Roma fans banned from football for five years after attack on Tottenham supporters

Posted on November 29, 2012 by adminsports

Roma fans arrested after attack on Spurs supporters are banned from football stadiums for five years

UPDATED:

12:37 GMT, 29 November 2012

Two Roma supporters arrested in connection with a brutal attack on a group of Spurs fans have been banned from all football grounds for five years.

Francesco Ianiari, 26, and Mauro Pinnelli, 25, were arrested within hours of the raid on The Drunken Ship pub which left three Spurs fans seriously injured – including Ashley Mills, 25, who is still in hospital after suffering a potentially fatal knife wound to his groin.

Both Ianiari and Pinnelli are in custody after their arrest last week and they have been charged with aggravated assault – an initial charge of attempted murder has been dropped but police say they do not rule out further arrests in connection with the incident.

Scene of the crime: The Drunken Ship pub in Rome

The Spurs fans were attacked as they drank in the Rome pub, a popular meeting point for visiting fans, ahead of their Europa League clash with Lazio and which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Around 50 masked men were involved the ambush and they used knives, clubs, belts and sticks to attack the Spurs fans who had been drinking peacefully just minutes earlier.

The attackers barricaded the doors and were also said to have chanted anti-Semitic slogans against the Spurs fans, who traditionally have a large Jewish fanbase, during the lightening raid which was over in less that ten minutes.

Ambush: Ashley Mills was stabbed in the groin

However Lazio's president Claudio Lotito
has denied that his side's fans were involved and he has also stressed
they are not racist – earlier this week the side took to the field
wearing shirts with the slogan 'No to Racism'.

He also visited Mr Mills in the San Camillo hospital presenting him with a Lazio shirt which had his name on it. Lawyers defending both men also insist there was no racist element to the attack and it was a purely 'football related'.

Hospital visit: Lazio president Claudio Lotito (centre) leaves the San Camillo Hospital after visiting Mills

The attack was initially blamed on Lazio fans but there was surprise when it turned out the two arrested were Roma fans, although there has been speculation it was a joint effort raid after both sets of supporters put aside their rivalries to attack the Britons.

No court date has yet been set for Ianari and Pinnelli's trial and Essex builder Mr Mills is expected to be released from hospital within the next few days.

Kurtley Beale in the dock – Woeful Wallabies

Posted on November 17, 2012 by adminsports

It's looking woeful for Wallabies with Beale in the dock in latest episode of Aussie soap opera

UPDATED:

22:37 GMT, 16 November 2012

In the dock: Beale trains at HQ on Friday

A calamitous week for Australian rugby continued on Friday when playmaker Kurtley Beale was summoned to face an assault charge next February.

The embarrassment over Beale’s pending case follows David Campese denouncing head coach Robbie Deans and a poll of 12,000 Australians voting 75 per cent in favour of sacking the New Zealander.

Beale shrugged off the latest development about court proceedings after training at Twickenham.

‘I will need to speak to my lawyer, but all I’m doing is concentrating on this game,’ he said after insisting he had not heard about the court date.

The assault charge relates to an incident involving a hotel bouncer after the fly-half and colleague Quade Cooper were refused entry in the early hours of June 8 — a day before the Wallabies played Wales in Brisbane.

For the moment, the Australian Rugby Union has put on hold its own disciplinary inquiry into the late-night incident, pending the end of criminal proceedings.

Beale was far keener to talk about how he was going to give a revamped Wallaby back line ‘direction’ in a match the Australians are desperate to win after last weekend’s embarrassing 33-6 defeat by France.

The Wallabies claim they were caught out by the damp conditions in Paris after playing their previous games, in a stamina-sapping schedule, in the dry and warm of Brisbane, Rosario and Pretoria.

Beale is confident the return of wing Digby Ioane plus the decision to start the experienced Berrick Barnes at full back will give the Wallabies a winning edge.

Under pressure: Coach Robbie Deans (left)

Under pressure: Coach Robbie Deans (left) needs a result

‘We just need to get him (Digby) the ball so he can do his thing. He’s one of those who loves getting his hands on the ball.’

The Wallabies have also been comforted by the assured leadership of captain Nathan Sharpe, the veteran lock who thought he had played his last international match in last year’s World Cup.

However, the 34-year-old, who will be playing in his 113th international on Saturday, answered an SOS from Deans after injuries to James Horwill and Dan Vickerman.

‘Never say never,’ has become Sharpe’s mantra this year after agreeing to prolong a career. He might yet face the Lions next year.

