Beckham's blow £35,000 on Christmas decorations



Beckingham Palace: Due for lavish Christmas makeover



Most mere mortals could never afford to spend £35,000 on buying a car.

 

But Christmas decorations?

 

Yes, that is the mind-boggling sum which David and Victoria Beckham have reportedly blown on...wait for it...Christmas trees and baubles!

 



By all accounts, football's most celebrated couple are 'going big' as they celebrate baby Harper's first Christmas in their self-styled Beckingham Palace mansion.

 

According to the Daily Mirror, the Beckham's have splashed out the huge sum on six bespoke, 10-foot trees at a cost of £5,000 each which, it was stipulated by Victoria, must be glass and silver!

 

On top of that, the couple have splashed out an additional £5,000 for extra decorations to be carried out around their palatial Hertfordshire home.

 

The trees were purchased from the Queen's favourite supplier, ­Fortnum & Mason, and the Beckham's decorations will be styled on the trees in the exclusive London store's 'silver room'.

Crash killer Hughes in trouble once again!



Lee Hughes: In trouble once again



Notts County have confirmed that bad-boy striker Lee Hughes is in trouble again - this time on suspicion of an alleged sexual assault.

 

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed the striker has been released on bale, having been taken into custody following the alleged incident involving a woman at the team's hotel in Croydon the night before an FA Cup fixture against Sutton United.

 

A club statement said: Notts County can confirm that the club are aware of an alleged incident involving one of our players at the team's hotel on Saturday, December 3.

 

'As this is a police matter, the club will be making no further comment on this incident.'

 

This latest incident comes seven years after the former West Bromwich Albion player was imprisoned for six years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving on a road near Coventry in his £100,000 Mercedes.

 

Hughes - who did not turn himself into police for 36 hours - was eventually released from prison in 2007 and has been able to pick up the pieces of his football career, first with Oldham Athletic before moving to Notts County in 2009.

 

His arrest comes just a day after another former West Bromwich Albion star, Ronnie Wallwork, was jailed for his part in a stolen car buyer scam!

Sad Soccer...: Former Man Utd ace Wallwork jailed in stolen cars ...

Sad Soccer...: Former Man Utd ace Wallwork jailed in stolen cars ...: Ronnie Wallwork: Had fallen on hard times Former Manchester United starlet Ronnie Wallwork has become the latest high-profile footballer ...

Former Man Utd ace Wallwork jailed in stolen cars scam

Ronnie Wallwork: Had fallen on hard times

Former Manchester United starlet Ronnie Wallwork has become the latest high-profile footballer to fall foul of the law, having been sentenced to 15 months in prison for his part in a stolen car buyer scam.

The 34-year-old - who was later one of West Bromwich Albion's highest paid players - was found guilty of selling on parts from nicked motors worth around £43,000 whilst working out of a scrapyard in Newton Heath.

After Wallwork had pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court, judge Simon Newell said: “These were high-value items that were stolen.”

“It seems to me they were taken in a professional and sophisticated way. It also seems clear to me that they were taken to go into the black market either to be sold on or broken down and sold on.”

It's not the first time that Wallwork has made the headlines from the wrong reasons.

In 1998 he received a rare life ban (later reduced on appeal) from the game for grabbing a referee by the throat while on loan to Royal Antwerp in Belgium.

Wallwork also made the news in 2006 when he was lucky to escape with his life after he was stabbed several times with a fish knife, following a violent altercation with his girlfriend's ex at a Manchester nightspot.

It was revealed in court that Wallwork had fallen on hard times since his retirement following a series of disastrous business ventures.

Footballers in the dock over driving offences

Barry Bannan

Not a good period for footballers on the driving front lately!

 

Leading the way is Aston Villa's Barry Bannan who has been disqualified from driving for 18 months following a catologue of offences following a recent motorway smash!

 

The Scottish international was found guilty of drink driving, failing to stop after a road accident, driving without due care and attention and driving on a provisional licence.

