Tevez to sue Souness over TV blast after Manchester City's defeat at Bayern Munich
Carlos Tevez is planning to take libel action against Sky pundit Graeme Souness in the latest fall-out from the Manchester City striker’s non-appearance in the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich in September.
Souness was critical of Tevez’s behaviour after manager Roberto Mancini claimed that the striker had refused to come on as substitute and would never play for City again.
Tevez, who is keen to take the matter to court in what would be an unprecedented case against a TV football analyst, has received the backing of two leading media specialist QCs this week.
They feel he has a strong defamation claim against Souness after City charged the player with refusing to warm up and failing to follow instructions rather than refusing to play.
And the players’ union, the PFA, have ensured Tevez has been fined a fortnight’s wages of £400,000 rather than the four weeks City originally imposed.
Souness said on Sky Sports, with clips still on YouTube: ‘I’m in disbelief. How selfish can you get? Tevez is one bad apple. He can undo all the good work that has been done at City. He’s a disgrace to football. He epitomises what the man in the street thinks is wrong with modern football. It is totally unacceptable. He’s a football player and he is paid to play.’
Tevez has maintained throughout the saga that he never refused to come on as a substitute.
Sky would make no comment.
Alan Pardew is hoping we will see the "Clash Of The Unbeaten" sides when the Toon visit Man City
But can Everton put a spoke in the works?
Alan Pardew: “I haven’t raised my targets yet.
“Are we (title) contenders? No.
"We have had a great start and shown lots of sides to our team in the last ten games. We are now only talking about Everton, and no further than that.
“I did say that ten games would be an indicator of what sort of team we would be, and I think that is a good barometer.
"But because of the next month in front of us, perhaps it gives me a little bit more breathing space to find out.
“Now, we are obviously going into a run against the real quality sides in the division. After that, I think we’ll know a little bit more. But we’ve certainly proven we are a decent side.”
“I really don’t sense that the supporters have unrealistic expectations. When I’ve been in and around fans and in and around the city, most of the people are just really pleased with the way things are going.
"There’s a pride and maybe this team has gone a long way towards putting a spring back in everyone’s step in the city.
“But I don’t see people thinking we are going to be Champions League material or a top-four team. I don’t see that pressure building.
“Maybe it will if we are still in this position with two months of the season to go, but not at the moment, no.
“The aim is to get to the Manchester City game unbeaten and that would be a coup.”
Manchester City seek security guidance ahead of Napoli clash after knife attacks in Italian city
Manchester City have held discussions with Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United for guidance on security issues in Naples ahead of the decisive Champions League group clash against Napoli later this month following knife attacks on six Bayern supporters in the city last month.
City have been allocated 3,000 tickets for the clash at the 60,000-capacity Stadio San Paolo on Nov 22, which is likely to decide the qualification fate of both clubs.
However, senior figures at the Etihad Stadium are sufficiently concerned about the security situation surrounding the game that plans are in place to provide detailed safety advice to their travelling fans.
Prior to Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Napoli in October, four German supporters were slashed across the buttocks by knife-wielding moped riders outside the stadium, while two Bayern fans were stabbed within the city.
Following the incidents, the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, condemned the attacks, saying: “Sport is not compatible with violence. That is why I strongly condemn what happened.”
Last October, three Liverpool fans visiting the southern Italian city for a Europa League fixture were stabbed, with others complaining of being ‘hunted down’ by large groups of Napoli ‘ultras'
A group of journalists covering the game were also surrounded by a hardcore element of the Napoli supporters.
Napoli ultras, armed with clubs and knives, were involved in running battles with Udinese fans prior to a Serie A fixture in February 2010, while the club’s fans have also fostered long-standing rivalries with Roma, Lazio and Verona supporters.
With tensions likely to be high in Naples when City visit later this month due to the importance of the fixture, which could see Napoli’s hopes of qualification for the knock-out stages ended should they lose to Roberto Mancini’s team, City are determined to avoid their own supporters becoming embroiled in similar outbreaks of violence.
Discussions have already taken place with officials from Bayern and Liverpool and, with neighbours United regular visitors to Italy in recent years to cities such as Turin, Milan and Rome - where the club set up fan embassies following violence-marred encounters with AS Roma - City, whose security and travel organisers visited Naples last month, have also sought advice from Old Trafford.
Greater Manchester Police were made aware of goading by United supporters on internet fans’ forum earlier this season, which appeared to attempt to spark unrest between City and Napoli fans, and both GMP and the Football Association will send observers to the fixture as a matter of routine.
City midfielder Yaya Toure, who scored twice in the 3-0 victory at Villarreal on Wednesday, admits that the Napoli fixture is now decisive, with City two points clear of the Italian outfit going into the final two games of the group.
Toure said: "Napoli is now a massive game for us and it will be very important to take at least a point.
