameras, there were meetings in Austria, plus a follow up discussion in Singapore. In fact, the dialogue still continues.
      Of course, the situation is different this time around. There is a truce between the Saudis and Yemen, whose Houthis group had claimed responsibility for the drone attack on the fuel depot.
      Last month, Saudi Arabia transferred $1billion into the central bank of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in a bid to bolster the country’s ailing economy.
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      But that has not stopped organisers from upping security for this weekend’s race. As you would expect from any event, security has been upscaled.
      There will be an increased visible presence – more guards, security sweeps and CCTV.
      And then there are the measures that aren’t visible. The embarrassment of last year’s attack is likely to see the full focus of the county’s “iron shield” protection system drawn to Jeddah.
      That’s the anti-missile defence system responsible for shooting down unmanned drones, which are used in attacks or to cause significant disruption.
      Then there are the social issues that have been raised. They too are likely to be addressed.
      I expect to see boys and girls on the grid. Like in previous races, the grandstands will not be segregated.
      Schoolchildren have all been given the day off school in the hope they attend or watch the race.
      From my understanding, their decision to meet with the drivers – plus their explanations – have been well received.
      Whether you like it or not, the Saudis are serious about their involvement in F1 and the race will be remaining on the calendar for some time.
      Ron way or another
      Cristiano Ronaldo attended Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia and could be at the Grand Prix nextCredit: AP
      I AM not too sure if Cristiano Ronaldo is an F1 fan or not.
      But I have been told that he is likely to be at the Saudi GP this Sunday.
      Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi side Al Nassr, is likely to be requested to attend with one paddock source saying it is within his £170million-a-year contract to attend.
      Hungarian GP future
      COULD the Hungarian F1 GP find a new home in the future?
      A new FIA Grade One track is being built near Lake Balaton, a one-hour drive from Budapest.
      The Hungaroring has held the F1 GP since 1986.
      Brazil welcomes Formula E
      FORMULA E is gearing up for its first race in Brazil, with the race set in Sao Paulo around the wonderfully-named Sambadrome.
      A crowd of 35,000 is expected as the all-electric series returns to South America on March 25.
      Vill yer boots
      VILLA PARK will host the opening round of this year’s World Supercross Championship on July 1.
      Aston Villa’s pitch will be turned into a “dirt bike battlefield” with jumps and bumps.
      Last year, 35,000 watched the event, which was held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and bosses are hoping for similar figures in Birmingham.
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      Ready to rumble
      THIS year’s MotoGP championship is shaping up to be a close-fought contest if pre-season testing is anything to go by.
      Incredibly, 12 riders broke the track record of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia setting the pace. More