SOS: Veteran lock Nathan Sharpe (second right) returns for Australia

‘It’s not under consideration at the moment,’ was how he rebuffed talk that he might play on in 2013.

‘We have a very big fish to fry first this weekend,’ he added.

Sharpe talked about a ‘siege mentality’ gripping the Wallabies camp this week after the defeat in Paris.

Such a thrashing, culminating in a penalty try when the scrum caved in, has re-ignited the fierce debate over the suitability of Deans, a New Zealander, being coach of a national team whose erratic form has prompted them to be nicknamed either ‘Woeful’ or the ‘Wobblies’.

Sharpe has also had to spend his time talking about the absent Cooper, who has a knee injury, claiming in Australia that the atmosphere in the camp was ‘toxic’.

All smiles: Beale will start at fly-half at Twickenham on Saturday

‘This group gets on well and everyone is pulling for each other,’ Sharpe insisted this week and contends Cooper’s outburst is no longer an issue.

Sharpe believes the dips in form of the Wallabies have not been ‘across the park’ but in specific areas like the scrum last week when France dominated.

It will be Sharpe’s 12th match against England and he needs victory to make the score six wins and six defeats.

‘When you are playing Test match rugby for your country you are always under pressure. It’s nothing new for us,’ he said about an international schedule which will see the Wallabies play 15 games in 2012.

Ready to go: The Wallabies pose for their team photo at Twickenham on Saturday

This latest match against England will be a test of character for his unpredictable team who drew 18-18 against New Zealand before the loss to France.

Sharpe wants to see Australia ‘outwill’ England, though he added they also needed a better method than last week against France.

‘It’s going to take more than character to win. Turning up and having a go won’t be good enough.

‘This English team is a good one and there is going to have to be a fair amount of exceptional play and some pretty tough rugby in between.’

How Tom Youngs "transformed" from a centre into an England hooker

Posted on November 8, 2012 by adminsports

How Leicester's Youngs 'transformed' from a struggling centre into an England hooker

UPDATED:

22:45 GMT, 7 November 2012

Tom Youngs had just finished displaying his fighting qualities – quite literally – when Heyneke Meyer, now coach of the Springboks, made the radical suggestion which would change his career.

The 25-year-old will be included in the England team to face Fiji in the opening QBE International at Twickenham on Saturday.

His name will appear at hooker, but three years ago he was a centre trying to break into the Leicester first team.

Fledgling: Tom Youngs has transformed from a struggling centre to an England hooker

Meyer had taken charge of the Tigers and the sight of Youngs trading blows with an opposition prop convinced the South African that his future lay in the front row, not in midfield.

'Heyneke was the one who suggested the change,' said Tom, whose brother, scrum-half Ben, will be among the England replacements on Saturday.

'I captained the second team against Saracens and got in a massive brawl. He came up to me and said, “I think you've got what it takes to play in the front row. I want to make you a hooker”.

'He told me to have a think about it, but I had already made my decision and I told him that I wouldn't mind giving it a go.'

And so began what Youngs refers to as the 'transformation'.

He went on a crash course of heavy weight training in the gym, while hurriedly learning about throwing in at lineouts and the murky world of the scrum.

'It was a culture shock,' he said, at the launch of O2 Inside Line, the behind-the-scenes show from inside the England camp.

Competition: David Paice (left) is keeping a close eye on fellow hooker Youngs (right) in training on Wednesday

Join me: Tom's brother, Ben, had already broken into the England setup

'I remember my first scrum – it was in a second-team game against Gloucester at Welford Road. I ran on and Coley (Dan Cole) was there to talk me through it.

'I just fired in and pushed as hard as I could. Then I gradually learned the technical bits after that.'

Youngs needed somewhere away from the Premiership to hone his new craft and bang on cue, Nottingham called the Tigers to ask if they could borrow a hooker.

Richard Cockerill sent him off as a raw apprentice and he returned as a promising front-row forward.

But it was a painful education.

'My first 80 minutes at hooker was for Nottingham, against Leicester,' said Youngs.

'Their front row was Castro (Martin Castrogiovanni), Mefin Davies and Marcos Ayerza.

'The Leicester conditioner said to me after the game that I looked like I fatigued really badly and was not running nicely. I said, “I can hardly hold my neck up, that's why!”.

'I took painkillers for the rest of the week. I was in agony! But slowly I got used to it.'

Historic: Tom (left) and Ben (right) will be only the third brothers to play for England together since the war

During that period, when he was finding his feet in a new position in the Championship, Ben had surged into the England team.

'I was immensely proud when Ben started playing for England,' he said. 'I would come down on a Saturday to see him play at Twickenham, then play for Nottingham on the Sunday.

