He is regarded as the most high-profile sportsmen in the UK who is openly gay and he has recently made his remarks in a BBC documentary. He stated that many talented players are being turned off the sport because of its homophobic nature.

In the documentary he commented, “If the Football Association were to issue a statement saying that they would take a hard line on any homophobic behaviour in the game then more talented footballers would join in the sport.”

The documentary has recently aired on BBC3 and is presented by Amal Fashanu. Amal Fashanu’s uncle is Justin Fashanu, who was an openly gay footballer. After he came out he received a lot of abuse for being gay and ultimately committed suicide in the late 1990s. In the documentary Ms Fashanu confronts her father who was hostile to his brother after he revealed that he was gay.

The documentary features an interview with her father, John Fashanu, where he states, “I’m sick of the scandals that I hear day after day, I have a name to protect and my brother is tarnishing it. I wouldn’t even like to get changed in the same room as my brother, and I’m fairly sure the rest of the football world feels exactly the same way.”

Justin at the time commented about his brother’s remarks, “I thought he was a more tolerant man and I am disappointed that he feels this way.” In the documentary John says that he has certain regrets about his behaviour about his brother’s homosexuality and his reaction to it.

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Thousands have marched from all over Cairo in support of al-Ahly and they all congregated in the capital centre, Tahrir Square. Fans within the city had already taken care to set up barriers that blocked off the square so that they could all meet up.

Once most had arrived the large group headed towards the interior ministry and surrounded it chanting out to the leaders demanding their rights and threatening that if they do not receive any rights then they will use their own methods to get them. They added that martyrs are loved by God, insinuating that there is little that would stop them.

The crowd was mostly younger men although during the march many women also joined in carrying al-Ahly and Egyptian flags. While the main goal of the gathering seemed to be to demand freedom, each different marchers had their own particular messages to convey.

While some choose to express anger at the governors of the Port Said, some at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, some at the interior minister, and just in general to the police that were monitoring the event. Despite what many thought, the event was planned and not as a result of the violence that caused the death of 70 people at the Port Said football match this week.

Supporters did however bring up the violence that occurred at the game stating that the Scaf is the reason why these disasters continue to occur with one supporter at the rally explaining that if the Scaf is not able to make a football match safe to attend it is impossible to imagine that they could bring stability and security to the entire country. Others are asking that the Scaf and police be held responsible at trials to bring honor to the martyrs that gave their lives for the cause.

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Ryan Giggs was placed second with 18% of the vote, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Chelsea and England player Frank Lampard tied for third place with 10%. Other players who made the manly top ten included Joey Barton, Nemanja Vidic and John Terry.

Nick Gibbens, spokesperson for The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “When he’s on the pitch, Wayne is certainly what you would describe as a ‘real man’ and is a deserving winner of the title ‘Premiership’s manliest footballer’.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve, never pulls out of a tackle and always puts his body on the line for his team, qualities that make a man a ‘real man’. Wayne also has the recent addition of a full head of hair, and I’m guessing this could have secured him a few extra votes.”

Chelsea and England left back Ashley Cole was voted least manly Premiership footballer, picking up nearly a quarter (24%) of the public vote.

Spanish forward Fernando Torres, a teammate of Cole at Chelsea, came second in the least “manly” category on 21%. Peter Crouch was third on 14%, former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri took fourth spot with 11% and Manchester United winger Nani finished fifth on 5%.

The Bluebeards Revenge, dubbed the “world’s manliest grooming brand”, also asked participants who they thought was the manliest Premiership team and the league’s manliest manager.

Stoke City, famous for their physical and no-nonsense approach, topped this list on 23%, with Manchester United second on 16% and Liverpool third on 15%.

Arsenal, renowned for their pretty passing game, were judged to be the ‘least manly’ Premiership side, closely followed by their North London rivals Tottenham.

Chelsea’s rugged boss Andre Billas-Boas took the accolade for manliest Premiership manager, with a whopping 49% of the vote, followed by Martin Jol (7%) in second and Roberto Mancini (6%) in third.

Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger scooped the honour for the least manly Premiership manager.

The Bluebeards Revenge, a shaving range that can actually reduce stubble by up to 40% over a 60-day period, surveyed 1,835 people via email in December 2011.

Please see attached spreadsheet for full survey results.

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 19 March 2012 – 8^th June 2012

BOURNEMOUTH, LONDON, LIVERPOOL, NEWCASTLE & BIRMINGHAM

Following on from their Saturday afternoon success where they entertain millions of viewers every week, Jeff Stelling and the rest of the Sky Sports gang on going on their first ever tour. The popular UK football show is embarking in a 5 date tour of UK arenas that sees them visiting Birmingham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, London and Newcastle between the 19^th March and 8^th June 2012.

Tickets for the events go on general sale on 27^th January via the website www.livenation.co.uk. Spending a Saturday afternoon in the company of Jeff Stelling, Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier, Chris Kamara, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas is a must for millions of footie fans across the UK. To meet the demands of those fans who want to get up close and personal with their heroes, Soccer Anyday has been developed.