Bannan - who earns around £10,000 per week - crashed his Range Rover Sport on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near Watnall, at around 5.30am on October 23, following a night out with friends.

Then there is former England star Paul Merson who has been ­summonsed on a charge of drink-­driving after requiring hospital treatment forllowing a car crash on the M40.

 

It is believed the Sky Sports pundit fell asleep at the wheel of his £40,000 ­Mercedes and collided with an Army truck after attending a Children in Need bash.

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle United's Nile Ranger was has also been banned from the roads for a year and fined £3,300 after admitting drink-driving in his personalised black and white Range Rover in Newcastle city centre at 4.45am.

 

Sell A Car

Man City's financial losses close in on £200 million



Sheikh Mansour: Has spent £800 million



Manchester City have stunned the footballing world by announcing a mind-boggling financial loss of almost £200 million for the last financial year - easily the biggest in football history!

 

The eyewatering figures of £197 - bankrolled entirely by oil-rich owner Sheikh Mansour  - comfortably eclipses the largest loss ever made previously, the £141m by Chelsea in 2005 which represented the second year of their ownership by oil oligarch Roman Abramovich.

 

Mansour has always made it clearhe would spend the fortunes necessary to make City successful, and since June 2010 he has personally poured a further £291m into the club. Added to the £500m Mansour invested up to May 31 2010, he has now spent an unprecedented £800m on the football club, to bankroll the expenditure on transfer fees and wages the club would otherwise not have been able to afford.

 

Unbelievably the figures involved actually dwarf the GDP of many a small country and don't include the estimated £60 million transfer spent on luring Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri to the club!
Meanwhile, it is believed that Manchester City will escape with just a fine if, as expected, they become one of the first clubs in Europe to break UEFA's Financial Fair Play guidelines.

Needs to sell a car?

Football's racism problems escalate

Racism is still a huge issue in football.

Racism is still a big problem in football...that is the overwhelming conclusion from events of the last month.

At a time when the England captain John Terry is under investigation from both the FA and Police over alleged racist remarks made to QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, and Liverpool's Luis Suarez has also been charged by the FA for alleged racist comments towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra, the sport's very own 'head honcho', FIFA president Sepp Blatter has attempted to sweep the whole thorny issue under the carpet!

Blatter bleeted that "racist incidents on the pitch could be settled by a handshake." Oh Dear!

Former Premier League striker and now respected pundit, Mark Bright, says football has "been kidding itself" that racism is no longer a problem, highlighting how social networking sites now provide an outlet for racist comments.

"Twitter is proof racism has only been suppressed," he said.

"This year I said 'Norwich' would be relegated and was abused. Rather than say, 'No, I think you're wrong', there are people who said, 'You black-this and black-that', or, 'Why the hell are the BBC paying you to do your job?'.

Meanwhile, John Barnes, one of the first black players to score for England said: “Racism’s still a big problem in football. Racism can be invisible. How many black managers in England are there? Two. Black managers are given very short periods of time because people don’t believe they are up to the job. That’s racism. It’s not just a white thing. Look at the hierarchy of black African football who believe European coaches are better than black African. They treat black coaches with disdain. There’s this black dynamic of not feeling good enough."

Want to sell your car?

Randy Ryan says: "I support Brothers For Life" - seriously!

Jeez. In view of the latest round of revelations about Ryan Giggs colourful private life - namely the fact that he has allegedly been shagging his brother Rhodri's wife senseless for the past eight years - the horny Welsh winger must be now regretting this advertisement, even if it was a piece of commendable work for a South African sexual health organization.

Promoting AIDS checks, Giggs urges the audience to not be a man who is afraid to get himself checked.

 

But, here is the rub; the 37-year-old signs off with the line: ‘I’m Ryan Giggs – and I support Brothers for Life.’

 

You couldn't make it up!