'Now my family are really excited at the prospect of us playing together at Twickenham.

'We played together in the back garden, with all my cousins and they are over the moon for me.'

One of the reasons Tom has made it this far is that he has learned – with help from RFU psychologist Matt Thombs – how to cope with the inevitability of making mistakes.

'I was a bit like a headless chicken,' he said. 'If I threw a “not straight” I would run into a ruck from the side and give away a penalty.

'I didn't know how to control those emotions, but Matt has helped.

'Everyone misses a lineout, everyone misses a kick. It just happens.'

What doesn't just happen is a transformation from centre to hooker, a remarkable triumph of dedication.

The reward comes at Twickenham on Saturday.

England players charged by Serbian police over brawl – but no action on racist abuse

Posted on October 30, 2012 by adminsports

The final insult! Serbian police charge England players attacked in mass brawl… but there's still no action on racist abuse

UPDATED:

19:31 GMT, 30 October 2012

Serbian police have charged two England Under 21 players following the on-pitch melee at the end of this month's European Championship qualifier in Krusevac.

Serbian media have claimed that police in the central Serbian town have charged 12 people including two unnamed England Under 21 players.

A further two officials from Stuart Pearce's backroom staff are also said to have been charged after the match erupted following the final whistle.

Players and officials from both teams clashed on the pitch after Connor Wickham's late goal secured England's passage to next year's finals.

The unsavoury scenes were played out amid allegations of racist chanting from the stands directed at England Under 21 full-back Danny Rose.

Brawl: The fight breaks out between England and Serbia Under 21s on Tuesday night

Brawl: The fight breaks out between England and Serbia Under 21s after the match on October 16

Brawl: The fight breaks out between England and Serbia Under 21s on Tuesday night

Video footage appeared to reveal the
crowd targeting Rose, who was red-carded after the whistle, and who has
subsequently complained about the treatment he received.

In the days after the game UEFA
charged both countries while the Football Association reported 'a number
of incidents of racism' to the governing body in a dossier of evidence
including the video footage.

The Serbian football association's
response was to hand down lengthy bans to two players and two officials
following an internal investigation.

Ognjen Mudrinski and Nikola Ninkovic,
who clashed with Rose as the full-back attempted to leave the pitch,
were given one-year suspensions while coaches Srdjan Maksimovic and
Andreja Milutinovic were handed two-year bans.

The FSS also issued a qualified
apology for the on-field trouble but denied any racism towards the
England team had taken place in a bizarre statement. In it they claimed
Rose had acted in an 'inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner'
towards their fans.

The cases will be dealt with at a
meeting of UEFA's control and disciplinary body on November 22.

Reaction: Danny Rose (right) made a monkey gesture to the crowd after allegedly receiving racist abuse

Reaction: Danny Rose (right) made a gesture to the crowd after allegedly receiving racist abuse

Assault: England coach Martin Thomas is headbutted by a member of the Serbian coaching team (right) as Stuart Pearce looks on

Assault: England coach Martin Thomas was headbutted by a member of the Serbian coaching team (right)

Racism and violence marred a
record-breaking night for England’s Under 21s as Stuart Pearce branded
Serbia's actions 'a disgrace'.

A
number of England’s black players, including Rose, were subjected to
racist chants as the visitors won 1-0 with a late Connor Wickham goal
to secure a 2-0 aggregate win and a trip to Israel next summer. It will
be their fourth straight European Championship finals appearance, the
first time any nation has achieved that.

Rose, sent off after the final whistle
for a second bookable offence, made gestures to Serbia fans after being
racially abused and pelted with stones. He was inconsolable afterwards.

There were horrendous scenes at the end, as a mass brawl erupted between players and coaches.

England goalkeeping coach Martin Thomas was butted and assistant head coach Steve Wigley was kicked in the stomach. England goalkeeper Jack Butland also had a seat thrown at him.

The FA demanded UEFA take action and head coach Pearce was appalled. He said after the match: ‘It was quite disgraceful. The scenes at the end were very sad.

Ganging up: England coach Steve Wigley (centre) is thrown to the ground by Serbia players and coaches

Ganging up: England coach Steve Wigley (centre) was thrown to the ground by Serbia players and coaches

Turning ugly: Wigley fights back as the situation escalates at the Mladost Stadium in Krusevac

Turning ugly: Wigley fought back as the situation escalated at the Mladost Stadium in Krusevac

'One or two of the technical staff
from the opposition, and I don't include their manager in that, didn't
cover themselves in glory on the pitch at the end.

