Quote of the week
Neymar - counter-suing Barcelona over an unpaid €26m loyalty bonus after Barça claimed back his €8.5m contract renewal fee: “This board shouldn’t be in charge of Barcelona. Everyone knows: Barça deserves much better.”
• Assessing the state of the game this summer: Uli Hoeness – paroled €27.2m tax evasion convict and Bayern president – attacking PSG’s “weak” need to take an unfair financial advantage, and naming ex-Bayern player Douglas Costa as typical of what’s wrong with modern football: “Costa was a mercenary. We just didn’t care for his character.”
Message of the week
Uefa’s new #EqualGame campaign for “inclusion, gender diversity and social equality”. Helping push the message: Polish executive Zbigniew Boniek, elected last April, a fortnight after he tweeted: “Without exaggeration, when we talk about football, a woman’s input is useless.” He told critics: “It was a joke. Of course you didn’t get it – not everyone has the intelligence.”
Also holding the line
Chelsea on racist abuse: “We commend Eni [Aluko] for coming forward. Chelsea finds any and all forms of discrimination abhorrent and it is imperative that players are supported when coming forward to speak about these issues.” (2012: “Chelsea appreciates, and supports, John’s full apology for the language used.”)
Landmark of the week
Brazil FA head Marco Polo Del Nero – set to miss his 20th consecutive Brazil away match due to his fears of being arrested while travelling overseas. Del Nero, indicted in the US in 2015, denies racketeering.
• Reflecting on the impasse: a Brazil FA official, quoted by Terra Brasil on condition of anonymity: “There’s an obvious embarrassment here every time the date of a Brazil away game nears. We even avoid talking about it in his presence.”
Transfer roundup: moving on
1) Nov 2016: Inter’s Geoffrey Kondogbia slaps down his agent for saying he considers Inter “just a stepping stone”: “I am the player, so if you [reporters] have something to ask, ask me, not others, and listen to my words. Only I can talk about my future.” Apr 2017: Kondogbia tells reporters. “I’m an Inter player, and I want to stay.” Aug 2017: Goes on strike, joins Valencia.
2) July 2017: Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembélé shrugs off press links with Barcelona. “To be honest, all this speculation doesn’t interest me at all. The whole summer break has just been speculation. I’m happy at Dortmund. This team has a future. I want to win titles here.” Aug 2017: Goes on strike; joins Barcelona.
3) Mar 2017: Brazilian striker “Tubby” Walter – sacked by Goiás for elbowing a team-mate unconscious – signs for Atlético-GO: “God put me here, so in the name of Jesus, I’ll give this club my life. I’ve really turned it round.” Aug 2017: Leaves. “I’ll be honest, I can’t stand this place.” His view on the fans: “Some I respect, some are ungrateful, others don’t bear speaking about.”
Meanwhile
Diego Costa, still on strike in Brazil, denying insensitivity after a self-shot driving video showed his car littered with cash, sparking a meme. “It was innocent. People who don’t know me like to judge me. I don’t squander money, I never squander anything. I know who I am.”
Other news: most awkward
Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, asked why he bought Inter Milan in 2013 - mistakenly reminiscing about Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten joining AC Milan in the 1980s: “I’ve been an Inter fan ever since they bought the Dutch trio. Buying a football club isn’t just a matter of business – you have to love that team.”
Most upbeat
Ex-Leeds owner Massimo Cellino: urging fans of new club Brescia not to listen to the bad press about his record. “I turned Leeds round. I don’t think there’s anyone who can teach me anything about how to run a football club.”
Stability latest
4 Aug: Airdrie chairman Jim Ballantyne hires coach Willie Aitchison.
13 Aug: Ballantyne tells fans: “Stability was the first aim, and that has now been achieved … The club now moves on to stage two. Onwards and upwards.”
19 Aug: Sacks him.
Most mutual consent
Romania: Juventus Bucharest owner Ilie Ciuclea, 73, using bodyguards to stop coach Daniel Oprita getting in to discuss his contract termination fee. Oprita: “It’s unreal. I respect his age but I won’t take his curses. I say this: let’s get in a boxing ring and see.”
Most distracted
Turkish Cup match SinopSpor v Amasyaspor held up in the second-half when a police officer wandered across the pitch while talking on his mobile. Local media: “When he realised where he was he trotted off, then continued the call. This officer was absent-minded.”
Türkiye Kupası'nda oynanan Sinopspor - Yeni Amasyaspor mücadelesinde emniyet amiri telefonla konuşarak sahanın içinden geçiyor. pic.twitter.com/qA7XfAK3t9
— misli.com (@mislicom) August 22, 2017
Most put out
Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown – upset after a referee abandoned their game 20 minutes early so he could catch his flight. Local media say the official ended the second half after 25 minutes “then ran off”; an FA spokesman told Chenhdu Business Daily: “We investigate this matter.”
Plus: thought for the day
Philip Chiyangwa – Zimbabwe FA head, Fifa power-broker and millionaire YouTuber – launching his own fashion label with an open video message to God. “This morning, God, I only ask for abundancy … The power to make money, more of it … Money, more money, God, make it come my way. Thank you very much. Good morning to you everybody. Good morning to you God.”