"They are very strong defensively and have quick players up front, so we must concentrate for the 90 minutes there.
"We need to try to go as far as possible in the competition, but it is too early to think about going right through [to the final] because there are some really big teams there.
"You have to respect Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United. They are always in the Champions League and they have lots of experience."
Demento vs Mancini for top boss award
Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini are battling to be named Manager of the Year at the 2011 MBNA Northwest Football Awards.
The Manchester United and Manchester City bosses are also up against Alan Knill and Richie Barker of Bury FC and Les Parry of Tranmere Rovers for the award.
Meanwhile, the shortlistfor Goal of the Year has also been revealed. It includes Wayne Rooney’s spectacular late winner for Manchester United on February 12 2011 against arch rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The other contenders are: Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s scorcher for Blackpool against Hull on August 5 2011; Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s goal for Everton against Wolves on April 9 2011; Dale Jennings’ winner for Tranmere Rovers versus Plymouth Argyle on November 13 2010; and Raul Meireles’ volley against Wolves for Liverpool on January 22 2011.
The awards will be handed out at a ceremony held at The Point, Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester on Monday November 14.
The MBNA Northwest Football Awards are supported by businesses and organisations including the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the National Football Museum, FIFA, Sky Sports, the Football Foundation, Jaguar and npower.
The awards recognise the region’s footballing excellence both on and off the pitch and nominees have been selected by a panel of expert judges including PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor.
For more information on other nominees, including Player of the Year, visit http://www.northwestfootballawards.co.uk.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Juventus are planning audacious summer bids for Manchester United's Nani and Gareth Bale of Tottenham. talkSHIT
Queens Park Rangers are monitoring Jermain Defoe, often left out of the Tottenham first team, and could table an £8m bid for the England striker in the January transfer window. Daily Mail
Schalke insist they will not sell Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, a target for Manchester United, who were reportedly set to offer Dimitar Berbatov as part of the deal. Metro
Malaga are hoping to sign Chelsea's teenage striker Romelu Lukaku in the January transfer window for the remainder of the season. talkSHIT
West Brom are poised to reject loan bids for strikers Marc-Antoine Fortune and Roman Bednar from Doncaster and an unnamed Championship club respectively. Daily Mirror
Swedish Under-21 striker Joe Sise has ended his short trial spell at Rangers, who have no plans to offer him a contract. Daily Record
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has revealed he suffered chest pains and struggled to breathe whilst running on a treadmill at his Dorset home, but promised to be back on the touchline "in a couple of weeks" after his heart procedure. The Sun
England coach Fabio Capello has told Wayne Rooney he will be part of the England squad for Euro 2012 despite being suspended for all three group matches. The Sun
Former England captain Paul Ince says he is convinced John Terry is not a racist. talkSHIT
David Beckham has paid tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson, describing him as a "father figure" and thanking him for giving him the chance to play for his "dream club" Manchester United. Daily Mirror
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie insists he is happy to be rested regularly to ensure he remains fit throughout the season. talkSHIT
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish says his team are better equipped to deal with the absence of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher than last season, but admits he would prefer to see both of them back in the starting line-up. Daily Mirror
West Ham midfielder Julien Faubert is set to pledge his long-term future to the club, only months after saying he wanted to leave Upton Park. talkSHIT
Hearts have promised to pay the missing wages of their players next week although the squad have opted to delay a formal complaint to the Scottish Premier League. Daily Record
Ghanaian international Samuel Inkoom received one of the more unusual red cards when he was booked for a second time after taking his shirt off as he left the field, having been substituted for Dnipro in a Ukrainian Premier League match. Metro
Tottenham are still 9-1 joint favourites for the Europa League despite suffering their first loss in the competition with a 1-0 defeat in Rubin Kazan, when Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan took charge of the team in the absence of the recuperating Harry Redknapp. Racing Post
25th Bollox
There is no doubt about who will be the centre of attention this weekend with the media set to go into full Lurgidrive. The Man U boss Alex Lurgison celebrates his 25th anniversary in charge at Old Toilet on Sunday and will be hoping that his side can make up ground on the league leaders, Manchester City. United's "noisy neighbours" are sitting pretty at the top of the table with a five point lead, and they are in action on Saturday evening when they take on QPR. So as a tribute we present some of his highlights, no really, of this most gracious of top flight managers to ever have graced our beloved game .... enjoy
[youtube]c2ywN6aQ8PE[/youtube]
[youtube]un951V_bz0A[/youtube]
[youtube]qy0NxOxNdAs[/youtube]
[youtube]FgErRc8P-Ws[/youtube]
[youtube]o3SoLyyNOGk[/youtube]
[youtube]TtdU2-wHhMo[/youtube]
[youtube]IttZ4EzSeZk[/youtube]
[youtube]5SoDCkCDfzU[/youtube]
viewtopic.php?f=119&t=40735