'Punches, headbutts were thrown, and God knows what else. We will let the authorities deal with this at UEFA.

'I’m very proud of the way my players
behaved. It got very volatile very quickly. But you could see the
collectiveness among the staff and the players in the way we all looked
out for each other.'

Trouble starts: A fireman removes a flare thrown onto the pitch by Serbian fans

Tempers frayed: Serbia and England players come together in ugly scenes after the match

Tempers frayed: Serbia and England players came together in ugly scenes after the match

The FA statement said: ‘The FA
condemns both the scenes of racism and the confrontation at the final
whistle during which time our players and staff were under extreme
provocation. The FA has reported a number of incidents of racism to
UEFA. These were seemingly aimed at a number of England’s black players
by the crowd.’

Fury: England striker Marvin Sordell (right) gives his Serbian counterparts a piece of his mind

Fury: England striker Marvin Sordell (right) gave his Serbian counterparts a piece of his mind

Peacemaker: Andros Townsend (centre) separates Danny Rose (left) from Sasa Markovic

Peacemaker: Andros Townsend (centre) separated Danny Rose (left) from Sasa Markovic

Serbia are repeat offenders. In 2007, when England and Serbia met at
this level at the finals in Holland, Nedum Onuoha was subjected to
racial abuse.

Serbia players also brawled with England at the final whistle, charging at England’s bench when Matt Derbyshire had made it 2-0.

Punch: Serbia goalkeeping coach Srdjan Maksimovic (centre) raises his fist during a scuffle

Punch: Serbia goalkeeping coach Srdjan Maksimovic (centre) raised his fist during a scuffle

Rage: Serbia assistant coach Dejan Govedarica (centre) attempts to keep the opposing players apart

Rage: Serbia assistant coach Dejan Govedarica (centre) attempted to keep the opposing players apart

John Terry axed by Chelsea if he"s found guilty of racism again

Posted on October 19, 2012 by adminsports

Final warning: Chelsea to get rid of Terry if he's found guilty of racism again… but critics say ban too lenient

UPDATED:

07:56 GMT, 19 October 2012

John Terry has been warned he will be booted out of Chelsea if found guilty of racial abuse again.

He was summoned to a board meeting and told in no uncertain terms that his future at the club is on the line.

The defender was fined 220,000 — two weeks’ wages — but retained the captaincy after announcing he will not be appealing against the FA’s four-match ban for using racist language in an incident with Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand last October.

Flashpoint: John Terry and Anton Ferdinand clash at Loftus Road in October 2011

GAMES TERRY WILL MISS

Tottenham (Premier League A) – October 20
Man United (Premier League H) – October 28
Man United (Capital One Cup H) – October 31
Swansea (Premier League A) – November 3

First game back:
Liverpool (Premier League H) – November 11

Reading striker Jason Roberts
criticised the Terry punishment, urging fellow professionals to refuse
to wear T-shirts backing the Kick It Out Campaign before fixtures this
month.

Roberts said: ‘The four-match ban,
for me, was not a heavy enough sanction for what happened. I’m not
happy. They should have given him a longer ban. I’m totally committed to
kicking racism out of football but when there’s a movement I feel
represents the issue in the way that speaks for me and my colleagues I
will support it.’

Terry is facing a 2million bill in legal costs covering his court trial and FA disciplinary hearing.

Making a stand: Reading striker Jason Roberts (right) is also a pundit on BBC Radio 5 Live

His Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole was
fined 90,000 by the FA after admitting a misconduct charge for calling
them a ‘bunch of t****’ in a tweet after the verdict against Terry.

Former England defender Terry will
start the suspension on Saturday, when Chelsea travel to London rivals
Tottenham, and will miss two games against Manchester United as well as a
clash with Swansea.

Terry will avoid the potential
controversy of wearing a Kick It Out T-shirt in the warm-up before the
Barclays Premier League home clash with United a week on Sunday.

Show of support: The West Ham squad back the Kick It Out campaign in training at Chadwell Heath on Thursday

Despite Terry’s apology, in
which he said he wanted ‘to apologise to everyone for the language I
used in the game against Queens Park Rangers’, he has been criticised by
the Kick It Out Campaign again.

Lord Ouseley said: ‘We are
disappointed that there hasn’t been an acknowledgement in it of the hurt
experienced by many people caught in the crossfire during the past 12
months.

‘It does, however, form the basis of bringing closure to the matter sometime in the near future.’
In a statement released yesterday lunchtime, Terry said: ‘After careful
consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment.

‘I want to take this opportunity to
apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens
Park Rangers last October.

