Thursday, 29 September 2011
Manchester City suspend Carlos Tevez for up to two weeks
Monday, 26 September 2011
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Mike Modano makes retirement official
Malinga seals Mumbai win over Chennai....
Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings in the Champions Twenty20 League thanks to a match-winning innings by Lasith Malinga.
The Sri Lankan fast bowler proved more than useful with the bat as he scored 37 from 18 balls at the death to see off the defending champions by three wickets.
Chennai batted first and raced to an impressive 157-4 from their 20 overs, aided by 81 from opening batsman Michael Hussey.
But it was not enough, as Malinga and Harbhajan Singh fought back with an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 53 to squeeze past the target with one ball remaining.
Hussey put Chennai in control after they won the toss and decided to bat, hitting three sixes and eight fours in his confident innings before his wicket fell with the score on 144.
Suresh Raina went for 18 from 17 balls, stumped off the bowling of Kieron Pollard, before new batsman Subramaniam Badrinath survived a run-out attempt when he had scored three, after replays showed he grounded his bat just in time.
Chennai kept the scoreboard racing at more than seven runs an over, and even when Badrinath fell to the bowling of Abu Nechim, MS Dhoni came to the crease and scored a quickfire 22 not out from 13 balls.
Stalled
Mumbai started the chase with Davy Jacobs and Aiden Blizzard but lost quick wickets which stopped them from building early momentum.
Jacobs was stumped by Dhoni off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin for 19 before Blizzard fell two overs later, clean bowled by Raina for 28.
Mumbai lost Ambati Rayudu and Tirumalasetti Suman for just nine runs, bringing all-rounder Pollard to the crease to join Andrew Symonds with the score at 59-4.
The partnership did not last long, as Symonds fell to the bowling of Dwayne Bravo for three to leave Mumbai's tail tantalisingly close for the Chennai attack.
Big-hitting Pollard looked to rescue the innings but he fell for 22 from 19 balls.
However, two consecutive sixes by Malinga left Mumbai wanting 25 from the final two overs, and along with Harbhajan, who reached 19 from 20 balls, he guided Mumbai to the win with one ball to spare
Michael Owen open to England recall
Ferguson believes striker could do a job for Capello...
Manchester United striker Michael Owen has accepted he is not part of Fabio Capello's England plans but insists he will never turn his back on his country
The former Liverpool striker quickly fell out of favour when Capello took over as national team boss in 2008, with injuries also undermining his chances of a recall.
But 31-year-old Owen - who has 89 caps and 40 goals - still shows his class when opportunities arise and scored in United's midweek Carling Cup win at Leeds.
And he admits he would seize his chance should Capello change his mind.
Owen told The Observer: "I was in every squad for over a decade and all of a sudden it stopped one day.
"I would never turn my back on it, but obviously there's a scar there that still hurts a bit. But I don't get upset now when I'm not in the squad, like I used to.
"If I got a call-up I'd be there within five minutes.
"Fabio Capello picked his first squad and I was on the bench. I thought: 'This might be a sign that he doesn't fancy me.' The next time I wasn't in the squad, and that's just been that."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Owen would bring something different to the national team in terms of natural goalscoring ability.
Gift
"If you need a goal out of nothing there's no one better in the game. England don't have anyone like that," said Ferguson in the Daily Star Sunday.
"He's got it, there's no doubt about that. Let's be honest, Michael has that little gift that he can appear in the box from nowhere.
"He hasn't got that blinding pace of a younger person but then you always lose pace. Michael hasn't got that natural balance which Ryan Giggs has got either. But his positional sense is brilliant.
"So is his awareness around the box. He makes runs at the right time, getting across defenders at the right time. He turns really well, too. He's just got that gift."
Owen has had limited opportunities to impress at United this season but came on to play alongside Dimitar Berbatov in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Stoke after Javier Hernandez limped off injured, with Wayne Rooney missing the match because of a hamstring problem.
Ferguson added: "It's not easy keeping Michael happy in terms of games. But I'm very happy with him.
