Dogs, a rooster, Vince McMahon and a blunder by a Fabio Capello-managed national team. No you haven't gone back in time and turned on Sky Sports 4 late at night, merely stumbled upon this week's Football Circus. And for those of you left aghast at the suggestion that your former selves would have tuned into Sky Sports 4 rather than Football Italia or Eurosport, rest easy - our weekly Mario Balotelli and Italian Football Story of the Week segments should pacify you. Now "cut the music" and move on to this week's blog...
Newcastle Takeover by...Vince McMahon? No Chance!
One of the more odd football club takeover rumours did the rounds online this week, with WWE owner Vince McMahon alleged to have an interest in taking over Newcastle United. With current Newcastle owner Mike Ashley said to be keen to sell the club, the wrestling brand owner has, according to Winnersports.co.uk, shown an interest and is looking to make a name for himself in England.
The website quotes a "top Newcastle source":
"Vince McMahon has been sniffing around the club and seems keen on pursuing his interest.
"He sees England as an untapped market for his wrestling empire. He has even indicated he could put on wrestling bouts at St James’s Park
"Obviously it is very early days but there is hope the fans may get what they want with Ashley leaving. Buying a club like Newcastle would throw him into the spotlight in England which is just what he is looking to do".
While the rumour would seem rather unfounded, it would certainly be entertaining were it to be proven true. And in light of the rumour we've taken it upon ourselves to make a wrestling-themed football eleven:
GK: Shay "Sheamus" Given
RB: "Rowdy" Rod Fanni
CB: Stuart "Psycho Sid" Pearce
CB: Neil "Razor Ramon" Ruddock
LB: Ian "The Hitman" Harte
RW: Andrei "The Giant" Kanchelskis
CM: "Macho Man" Robbie Savage
CM: Jake "The Snake" Livermore
LW: "HBA" Hatem Ben Arfa
CF: Hulk "Hogan"
CF: "Stone Cold" Charlie Austin
Ruffled Feathers and Bitches on Pitches
Remember the excitement as a school child when a dog would run into the school? Now imagine how excited we at Football Circus become when hearing of animals invading football pitches. You can't? OK, well we get very excited. This week there have been not one, not two, but THREE animal pitch invasions. And you know what? We're going to tell you all about them.
The first animal pitch invasion came at Gresty Road where Crewe were to take on Brentford. The match had not even kicked off when a husky somehow made its way onto the pitch. Kickoff was delayed as the hound ran amok, but rather than being shepherded off the pitch, the dog just ran off of its accord.
Our second pitch invading animal was also of the canine variety, but this mutt was not as cooperative when it came to leaving the pitch. The dog that ran onto the pitch in the Buenos Aires derby between River Plate and Rosario Central, was quite happy to run around in front of the thousands of fans in attendence. For minutes, the referee and other match officials gave chase to the dog but it took one of the Rosario Central players to to grab the dog by the paws before it could be removed from the field of play and the game could resume. Ensuring it would always be remembered however, the dog deficated in the penalty box before it was caught.
Lastly, the match between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Bnei Yehuda played host to a feathered fan at the weekend, as a rooster ran onto the pitch and led a security guard on a merry dance before the match could carry on. The chicken was not an imposter as such, in fact he was the Bnei Yehuda mascot. Whether he will be perceived as a lucky charm following his antics is debatable as Bnei Yehuda squandered a 2-0 lead prior to his appearance, to draw 2-2.
Fabio Capello-managed Russia have been left embarrassed this week after the Russian Football Federation called up the wrong player. Andrey Semyonov of Lokomotiv Moscow's reserve team was astounded when informed that he had been named in Capello's preliminary squad for the friendly against Armenia on March 5th. He was abruptly brought back down to earth however, when the Federation clarified that it was the Andrey Semyonov of Terek Grozny that they had intended to name in the squad, and not his Lokomotiv Moscow namesake.
A disappointed Semyonov (of Lokomotiv) lamented:
"My teammates congratulated me on the call up. They were surprised but sincere because the information was official.
"I was surprised too to put it mildly, but I do have an experience with the Under-21 team. I will do my best to get a real call-up in the future".
Terek Grozny's Semyonov commented on his own call up (we assume while doing his best 'surprised' face):
"I was surprised to see my name on the list. It's a great pleasure to be mentioned amongst such stars.
"I knew I am getting better, and there were compliments from coaches, so progressing to the national team did cross my mind, but I never expected to get the call up so soon".
Talk about rubbing it in.
What's Mad Mario Upto this Week?
Scoring screamers and then getting injured, that's what. Yes, Balotelli rarely has a quiet week and this week has been as eventful as ever. On Friday evening, Milan were victorious at home to a Bologna side, but only this absolute peach from Super Mario was enough to separate the sides:
Potentially the goal of his career thus far, we're sure you'll agree. Fastforward to Wednesday night when the Rossoneri hosted Atletico Madrid at the San Siro. Edged out by the single Atletico goal, Milan's misery was compounded by a shoulder injury suffered by Balo. The striker has apparently damaged his "acromioclavicular joint" (according to Sports Illustrated) and will be out of action for around ten days.
Balotelli tweeted regarding his injury:
Italian Football Story of the Week
- Buffon to Retire?
Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gigi Buffon's playing future is in doubt this week following comments from his agent in an interview with Calcio Mercato. Silvano Martina has been quoted:
"Gigi does not feel his age. He’s always been number one. I think the history proves that".
"Gig is the captain of the national team, plays for a great club and is always decisive in matches.
"He has a contract with Juve and it’s easy to associate his name with the Bianconeri.
"But at the moment, I can’t say for certain what’s going to happen. Maybe he’ll retire, maybe he’ll leave, maybe he’ll stay.
"I just don’t know what’s going to happen at the moment".
Artist's Impression of the Week
- 'Wrestling Hits Newcastle'
Football Recommendation of the Week
- The National Football Museum, Manchester. Considering it's free ("interactive" features e.g. a penalty shoot out, require credits which are relatively cheap to purchase), this is well worth a visit if you're in Manchester.
Non Football Recommendation of the Week
- The Wolf of Wall Street (Jordan Belfort)
Next week will be our 50th edition. So there'll probably be a big hullabaloo over it...Just make sure you check it out.
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