Man of the week
Villa club captain Gabby Agbonlahor – dropped over shisha-pipe champagne party claims, after telling fans in February to think big: “We’re going to keep fighting till the end. That’s all the club expects from us. Take it game by game. There’s no reason we can’t escape.”
• Also rallying Villa fans in February: a) Joleon Lescott, calling for more faith in the squad’s “desire and attitude … We’ve got a great fighting spirit. Experience counts for a lot and Gabby is certainly an example of that. We’ll make a fight of it”; and b) Agbonlahor again, rejecting press reports that he lacks commitment and wants out: “The papers like to chat a load of shit.”
New Fifa news
Making an early impact: Gianni Infantino, starting life at Fifa with a new ethos - “We have to earn trust with concrete acts, honest, open and transparent” – and a new sponsor, China’s Wanda Group, with Wanda’s new head of sports business, Sepp’s nephew Philippe Blatter, at the unveiling. Infantino said the deal signals “a real wind of change”.
Old Fifa news
Staying strong last month, despite legal efforts to recover embezzled cash: Jack Warner (“I don’t owe Fifa one nickel. Fifa owes me”), and Brazil’s Ricardo Teixeira, being chased for $3,514,025: “They throw this figure in the air. I will sue them for moral damages.”
• And back in the game: former Asian confederation general secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay – rehired as a consultant, a year after he resigned accused of trying to “hide or destroy” corruption evidence. AFC say Soosay, who denies wrongdoing, brings “unrivalled expertise and experience … a tremendous benefit to Asian football”.
Plus: best rebuttal
Fifa’s PR team: reacting to last week’s new Qatar slave state evidence with a note of reassurance: “Since 2011, Fifa has met with key stakeholders. This is an ongoing process.” The key meeting of the process so far: Sepp’s 2013 Doha trip to uncover the truth behind the “racist” British press coverage. “My grandmother always said a clock rings ding and dong, not ding-ding-ding. You have to listen to ding and to dong, and for now I only hear ding. So I go there, and listen to the dong.” He reported back after meeting the Emir: “Qatar will be wonderful hosts.”
Elsewhere: irony news
QPR reporting a new £45.7m loss and an “ongoing” legal challenge to Financial Fair Play, three years after co-chair Tony Fernandes took a lead: “It’s ironic for me that I’m being hammered for wages, because I’m one of the guys who wants Financial Fair Play. I am pushing for it. It’s the right thing to do.”
Best new ethos
21 Jan: New Villa chairman Steve Hollis, reassuring Rémi Garde: “One of the reasons this club has not done well over the last five seasons is that it has not had any stability. So the last thing I’ll do as incoming chairman is look to apportion blame.” 18 Mar: “If you look at the successful clubs there are a few key ingredients. No1 is stability and clarity around what the strategy is. Having five managers in five seasons is not delivering stability.” 30 Mar: Sacks him.
Also moving on: • 10 Jan: Notts County chairman Ray Trew hires Jamie Fullarton. “His meticulous attention to detail and his mix of self-awareness and self-assurance shines through.” 20 Mar: Sacks him after 69 days. “What we need now, as a club, is stability.”
•23 Feb: Valencia president Layhoon Chan: “Changing the coach is maybe something that is ingrained in Spanish culture, but we understand that changing the coach a lot is often a disaster … We believe in what we are doing and we know when a direction is correct. And we’re going well with Gary.” 30 Mar: “We thank Gary for his work.”
Ambassador of the week
Nigeria: FC Ifeanyiubah owner Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah – banned for 10 games for pitch invading with his bodyguards to slap Heartland FC’s keeper. Heartland condemned the “barbaric owner and his urchins”; league officials ordered Ubah to “be a good ambassador in future”.
Best clarification
Ghana coach Avram Grant, clarifying his position after his agent accused Ghana’s press of “dishing out bullshit” and he accused Ghana fans of obsessing about “bullshit”. “I withdraw this word bullshit. The thing I would like to say is I love Ghana. I respect Ghanaians.”
Pundit news
Italy: Giovanni Trapattoni, assessing criticism of his “constant profanity” during a live TV co-commentary. “Blah blah … I do not give a damn about their opinions. Opinions are like balls: each has his own.” Trapatonni set out his TV career vision in 2013: “I am not an idiot. Television is easy.”
Most moving lyrics
Germany: Rapper Felix “Ghost St” Aubameyang releasing his new track praising brother Pierre-Emerick’s work-life balance at Borussia Dortmund: “Versace, Versace, Versace, Borussia Dortmund … We arrive in the club. Golden watch, golden chain, golden ball. Everything’s golden, brother… Hit the top corner, Aubame-bang-bang.”
Plus: biggest honour
Portugal: Katia Aveiro, sister of Cristiano Ronaldo, picked to sing Portugal’s anthem at the 2016 swimming championships. Media previews of her 2013 debut track “Nonstop Boom” said her live performances “will not leave anyone indifferent”.
