A paint to colour them red!
* Manchester United have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Japanese paint maker Kansai, proving the English soccer club's global fan base gives it an appeal stretching way beyond consumer brands.
Not surprisingly, Kansai is the first official paint partner signed up by United, 19 times English champions and nicknamed "The Red Devils".
The deal shows how top European clubs can use their international fan base to secure partnerships with a broad range of companies.
United has become adept at looking beyond the obvious categories when it comes to signing up sponsors. Last year, for example, it did a sponsorship deal with Yanmar, a Japanese company which makes boat engines.
Ajax fined for protests against 'modern football'
* Ajax Amsterdam have been fined by UEFA after their supporters protested against "modern football" during their Champions League match at home to Manchester City in October.
Fans held a lot one banner saying "against modern football" and another which depicted a sheikh holding a bag with a dollar sign, with a red line drawn across it.
Another banner said "80 euros for the away section is ridiculous" and other supporters displayed banners with offensive messages aimed at Manchester City, Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg and Red Bull Leipzig. UEFA said the Dutch club had been fined 10,000 euros ($11,000) for "display of a provocative and inappropriate banner."
City are bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, while Chelsea are financed by Russia's Roman Abramovich.
When Massa thought his career was finished
* Felipe Massa feared his Formula One career was finished last season and consulted a sports psychologist to help him overcome his problems at Ferrari. "Yeah. I thought about so many things. I thought maybe I was finished. I thought about not staying in Ferrari. I did not know what would happen. So many things were inside my brain," he said.
"I talked to everyone," added the 2008 championship runner-up who came back from a near-fatal head injury suffered in 2009. "But I also did work with a professional psychologist, sporting psychologist. After that I was able to change the direction to think, the direction to work and I think it was like training I did. But also I think my family helps, definitely 100 percent."
When constabulary stumped Tevez!
* Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been banned from driving for six months after ignoring police letters about speeding offences because he did not understand the word 'constabulary'.
The Manchester Evening News reported that the Argentine international had pleaded guilty to three offences, including driving without a valid UK licence, at a magistrates court hearing.
The player's lawyer told magistrates that Tevez, who has played in the Premier League for seven years, had not responded to the letters because he had not understood them.
"He does understand the word 'police', but not more complicated words. The letters are written from Cheshire Constabulary and the word police doesn't appear on it anywhere," PA news quotes solicitor Gwyn Lewis as saying.
"The word constabulary is not one that is recognised internationally, but of course police is."
Brazilians worried about high cost of tickets
* Upgrades to Brazil's crumbling soccer stadiums ahead of the 2014 World Cup promise a safer, cleaner and altogether more pleasant environment for fans but the luxurious new grounds come at a price — quite literally.
Brazilian fans are already complaining about high ticket costs and a debate has begun over whether some supporters will be priced out of venues that boast cinemas, shops, restaurants, and even automatically flushing toilets.
"I fear that the new stadiums being built for the World Cup will make football more elite," Tostao, a former World Cup winner with Brazil in 1970, said in a recent newspaper column.
"Different priced tickets need to be sold in order to avoid that. Those who want to be waited on can pay for it. More humble fans have a right to pay reasonable prices and get safety and comfort."
* Manchester United have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Japanese paint maker Kansai, proving the English soccer club's global fan base gives it an appeal stretching way beyond consumer brands.
Not surprisingly, Kansai is the first official paint partner signed up by United, 19 times English champions and nicknamed "The Red Devils".
The deal shows how top European clubs can use their international fan base to secure partnerships with a broad range of companies.
United has become adept at looking beyond the obvious categories when it comes to signing up sponsors. Last year, for example, it did a sponsorship deal with Yanmar, a Japanese company which makes boat engines.
Ajax fined for protests against 'modern football'
* Ajax Amsterdam have been fined by UEFA after their supporters protested against "modern football" during their Champions League match at home to Manchester City in October.
Fans held a lot one banner saying "against modern football" and another which depicted a sheikh holding a bag with a dollar sign, with a red line drawn across it.
Another banner said "80 euros for the away section is ridiculous" and other supporters displayed banners with offensive messages aimed at Manchester City, Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg and Red Bull Leipzig. UEFA said the Dutch club had been fined 10,000 euros ($11,000) for "display of a provocative and inappropriate banner."
City are bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, while Chelsea are financed by Russia's Roman Abramovich.
When Massa thought his career was finished
* Felipe Massa feared his Formula One career was finished last season and consulted a sports psychologist to help him overcome his problems at Ferrari. "Yeah. I thought about so many things. I thought maybe I was finished. I thought about not staying in Ferrari. I did not know what would happen. So many things were inside my brain," he said.
"I talked to everyone," added the 2008 championship runner-up who came back from a near-fatal head injury suffered in 2009. "But I also did work with a professional psychologist, sporting psychologist. After that I was able to change the direction to think, the direction to work and I think it was like training I did. But also I think my family helps, definitely 100 percent."
When constabulary stumped Tevez!
* Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been banned from driving for six months after ignoring police letters about speeding offences because he did not understand the word 'constabulary'.
The Manchester Evening News reported that the Argentine international had pleaded guilty to three offences, including driving without a valid UK licence, at a magistrates court hearing.
The player's lawyer told magistrates that Tevez, who has played in the Premier League for seven years, had not responded to the letters because he had not understood them.
"He does understand the word 'police', but not more complicated words. The letters are written from Cheshire Constabulary and the word police doesn't appear on it anywhere," PA news quotes solicitor Gwyn Lewis as saying.
"The word constabulary is not one that is recognised internationally, but of course police is."
Brazilians worried about high cost of tickets
* Upgrades to Brazil's crumbling soccer stadiums ahead of the 2014 World Cup promise a safer, cleaner and altogether more pleasant environment for fans but the luxurious new grounds come at a price — quite literally.
Brazilian fans are already complaining about high ticket costs and a debate has begun over whether some supporters will be priced out of venues that boast cinemas, shops, restaurants, and even automatically flushing toilets.
"I fear that the new stadiums being built for the World Cup will make football more elite," Tostao, a former World Cup winner with Brazil in 1970, said in a recent newspaper column.
"Different priced tickets need to be sold in order to avoid that. Those who want to be waited on can pay for it. More humble fans have a right to pay reasonable prices and get safety and comfort."