 

The whole sordid saga of Giggs' affair with his sister-in-law Natasha, comes hot on the heels of national news headlines regarding an affair with former Big Brother housemate Imogen Thomas, and an ensuing 'gagging order' placed on the British press.

 

With Giggs' clean-living 'family man' image in tatters, he faces the prospect of losing several hugely-lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of watch firms Sovil et Titus, Patek Philippe, Cyma, and Citizen; as well as Citroen cars, electronics giants Fuji and French fashion house Givenchy.

 

Giggs - known for his love of buying cars - is believed to be worth approximately £34 million, largely on the back of a 20 year association with Reebok which is believed to have netted him around £20 million.

Furious Rooney offers to 'fight' Twitter follower



Rooney: Offered to fight Twitter follower



Wayne Rooney has been caught up in an unsavoury Twitter row after offering to fight a 'fan' who abused him on the social networking site.

In an exchange visible to Rooney's 567,000 followers on the microblogging site, Rooney reacted with fury after being called 'a fat whore' and an 'ugly lil nonse' by a 'supporter' called ‘sam-oldham-LFC’,

Rooney responded by Tweeting:"I’ll put you asleep within 10 seconds hope u turn up if u don’t gonna tell everyone ur scared u little nit. I’ll be waiting."
Earlier, ‘sam-oldham-LFC’ had threatened to smash his head in with a pitching wedge.
When other Twitter users became abusive, the striker called for calm: ‘A bit of banter and people go nuts, chill all people.’

The Manchester United centre forward has courted controversy this season by swearing into a camera during a win over West Ham and appearing to flick a V-sign at Chelsea supporters during a recent win.
Last weekend he shaved all the hair off his chest apart from a number '19' and posted the picture on Twitter after his club won a record-breaking 19th league championship.
Ellis Cashmore, professor of culture, media and sport at Staffordshire  University, warned that even if the exchange was light-hearted, it was ‘imprudent banter and very irresponsible’ for a professional footballer.
"He’s essentially offering him out and, even if it’s said in jest, sometimes that is a tone hard to convey over the web,’ he added. ‘It could incite rival fans.
"But he is a single-minded individual who will just say anything. Tell him to do something and he will do the opposite."
On a more lighthearted note, after a visit to Knowsley Safari Park earlier this month, Rooney Tweeted: “Monkeys all over my car. Kai loved it.” His RS6 Quattro ­escaped ­serious ­damage and he isn't looking to sell a car.

El-Hadji Diouf reveals admiration for Gaddafi

El-Hadji Diouf: Admires Gaddaffi

Rangers star El-Hadji Diouf has told an Algerian magazine of his admiration for his "friend" Colonel Gaddafi.
And the controversial 30-year-old admitted that he feels sympathy for the murdering tyrant - because Libya's bloody civil war "must be very hard" for him.
Diouf said: "Gaddafi is a man I have always admired. I am telling the truth.
"I know him, and I know his son Saif as well. They are my friends.
"I do not honestly know what is really happening in Libya at the moment but it must be very hard for Gaddafi and his family.
"By the will of Allah, victory will go to the side that is in the right."

Diouf spoke as Gaddafi's forces continued to kill their own citizens by bombarding the besieged city of Misrata.
Senegalese Diouf is a major figure in African football and is believed to have encountered the Gaddafi clan several times over the years.
The Gaddafis' interest in the game is well-known.
Saif Gaddafi, the regime's chief defender since the revolution began, controlled a massive Libyan investment fund that bought shares in Italian giants Juventus.
And another of Gaddafi's sons, Saadi, had a brief but highly-publicised spell in Serie A with Perugia, joining the club in 2003.

Abramovich’s Chelsea adventure touching £1 billion

Abramovich: Chelsea has cost him £1 billion

New finanacial figures for Chelsea's holding company reveal that Abramovich’s total loans to underwrite the football club are rapidly closing in on £1 billion!

