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Mario Balotelli: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t
https://www.instagram.com/p/tH6yYELj0l
Mario Balotelli is gifted a banner.
What he said:
https://www.instagram.com/p/uAegyBrj39
“I have nothing to declare except my genious? Wow thanks to whoever did this. I know all of you expect more from me .. More gols expecially and more “genious” but give me time and I ll show is true.”
What he really meant:
“So what that I’ve scored only once in eight games for Liverpool so far. More such banners = more goals. And my English will get better too. If only goal-scoring were as easy as writing Instagram and Twitter posts.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Now if only Antonio Conte (Italy’s manager) could read this. He’d soon learn how to appeal to me.”
Roy Keane: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t
Roy Keane is unforgiving of critic Alex Ferguson.
What he said:
“… for him to criticise that when you think of what he made out of it. He made millions of pounds out of it. He got his statues. He got his stand named after him. To come back and criticise …”
What he really meant:
“Alex Ferguson is a great coach, he coached me. And he made millions. But so did I. Did I criticise him? Or his assistant coaches? And why isn’t a stand named after me?”
What he definitely didn’t:
“The reproval had nothing to do with me shooting off my mouth on MUTV about not staying with United before discussing it with Fergie. Definitely not.”
Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United F.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Luis Enrique: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is piqued.
What he said:
“(Luis) Suarez, fat? He is a naturally stocky player. He is at his ideal weight and he is ready to compete. If you want we’ll give him liposuction but I don’t think he needs it.”
What he really meant:
“Now, now, now. Suarez has scored two goals on his return and yet the press claims he’s overweight. Maybe it’s all the critical newsprint he’s been chewing on since the World Cup that’s making him appear lethargic to you…”
What he definitely didn’t:
“What’s a little bite or two for Suarez? He’s earned it.”
Joan Capdevila: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t
Joan Capdevila
What he said:
“When I first told my family and friends about signing on with the ISL they did not believe me, they thought it was a joke! My family asked if I had gone crazy!”
Spanish World Cup winner, Joan Capdevila, is not deranged but had a hard time convincing his family members that he had not lost his senses when he conveyed his decision to play for NorthEast United Football Club (NEUFC) in the still nascent Indian Super League (ISL).
The left-back is the team’s marquee player.
The ISL begins in October this year and will run till December. It will have eight teams.Each team has one marquee player and seven foreigners. Only two of the seven foreign players can be directly recruited; the other five are are picked in the foreign player draft. Each team will also have 14 Indian footballers.
Capdevila said:
“When I showed them (my family) all the proof, they asked me if I was sure about this. But now since the ISL momentum is picking up, they are looking forward to my updates on my experience. My friends may also come down to see me but my family unfortunately will not.”
The presence of many Spaniards in the league has contributed to some excitement in Spain too.
“To be honest, there wasn’t much buzz in Spain about the ISL at the start. Now with more international players signing with teams, the Spanish fans are excited to see this amalgamation of known and unknown talents. I am also eager for the games to begin as it will globalise the football industry further.”
On the league and Indian soccer:
“This is very different from other leagues. In India, it is just starting and this is a very nice beginning. It is a very nice project which is going to be for a lot of years. Indian football is going to grow and would call a lot of attention of other players for sure. It is a nice project for the future to be put like a league for the whole year. After many years, it is going to be the main league of India for sure.”
Actor-producer John Abraham, also a co-owner of the NEUFC side, said:
“We feel that this is an incubation league. This is to quickstart the interest of football in the country. We are looking at a very long term vision, that we believe that this two-and-half month league would probably at some point be an eight month or nine month league.
Maybe it could merge with the premier league or it could be the Premier League. I believe that the ISL will become a seven or eight month league, given a gestation period of three to five years.
Initially, it (opting for overseas players past their prime) would help. It is very important to get players with that kind of experience on board. Having players like Capdevila and other marquee players, it will help. I think it will help in the short run initially to spark off the interest and be a catalyst but in the long run of course we need to re-strategize and understand what we need to do.
As far as NorthEast United is concerned, we are very clear that our focus is young domestic players. As of today, we have the youngest team in the ISL by five years. And we will make sure by next year, we will be a far younger team.”
Meanwhile, Capdevila feels that Spain should not abandon the tiki-taka style of play.
“It’s time for change and bring in some new players.
I hope Spain is at their highest level again from tomorrow but honestly it’s going to take longer.