Banned: John Terry is serving a four-match suspension

‘Although I’m disappointed with the
FA judgement, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the
context, is not acceptable on the football field, or indeed in any walk
of life.

‘As I stated in the criminal case,
with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate
reaction to the situation for someone in my position.

‘My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club and by me and it will not happen again.

‘Looking forward, I will continue to
do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory
behaviour from football.

‘I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family.’

Chelsea, who consistently promised to
clarify the club’s position the moment Terry made his decision not to
appeal, released a statement of their own within an hour.

The club said: ‘Chelsea Football Club
believes John Terry has made the correct decision by not appealing
against the FA judgment relating to language he used at the QPR match
last October.

‘Chelsea also appreciates, and
supports, John’s full apology for the language he used. The club firmly
believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards
expected of John as a Chelsea player.

Flashpoint: Terry was banned for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand (left)

‘The board has conducted its own investigation into the matter and considered the various issues involved.

‘The board has taken further
disciplinary action in addition to the four-match suspension and
220,000 fine imposed by the FA. In accordance with our long-standing
policy, that disciplinary action will remain confidential.

‘Chelsea enjoys support all over the
world. We have players and supporters from many different countries and
cultures and our club is committed to eradicating all forms of
discriminatory behaviour. John is fully committed to continue supporting
that.’

Apology: Terry has said sorry for his racist language

Chelsea justified their decision to
retain Terry as captain by claiming that their disciplinary process
always takes places behind closed doors.

They argued that stripping him of the captaincy would have dragged the process into the public arena.

Now Terry is counting the cost of his
trial at Westminster Magistrates Court and the decision by the FA’s
Independent Regulatory Commission that he should pick up the costs for
both sides.

Terry retained George
Carter-Stephenson QC on 10,000-a-day for his defence against the FA
charge and football’s governing body employed a silk on similar rates.

JOHN TERRY TIMELINE

2011: October 23 – Releases a statement denying he made a racist slur against Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's defeat at QPR after videos had circulated on the internet.

October 25 – Scotland Yard announce they are assessing allegations of racist abuse of Ferdinand by Terry after a complaint from the member of the public.

November 1 – The Metropolitan Police confirm they have launched a formal investigation.

November 5 – England manager Fabio Capello confirms Terry will be selected for the friendlies against Spain and Sweden.

November 28 – Terry is interviewed under caution.

December 1 – Scotland Yard announce they have passed a file towards to prosecutors.

December 21 – The Crown Prosecution Service announce Terry will be charged with racially abusing Ferdinand and is due to appear before West London Magistrates' Court on February 1, 2012.

2012: January 28 – The FA cancels the pre-match handshakes before the FA Cup fourth-round tie between QPR and Chelsea “to defuse further tensions” relating to the Terry-Ferdinand situation.

February 1 – District Judge Howard Riddle orders that Terry should stand trial in the week beginning July 9 – following Euro 2012 – after hearing a number of other Chelsea players would not be able to appear as witnesses until the end of the football season.

February 3 – Terry is stripped of the England captaincy for a second time. The decision was taken by members of the 14-strong FA board, without consulting Capello.

February 8 – Capello resigns as England manager two days after criticising the decision to strip Terry of the captaincy.

July 13 – Cleared at Westminster Magistrates' Court of making a racist insult to Ferdinand.

June 24 – Plays the full 90 minutes and extra time as England suffer more penalty heartache, losing their Euro 2012 quarter-final to Italy on penalties.

July 27 – Charged by the FA with using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards QPR defender Ferdinand. It is further alleged that this included a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Ferdinand. Terry denies the charge and requests a personal hearing.

August 30 – Recalled to England squad, after missing friendly against Sweden, for September's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.

September 9 – Withdraws from England squad for Ukraine game after picking up ankle injury in 5-0 win in Moldova.

September 23 – Announces his retirement from international football, shortly before the start of his personal hearing to answer the FA charge.

September 27 – Banned for four matches and fined 220,000 by an FA independent regulatory commission.

October 5 – FA reveal written reasons behind independent commission's ruling, insisting Terry's racist language towards Ferdinand was used as an insult and finding “no credible basis” for his defence that he was only repeating words he believed the QPR defender said to him.

October 18 – Terry decides not to appeal against the four-match ban and fine. Terry also apologises for the language he used in the match against QPR.

Chelsea will get rid of John Terry if he"s found guilty of racism again

Posted on October 19, 2012 by adminsports

Final warning: Chelsea to get rid of Terry if he's found guilty of racism again… but critics say ban too lenient

UPDATED:

22:09 GMT, 18 October 2012