"He's just the same as Berbatov, a bit unlucky at the moment because what do you do when you have got players like Rooney, Hernandez and Welbeck?
"Although I must say Owen is getting to the point when you say to yourself, 'I really need to think about him more..
curtesy..sky sports..
Friday, 23 September 2011
Graeme Swann enjoyed the perfect start to his England captaincy career as his young side thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets at the Oval.
The Secret Footballer: No shame in being naked before the chairman
.
There was a time when the media were guaranteed a soundbite from a football club owner even when a club was on a downward spiral. Those days, however, are long gone. We have no idea what Roman Abramovich thinks of Fernando Torres, are completely in the dark when it comes to Malcolm Glazer's long-term plans for Manchester United and, much to the Arsenal supporters' frustration, know nothing about what Stan Kroenke makes of Arsenal's worst start to a season in more than half a century.
The reality, of course, is that club ownership is a very different affair from what it was 20 years ago. Since the Premier League began, the local millionaire businessman has been relieved of the responsibility of keeping his hobby afloat by some of the richest individuals and private equity firms on the planet and, in most cases, not because of a shared passion for the club.
The new money pouring in has transformed the football landscape in this country; there are new stadiums, state-of-the-art training grounds and a fair share of the world's finest players because of the huge wages on offer (the rest of us have done all right out of it as well).
Yet the relentless swagger of progress has left behind plenty of casualties; higher ticket prices, a depleted national team and insolvent clubs to name but three. Delve deeper and somewhere beneath the ashes of a sheepskin coat and an old Rolls Royce are the remains of a forgotten chairman with local ties who knew the importance of communicating with supporters and was willing to speak his mind.
In recent years, the protests at Old Trafford and Liverpool have highlighted the importance of club ownership among supporters. At Stamford Bridge, Abramovich's takeover of Chelsea is often derided as nothing more than a rich man's "plaything", yet it is undeniable that the Russian's billions have delivered huge success. The only question is, what happens if he gets bored with it?
A chairman whose club I played for years ago loved showing off "his" club to friends. We'd be in the changing room before a big game and there'd be famous people wandering around, drink in hand, talking to you about whatever they wanted. It annoyed many of the lads that were trying to go through their pre-match routine and so a team-mate suggested to me that we should always try to greet any friend of the chairman completely naked, as if they'd caught us in the middle of getting changed. And that's exactly what we did.
Together we have shaken hands with some of the most famous people wearing nothing more than a smile. My friend, being more confident than me, would take their hand and keep shaking it, tightening his grip and talking to them until the embarrassment became excruciating and the victims' host would have to come to the rescue. For some reason though, he kept bringing them in. If in doubt, show them your "plaything", I guess.
We knew we could get away with our behaviour by dressing it up as an occupational hazard. It was harmless fun and, generally, nobody would dream of directly insulting the chairman, no matter how much they wanted to. What is true for a player at any club is that if the chairman or owner takes the time to chat, you must listen as if what he is about to say is the most important thing anybody will ever say to you. And when he is finished acknowledge him with: "Thank you, Mr Chairman."
If, like me, you find the wealth of these people fascinating, you'll be disappointed to hear that on the many occasions that I, and others, have tried to enter into a conversation with them about money or materialistic pleasures or even social debate, it is like the bulletproof glass coming down at the bank as the place is held up by armed robbers. Their answers become distant, sheepish and curt.
I have never asked anything as crude as: "How much money do you have?" And I never would. But I have always found it a pity that for everything these men have done in their lives, the most personal conversation I have had with any one of them was about a great restaurant our chairman was recommending to me. He finished the conversation abruptly when I asked what he had ordered; I had only inquired to show I wasn't a complete idiot when it came to knowing the difference between foie gras and a filet mignon.
Today, fans tend to get even less from the man at the top. The Premier League has evolved and noticeable divisions within it are clearer than ever.
In line with these changes are the revised ambitions of thousands of supporters who share an acceptance that not every club is able to compete in terms of wages, transfer fees and trophies. The least those fans are entitled to expect of their owner, though, is that they will respect the club and its traditions and run it responsibly so there will always be a team to support. Players, on the other hand, wouldn't care if the only time they came into contact with the owner was while signing a new deal.