For the next Euro Cup it is going to be difficult but I hope to see them challenging again for the 2018 World Cup. But I am not sure yet as the players are very young.
The style of playing for Spain is going to be the same, just the players are going to change.
It has been the style for many, many years and I will be surprised if (coach) Vicente del Bosquecan now change their style of play.”
What Capdevila really meant:
“India is not known for its footballing prowess. And you want to play in the heat and humidity? Are you crazy? What about the language? And the food?”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I’m not a spring chicken anymore. India will do nicely. Let’s just term the terms—pre-retirement benefits.”
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Sepp Blatter: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
Sepp Blatter Goes On The Warpath
What he said (via SkySports.com):
“The World Cup was theirs by right. When they came here with Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister Cameron, they were certain of winning.They got two votes. Since then, they have looked for every means to justify their defeat.”
Beleaguered FIFA boss, Joseph Blatter, launches a tirade at the English Football Association for their opposition to his continued presence at the helm of international soccer.
England lost out to Russia in its bid for the 2018 World Cup.
The 75-year-old is fighting corruption charges and was recently in the center of a racism row with his seemingly flippant remark that such on-field incidents could be settled with a handshake.
Transparency International dealt another blow to FIFA’s pretensions of corruption reform severing ties with the soccer body for ignoring two of its recommendations.
Mark Pieth, a Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology at the University of Basel,asked to oversee reforms, disclosed that he would be accepting payment from FIFA. Additionally, he would not be investigating old hoary scandals.
In an interview to Matin Dimanche, a French Swiss daily, Blatter denounced the English body claiming that they are more interested in hosting the World Cup than the Olympics.
Blatter said (via Goal.com):
In the 60s and 70s, the great sporting federations were in the main British. It’s no longer the case.The English have lost power and, most recently, the 2018 World Cup.They were very keen, more than for the Olympics. They thought that football should have come home.
What he really meant:
“The English are sore losers—according to me.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Why don’t HRH The Duke Of Cambridge and I settle our differences with (what else) a handshake?”
Read Blatter’s original interview here.
James Milner: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
James Milner Dare Not Be Yorked
What he said:
“I’d love to still play — but you can’t risk a yorker on the toe!”
Manchester City’s James Milner would love to play cricket again but dare not risk a broken toe.
The electric midfielder was a useful bat for Horsforth in the Airedale and Wharfedale League in Leeds.
Milner said:
I got a couple of hundreds for Horsforth, I’ve got a lot of friends there and I’d love to still play — but you can’t risk a yorker on the toe!
The most important thing for me now in summer is rest but I hope I’ll be able to go back to cricket again once I’ve finished playing football.
What he really meant:
“I’m a footballer—I put foot to ball.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“What’s a shattered toe or two? I could always be keeper.”
Sepp Blatter: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
Sepp Blatter Intends to Shake The Apple Tree, Long and Hard
What he said:
"It takes time to shake the tree until all bad apples have fallen to the ground.”
FIFA chief, Sepp Blatter, promises to clean up soccer’s governing body in an open letter addressed to the readers of “Inside World Football”.
Blatter recently ordered the reopening of the ISL case where it is alleged that FIFA and Olympic officials accepted kickbacks on marketing contracts.
The FIFA boss was re-elected President unopposed when Bin Hammam was provisionally suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee in June this year.
This is Blatter’s fourth consecutive term at the helm of international football.
Blatter wrote:
It would be disingenuous of me not to acknowledge reality, and the fact that we have been fighting an uphill struggle to calm nerves, initiate urgently needed reforms and at the same time adhere to a sense of reason during the stormiest of times.
FIFA’s last 100 days were among the most difficult in it’s over 100-year history.
Blatter added:
“It takes time to shake the tree until all bad apples have fallen to the ground. Even if some of them refuse to fall at first.”
Blatter concluded, saying:
In brief: I have initiated relevant and powerful change without "ifs" and "whens".
FIFA remains committed to walking the walk and won’t get stuck in solely talking the talk. By December, this will become clear for all to see. Until then, I invite everybody to bear with us so that we can clean house and come back to the public with facts that allow FIFA to enter a new decade of doing business. And never again revert to doing "business as usual".
What he really meant:
“It seems some bad apples are coated with super-glue. We’ll have to shake very hard and long.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Am I not the apple of your eye? The largest and the tastiest.”
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