Football fans can join Jeff, Charlie, Kammy, Merse, Le Tiss and Thommo as they look back over their careers and their favourite footie escapades. The lads will also be revealing some of the exploits that go on behind the scenes and entertain the audiences with footie stories from both the past and the present.

In this hilarious and engaging roller-coaster ride of an evening, the panel will reveal personal anecdotes from their footballing and TV careers, from the ultimate highs to the crucifying lows and everything in between. Brimming with anecdotes and rare footage, the evening with will give a frank and rare insight into the crazy world of football.

The brilliant Jeff Stelling will anchor what promises to be a superb night. During the evening Jeff will reveal how he keeps the show together with consummate ease despite the frenzied action on the pitch. Fans will also find out why he knows so many obscure facts about Scottish Football.

The show will also reveal why Charlie Nicholas was called Champagne Charlie and why he constantly fell-out with the Scottish National team. Paul Merson will talk frankly and honestly about the highs and lows of an amazing career and his personal battles with addiction.

Phil Thompson will tell fans what it is like to win every honour in the game and disclose his undying passion for Liverpool FC.  Matthew Le Tissier, one of the most gifted players of all time, will reveal the ups and downs of playing for Southampton and why he didn’t play for England more.  Finally Kammy, one of the most loved pundits on TV will re-live some his most comical gaffes. He will also reveal how he comes up with such unusual sayings and catchphrases such as “Unbelievable Jeff” and “As calm as a cumber”!

Audience members will become part of the action directly posing questions to the panel. After fans have been entertained by the team, Kammy will get down amongst the audience and take questions to the panel. Fans can ask the panel anything they like about the football world including current team exploits. Brave attendees can even try to catch Jeff out with obscure facts and figures.

For six hours every Saturday, Jeff Stelling and his studio guests preside over the afternoon’s football with expert analysis of the goals, bookings, sending-offs and incidents as fly in. The format is engrossing, engaging and jam packed with explosive action and hilarious gags.  “An extraordinary TV concept ….absolutely spell-binding” as the Guardian puts it.

“Soccer Anyday” is a unique opportunity for fans to get directly involved in the action.

Jeff Stelling commented;

“This is a unique opportunity for us to engage directly with our audience. Performing in a live setting will be incredibly exhilarating. It’s a brilliant opportunity to get up close and personal with fans of the show.”

“To perform at Wembley is dream come true, especially as it is the last show at the venue before the Olympics. Finally I will be able to join the same ranks as my footballing companions!”

Jeff added;

“Trying to anchor a live show with Kammy, Charlie, Thommo, Merse and Le Tiss could be impossible but probably great fun. Who knows what might happen?”

Matthew LeTissier concluded;

“To be given the opportunity to perform in arenas makes us feel like the ultimate rock stars!  It’s even more exciting and nerve-wracking than walking out on the pitch in front of thousands of people as we get to directly interact with the audience. It’s so exciting! We just can’t wait to get on the road.”

2012 TOUR DATES:

Monday 19 March – Bournemouth BIC
Monday 30 April – Wembley Arena
Monday 14 May – Liverpool Echo Arena
Monday 28 May – Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Friday 8 June – Birmingham NIA

Tickets for the tour go on general sale on Friday 27^th January from 9am priced at £29.50 for Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham and £32.50 for London-available via www.livenation.co.uk

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It was Balotelli who scored the fifth and final goal in Manchester City’s victory over Tottenham, but in Redknapp’s view he should not have been on the pitch. In the 84^th minute Parker put his body in the way of Balotelli’s shot, landing on the floor in the process. In regaining his balance, Mario Balotelli clattered Parker’s head with his boots. The question is whether or not it was done deliberately.

Having been sent off earlier in the season, against Liverpool at Anfield, if the FA do decide to penalise the player, it will be a four match ban that rules him out of games until the end of February. Redknapp does not question the penalty decision, but maintains that the player should not have been available to put it into the net. Scott Parker had to get stitches in his head for the gash above his eye.

In another incident, Joleon Lescott could also have seen red when he appeared to hit Younes Kaboul with his forearm when challenging for the ball. If Howard Webb saw the Balotelli incident, then Redknapp suggests he shouldn’t be in charge of any football match, never mind a World Cup final, as it is clearly a red card offence. He does concede the possibility that Webb did not see the incident.

Team coach for Manchester City, David Platt, said that he hadn’t seen the incident, and wouldn’t comment until he had seen it. However, he did mention that last month it was shown that different angles revealed different ‘facts’. Balotelli had nothing to say on the matter. Drawn to talk on his penalty he said that he was calm, just like every other time he took a penalty.

Some see the man as a ‘lovable eccentric’ thanks to his many public antics such as: throwing darts at a work experience student, letting off fireworks in his bathroom, attempting to score with a back heel during a friendly pre-season game, using school bathrooms in Manchester and driving into a women’s prison in Italy ‘to look around’.

Redknapp clearly does not agree with this assessment. He couldn’t see any reason for Balotelli’s actions, and can’t see how it could possibly be an accident. He believes that Balotelli was reacting to Parker’s challenge, but that there had been nothing wrong with what Parker did.