The accounts show that the Russian oligarch had already bankrolled the club to the tune of £740 million by the end of the 2009-10 season BEFORE investing a further £73 million on the double purchase of Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January.

The ever-increasing cost of his Chelsea adventure comes at an expensive time for the billionaire.

He has taken delivery of a £600 million super-yacht, Eclipse, and pledged to help fund the £1.25 billion makeover of Moscow's Gorky Park, including a modern art gallery for Ms Zhukova.

He also paid £25 million for a house in Chelsea's Cheyne Walk, his 11th property. The growing losses are mostly due to players' wages, which rose another £19.5 million, and transfer deals.

Fans have also had to pay spiralling ticket prices, with the best seats at Stamford Bridge costing £75. The cost of merchandise has also soared, with a club shirt costing £47.99.

Abramovich is thought to be the ninth richest person in Russia and the 53rd richest in the world, according to the 2011 Forbes list.

His decision to pay huge wages has created some of London's richest men, including Frank Lampard on £120,000 a week and John Terry on £150,000.

Figures for Chelsea's holding company show that the club was £77.8 million in the red last year - making a mockery of the former chief executive Peter Kenyon's prediction that Chelsea would break even by 2010!

Abramovich won't be able to recoup his losses by selling a car. His taste in vehicles is strangely modest with the most luxurious of his seven listed being a Mercedes S500L!

Foul-mouthed Rooney charged by FA after hat-trick tirade

Just days after the Premier League had promised a 'crackdown' on unacceptable behaviour, Wayne Rooney has been charged by the Football Association with "use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language."

The charge follows his foul-mouthed tirade into a television camera, moments after completing his hat-trick at West Ham on Saturday.

The £250,000-a-week Manchester Utd star does, of course, have 'form' in this regard, having upset England fans during last summer's World Cup when he snarled into a television camera and verbally criticised them at the end of the dismal goalless draw with Algeria.

After completing his treble, Rooney bellowed an audible F-word expletive into a television camera as he celebrated. The game at was beamed around the world by Sky Sports and the incident prompted an on-air apology from the broadcaster.

Sadly, the broadcaster did not request a similar apology from Rooney himself when he was interviewed immediately after the match - Sky football is, after all, the place where egos are stroked, the brand is promoted and nobody is offended.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has joined the long line of pundits and ex-officials who condemned the rant tonight, insisting that the 25-year-old deserved to be charged.

"Why do these young players have to be so angry with the world? I don't know why. They are getting hundreds of thousands of pounds a week."

Dundee United ace caught driving at 95mph in city centre

Mihael Kovacevic:  Community service

A footballer who drove at 95mph through Dundee city centre — more than double the speed limit — has got away with community service.

Mihael Kovacevic was sentenced to 100 hours community by Sheriff George Way as “an example” to young people.

The Swiss-born Dundee United defender was caught driving at 95mph in a 40mph zone on Dundee's East Dock Street.

He claimed he had been confused over the speed limit - mistaking a 70mph sign on an adjacent railway line with the signs beside the road.

But Kovacevic did admit to driving dangerously and at grossly excessive speeds in his Audi A8 4-2 Quattro which was picked up by a hand-held laser gun during police speed checks.

The prosecutor said: "Given the speed he was travelling and the area the officers pursued the accused's vehicle.

"When he was stopped and told why the police wanted to speak to him he immediately said 'I was just testing my car'.

"When he was shown the reading on the gun he said 'I didn't look at my speed'."

Solicitor Graham Walker, defending, told the court that it was a "misconception" that all professional footballers earn huge salaries - and that his client's income was relatively modest.

Sheriff Way said performing unpaid work for the community would be good for someone who had "role model status".

He orded him to carry out 100 community service, fined him £700 and banned him from driving for 14 months.

French ace Ribery "shamed" after hiring teen prostitute

Ribery: Shamed

French superstar Franck Ribery has spoken of his shame after hiring an underage prostitute.

