Aston Villa and England striker Stan Collymore had a highprofile row in a crowded Paris bar that ended with him attacking his girlfriend. TV personality Ulrika Jonsson had been in the Auld Alliance bar with Glasgow Rangers star Ally McCoist when Collymore demanded that she leave with him. In the argument he allegedly dragged her to the floor and aimed kicks at her head. Collymore later publicly apologised, citing «jealousy and drink» as reasons. He added: «In a fit of petulant temper I struck out at the girl I love and immediately regretted my actions, but by then it was too late.»
Rocks and bottles were flying on to the field from the restive terraces, but the referee drew the line when he saw a linesman felled by a motorcycle heimet. The 1996 Argentinian league match between Penarol and Danubio turned ugly when Penarol fans got upset at the fact that their team was down 1-0 and with only a few minutes remaini1ng. They bombarded the pitch with all sorts of objects, but the match was suspended at the sight of the linesman unconscious on the grass with the motorcycle helmet that had just hit him lying nearby.
Donna Powell became the first female manager in the English semi-professional men’s game – for 24 hours. In 2009 she took over struggling Fisher Athletic of the Conference South league for one match as a thank you for her fundraising efforts. Although the coach of a very successful boy’s under-11 side, she could not weave the same magic in her short tenure with Fisher, who lost 2-1 to Eastleigh. Her one-day appointment caused a row among those who were against females in football but she had been working on the turnstiles at Fisher and had raised £500 for the struggling club.
Argentinian striker Martin Palermo missed a penalty three times in a Copa America match against Colombia in 1999. He hit the crossbar and blasted the second over, only for the goalkeeper to save the third. Argentina lost 3-0.
English league player Robin Friday knew his own failings and entitled his biography The Greatest Footballer You ever Saw. Friday’s wild streak and a penchant for drink and drugs meant he never fulfilled his footballing potential although he was a prolific scorer for Reading. His drinking was legendary and early in his career his team, Hayes, started a match with only ten players, as Friday was finishing a pint in the local pub. When Cardiff City boss Jimmy Andrews enquired why he had secured Friday for a cut-price £30,000 from Reading he was reportedly told: «You’ll see.» Friday was arrested for fare dodging as he arrived in Cardiff by train! Friday died of a heart attack aged 38 in 1990.
Welsh striker John Hartson was unlucky to have had a TV crew at West Ham’s training ground to record a bust-up in which he kicked a team-mate in the head. The film was seen globally within hours after volatile Hartson planted his boot into Eyal Berkovic’s head in 1998. Former Arsenal striker Hartson claimed he lashed out after the lsraeli midfielder had punched Hartson in the leg as he attempted to help Berkovic to his feet. Hartson, who admitted in his biography that this was an error of judgement, was fined for the incident.
Adrian Mutu was ordered in 2009 to pay Chelsea £14.65m after losing his appeal against a FIFA ruting for a breach of contract. The striker, who cost the Blues £15m in 2003, was sacked and given a seven-month worldwide football ban a year later after testing positive for cocaine. FIFA had ruled on the level of compensation in 2008 but Mutu appealed, describing the judgment as «inhumane and unjust». A Court of Arbitration for Sport also ruled against Romanian-born Mutu. The compensation figure for Chelsea, based on lost earnings, was calculated on the length of time Mutu’s contract had left to run, and was the highest-ever handed down by FIFA.
George Best once revealed the secret life of a team-mate who got his kicks through voyeurism. The player Best called «The Ferret» used to hide in hotel closets hoping to catch a glimpse of team-mates’ sexual encounters.
Wooden pallets were used as the base of a grass pitch at a 1994 World Cup game between the USA and Switzerland. The match at Detriot’s Silverdome was the first World Cup game staged indoors.
A «phone call» from the 1996 World Player of the Year George Weah got Southampton excited about the prospect of his «cousin» Ali Dia, who was available for a trial. By coincidence manager Graeme Souness had a massive injury crisis and he put Dia on as a substitute. After a few minutes of completely inept play the substitute was substituted and it became clear that it hadn’t been Weah on the phone, and Dia was not Weah’s cousin. Dia could not even hold down a place at nonleague Gateshead to where he was later shipped and then released completely.
