General Football Thread

[Gazz]

A Grimsby Town fan has been found guilty of assaulting a football steward with an inflatable shark.

Kenneth Meech, 51, of Alexandra Road, Cleethorpes, watched his club win 3-1 at Barnet in a Conference game on 21 February.

Willesden Magistrates' Court heard he assaulted Barnet steward Cgagi Gladyng as he celebrated the victory.

Meech, who was among nearly 1,000 fans who travelled to The Hive stadium, denied a charge of common assault.

Mr Gladyng, 59, told the court he was hurt by the inflatable which was being waved "like an axe" and described the three blows to his head "as like being hit by a roll of paper".

He said he became frightened as the Grimsby Town fans surged towards the pitch.

'A bit deflated'

Meech was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £700 in costs, compensation of £100 and a victim surcharge.

He was not made the subject of a football banning order.

Speaking after the sentencing, he claimed the prosecution was a "waste of the taxpayer's money".

"I'm a bit deflated, to be honest," he said.

[Rich]

Everyone's always against our fans, it feels like they are always fishing for a way to make us the victims here!

[Thrilla]

[DavidMarrio]

The legendary icon superstar Cherno Samba has retired. 

[Lineker]

The legendary icon superstar Cherno Samba has retired. 

Cherno Samba retires after modest career but as a Championship Manager legend

[Lineker]

Former Arsenal midfielder  Emmanuel Frimpong has responded to news he has been given a two-match ban by the Russian Football Union for raising a finger to Spartak Moscow fans in response to alleged racist abuse at the weekend.

The Ufa midfielder tweeted: 

 

[Chris2K]

I believe the Russian FA's official verdict was "the guy who we put there to monitor racist chanting didn't hear any racist chanting so there wasn't any racist chanting."

What a disgusting system.

[Lineker]

The legendary icon superstar Cherno Samba has retired. 

Cherno Samba retires after modest career but as a Championship Manager legend

He's on the World Service this week!

I love the line about him getting his new phone the very next day because the guy in the call centre recognised him.

[stokeriño]

Women's FA Cup Final (Chelsea vs. Notts County) is just kicking off on BBC1.

[Lineker]

Notts County's nickname is the Ladypies.

Somebody didn't think that one through.

[Colly]

Just like FC Pune.

[stokeriño]

Chelsea win!

Single goal by our POTY, Ji So-Yun. Although really what won it was Eni Aluko taking it upon herself to activate Beast Mode at the end of the first half.

[Bobfoc]

Shame. It was nice to see Notts County in a Wembley final, though, especially with how badly things have been going for the men's team. I'm glad that Ray Trew, the club chairman, is keen to see the women's side make a name for themselves on the national stage, and I'd like to think that today's exposure will provide a platform for future success.

[Lineker]

The former Newcastle United and Colombia striker Faustino Asprilla has recovered a £43,500 horse he lent to a friend who gave it away while drunk at a fair.

The Valle del Cauca regional police chief, Fernando Murillo, said the horse named Lucas, which had been missing since 17 April, was found in a stable in the town of Florida.

“It had been left there by some people we are now seeking,” the Bogota daily El Espectador quoted Murillo as saying.

“What really happened was that Tino lent the horse to a friend who, in a drunken state, had given it away to two young men.”

Asprilla, who also played for Parma, had offered a 5m Colombian pesos (£1,090) reward for the horse’s recovery. He had allowed his friend to ride it at the Buga Fair parade.

[Summers]

Sweet as fuck Chrome extension found here.

Check it out. Useful for any football fans/nerds.

[Lineker]

A Swedish referee has started a Facebook page in an attempt to “create an understanding for our occupation”. Mohammed Al-Hakim, one of the most promising officials in the Swedish top flight, Allsvenskan, launched his page this month with an admission that he should have given a penalty in the game between IFK Norrkoping and AIK and has been praised for his willingness to discuss contentious decisions.

“I believe in openness and dialogue,” Al-Hakim told Fotbollskanalen. “The main idea is that I want to create interest [in our occupation] and I think the football family can gain from getting a better insight and understanding of a referee’s situation.

“I also want the page to inspire more people to become referees, which is an important part of football. I want to show my side of officiating and want to balance the picture [there is of us] in the media. I want to increase the accessibility in the football family.”

The 30-year-old is one of Sweden’s most promising referees and attended a Fifa course in February as he stepped up his efforts to officiate on the international scene. His page received a lot of attention when it was launched with the sentence: “Keep a good tone here and the chances of this page surviving will increase.”

He added of the decision he had got wrong: “I should have given a penalty yesterday. Full stop. Now I have seen what you surely have seen already. I’ve seen the replays a few times and looked at stills and different angles. Because what it is about for me, is that I want to learn something and try to understand why I did what I did. I will never be right all the time but it is important to minimise the mistakes and make sure that I am right in the important moments.”

He added: “I have got a lot of positive feedback. Of course there are some negative voices but the majority has been very positive. The whole idea is just a test but it the Swedish refereeing committee is in on it. They have agreed that I am doing it.”

[Thrilla]

I liked that on Facebook, looks like most of it is in Swedish >_>

[Thrilla]

In countries that don't measure in yards, what are the 18 yard and 6 yardboxes called?

[Colly]

Penalty area, little box.

[Cymbols]

Penalty box, danger zone