The married Bayern Munich midfielder admitted he “messed up” by hiring a £1,500-a-night teen as his birthday treat.

Ribery, 27, is said to have had sex with Zahia Dehar last year, when she was 17, after flying her to his hotel in Germany. But he denied knowing she was under-age.

He was charged in July but a trial is yet to take place.

Speaking at a Paris press conference, Ribery said: “It’s clear I messed up. I hurt people, people who are very dear to me.”

The scandal followed a raid on Paris brothel Cafe Zaman. Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema was also accused of having sex with £1,500-a-night Zahia.

England star Lampard banned from driving



Lampard: Never turned up for court appearance



England and Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard has been banned for driving at more than 90mph on the A3 in Surrey!

Lampard had admitted speeding in a 50mph zone in his Range Rover at Claygate at a previous hearing, having earlier pleaded not guilty.

Staines magistrates were told the footballer, who was not in court once again, was clocked driving towards London at 91mph in March 2010.

He was banned from driving for 90 days and fined £850. Lampard was also ordered to pay £2,300 costs.

Earlier this month, Arsenal midfielder Alex Song also escaped serious punishment for a driving offence, even though he was caught speeding by police - on a provisional license!

The Cameroon international was pulled over by police for travelling between 50mph and 65mph in a 30mph zone without learner plates on his vehicle even though he does not hold a full UK driving licence.

Police seized his 4x4 as well as his provisional driving licence after he was unable to verify relevant documentation. He was fined just £60!

My Porsche? Pennant forgot that he even owned one!

Jermaine Pennant: Forgot he owned a Porsche!

Talk about footballers earning too much money.

It has emerged that Stoke City's Jermaine Pennant left his £100,000, top-of-the-range Porsche at a Spanish train station for FIVE months - because he forgot he owned one!

Just dwell on that thought for a few seconds while you work out how your going to cope with rising fuel and food costs...or indeed how you are going to afford your next season ticket!

According to reports from Spain's Daily Marca, Pennant - who reportedly owns a fleet of sports cars - abandoned the Porsche when he left Real Zaragoza for a loan spell at Stoke City last August, with the Spanish authorities contacting him through his former club last week.

When he got the call Pennant was initially baffled. No, he said, the car wasn’t his. Which seemed a little odd as the registration was P33NNT, a plate that gave a significant clue as to the owner’s identity.

On hearing that, Pennant admitted the fact he owned the Porsche had simply completely skipped his mind and he promptly paid the five figure accumulative parking fees, whilst arranging for a friend to pick up the vehicle for him!

During his year in Spain, the 28-year-old earned £80,000 a week as a result of the country's lenient tax regime, in which high-earning foreigners pay only 24 per cent for their first five years in the country.

Premiership stars in tax loophole 'dodge'

Wayne Rooney: Saved £597,000

First politicians...then bankers...now England’s top footballers have become the latest high-profile individuals to be named and shamed as tax dodgers.

By using complex tax avoidance schemes, Wayne Rooney alone avoided paying nearly £600,000 in the last two years, while even Gareth Barry was able to shirk more than £135,000.

The Sunday Times has uncovered dozens of super-rich footballers who have exploited a loophole which allows them to have parts of their wages paid into their own 'image rights' companies.

The players have two contracts with their clubs. They get a salary as a player and the other is for 'image rights' - earnings from shirts and other merchandising. These royalties are paid into a company which is only liable for 28% corporation tax rather than the 50% income tax.

And players can even take out loans from their companies where they ONLY pay 2% tax on the sum because it is regarded as a 'benefit in kind'!

Rooney, who is believed to earn over £200,000 per week, has borrowed £1.6million in two years from his company, saving £597,291 in tax.

The scheme is currently legal but will be a kick in the teeth for millions of ordinary supporters who pay tax at normal rates.

Now the taxman has demanded the clubs pay £100m on behalf of their players as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigates how to stop the arrangement.