Redknapp was not alone in his views. Graham Souness echoed the sentiment on Sky Sports, saying the Balotelli knew exactly what he did, and that rather than bringing his right leg forward he pushed backwards in order to hurt Parker.

About his own side, Harry Redknapp was effusive, congratulating his team on their efforts. Had Jermain Defore been able to stretch an inch further to make contact with the ball from Gareth Bale in the dying moments, then it could have been Tottenham that walked away with the points, and the title would have been very open. Instead City have stretched their lead to 8 points over the London club.

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They can be three overage players selected for the squad and Giggs and Beckham are hoping that they will be two of these players selected for the team. The letter asked players to write back if they did not want to be included in the selection and the vast majority have not. Darryl Seibel is from the Olympic Association and he has stated, “The players understand what an opportunity this is for them to perform at the highest level of their sport.

The fact that we have only seen a few refusals confirms what we expected, that there will be a very big interest among players in the sport to compete for the British team at the Olympic Games this summer.” There has been no information released about the players who have refused to be selected but it is known they are from several clubs across the country.

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In recent weeks the issue of racism in football has come into the spotlight after two significant players have been involved in racial scandals. Luis Suarez was recently given an eight match ban for racial abuse targeted towards another player. The club also faced criticism because their supporters were seen with T-shirts supporting the player’s actions.

John Terry, the England captain and Chelsea player, has also been accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, the defender from  Queens Park Rangers.” Mr Cameron continued, “Football has an enormous capacity for good in this country and this is something that should be celebrated.

The sport has an incredible ability to tackle racism and set an example for people across the country. Campaigns such as Show Racism the Red Card have made an enormous difference and I know that in the future the Football Association are going to be working hard to eliminate racism in the sport.

“Many people, including myself, have become deeply concerned over recent racial events in the sport. My position on racism is absolutely clear, there is no place for racism in this sport, in this society and in this country.

Those involved in football happen to be role models for this society and it is important that we have a racially diverse group of leaders in the sport. I’m very glad to see that the Premier League are working hard on my vision to make sure that racism in football is kicked out forever.”

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Coleman, who played centre half for Wales, has been managing the Greek team Larissa, and he revealed that he will be speaking with the governing body in the next week, but he says that if he is appointed, he sees it as inappropriate to be on the bench for Speeds memorial game against Costa Rice on February 29^th, but he would be present elsewhere I the stadium.

He said that personally, he didn’t think it was right for him to take part in the game, and that it was a tribute to Gary, and for the people who already worked at the club, so he would be watching from a distance. He told sky sports that he would be meeting the Welsh FA this week to discuss matters, and that it was a very sensitive situation, and if he was offered the job and accepted it ,he would have very mixed emotions.

Coleman also added that the circumstances were very difficult as well as sensitive. If it was meant to be, and the job was given to him, then it would be a pinnacle for him, as being the manager of your national team was the pinnacle for any manager. Although he wasn’t there yet, the talks would be taking place and it meant an awful lot to him.

Coleman was a close friend of Speed, so his mixed emotions are completely understandable. He has said that he feels guilty about taking part on talks with a view to replacing his friend at the helm, but on the other hand he would be the happiest man in the world if the talks went his way and he was appointed as the Welsh manager.

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Windass has told The People newspaper that in the two years since retiring he has cried every single day, and whilst those outside people seemed to think they lived a charmed life, he was in such a deep, black hole that he couldn’t see any way out of it. He says that it was just over a week ago t hat he hit the bottom and decided to end it all, first trying a overdose that didn’t work, and then deciding to hang himself.

Windass spoke frankly about he felt so along and truly believed that he has nothing more to live for. He sees the two failed attempts as a wake up call, that he realises how much he has to sort himself out and that is why he has chosen to speak to the paper. He added that the public perceived him as a big, tough man who could take anything that was thrown at him, and that he wasn’t ashamed to admit he wanted to end it all.

Windass, who in 2008 scored the stunning winner in the Championship play off final which saw his team Hull promoted to the premier league, is calling on the PFA, Professional Footballers Association, to assist their member more in what can be a traumatic and difficult transition from playing to retiring. He says that there are hundreds of footballers who find it hard after retiring, and the PFA needs to do more to help them.

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It was initially hoped that a local group of business people were going to be able to take over the club but after several meetings a deal was unable to be struck. This is not the first time that Darlington football club have gone into administration, and they’ve struggled with their finances for nearly a decade having gone into administration three times previously.

An announcement on the club’s website from Mr Singh read, “It is very sad news that we have to inform our fans that the club has being taken into administration. When I became part of this club in 2009 I did not expect this and we have been trying to make cutbacks to save the club but unfortunately these have failed.

We have also been seeking out an offer for someone to take over the club and meet its running costs but unfortunately I have been unable to find a suitable candidate. It is my hope that as the club enters administration someone will be found who will have more success in taking Darlington football club forward.”

Mr Singh has mentioned that he has a great regrets about not being able to keep the club going and is worried about the points deduction that they might now face. He said, “I really hope that the fans understand the position that I’ve been put in, I have worked very hard for the club and have taken it to great heights but unfortunately I failed to sustain these heights, I just hope I don’t face too much unnecessary criticism.”

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