Just prior to my first "big" game as a professional, our chairman marched in to the changing room prior to kick‑off to bark out his battle cry. This being something of a first, our manager took exception and, lifting the chairman up by the scruff of the neck, pausing only to ask our goalkeeper if he'd kindly open the door, threw him out into the corridor. He turned back to us with a straight face and said: "Fucking tight arse."
I'm not sure if that's an affectionate term only used between managers and chairmen but there is nothing to make you try harder than when someone subliminally lets you know that your replacement is being sought. If Kroenke chose to break his silence, he would probably tell you that too
curtesy..gurdian..
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Team gelled well in Zimbabwe - Waqar
Pakistan had gelled well as a unit on their successful tour of Zimbabwe, outgoing coach Waqar Younis has said. Pakistan had played one Test, three ODIs and two Twenty20s during the recently concluded tour, with a 100% win record.
"I think there is no need to say much as results speak for themselves," Waqar told AFP after the team returned to Pakistan. "We won all the matches on the tour and the players gelled well to give this good performance."
He was pleased with his stint as coach, he said. "I am happy and a satisfied man and have learnt a lot during this tenure." Waqar had announced before the tour of Zimbabwe that he would be stepping down for personal reasons after 18 months as coach. He will now head to Australia, where his family resides, to undergo treatment on his liver.
Waqar took over as coach of the national side in March 2010, in the aftermath of a dismal tour of Australia on which Pakistan failed to win a game. He replaced Intikhab Alam and his stint coincided with a turbulent phase for Pakistan cricket. The spot-fixing controversy erupted during the 2010 tour of England and the wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, fled to London while Pakistan was involved in a series against South Africa in the UAE later in the year.
On the field though, Pakistan enjoyed a successful tour of New Zealand under Waqar, prior to the 2011 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals. They also beat West Indies 3-2 in an ODI series in the Caribbean, but the tour was marred by his differences with then limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi over discipline.
Current captain Misbah-ul-Haq said he was "on the same frequency" as Waqar whenever the two worked together. "He [Waqar] did very well and during his stints we, as a team, progressed well," Misbah said. "I hope that the experience gained during the [Zimbabwe] tour will serve us well during the upcoming series against Sri Lanka."
Pakistan play three Tests, five ODIs and a lone Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in the UAE between October 18 and November 25.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Sri Lanka have dropped Thilan Samaraweera from their squad for the Test series against Pakistan.
Samaraweera, a 68-Test veteran, was omitted for the final match of the recent series with Australia after scoring just 86 runs in four innings earlier in the series.
"Thilan will not come into the reckoning in our long-term plans," said chairman of selectors Duleep Mendis.
"We intend giving youngsters an opportunity while the seniors are around. He might be considered on a short-term basis."
The selectors are persisting with young batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who opened the batting against Australia in the final Test in Colombo.
Sri Lanka play Pakistan in a three Test matches, starting on October 18 in the United Arab Emirates.
The 16-man squad includes uncapped batsman Dinesh Chandimal, wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva and seam bowler Nuwan Pradeep.
Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene (wkt), Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva
Steven Gerrard is targeting a return to Premier League action against Wolves this weekend after returning to action in the Carling Cup.
The Liverpool skipper played out the final 15 minutes of Liverpool's 2-1 win at Brighton on Wednesday night, his first appearance in six months following a groin injury.
Gerrard is remaining level-headed as Kenny Dalglish prepares to ease him back into regular first-team football, with the 31-year-old hoping to make the bench for the visit of Mick McCarthy's Wolves to Anfield this weekend.
"It's nice to come through the first test and now I'll train tomorrow and hopefully I'll be selected in the first 18 against Wolves and get some game time," Gerrard told Sky Sports.
"If we were two or three up at half-time, I might have got a few more minutes but it wasn't about me, it was about progressing to the next round of the cup and getting that Tottenham performance out of our systems.
"I think we've done that tonight."
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Leeds 0 - 3 Man Utd
Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs celebrate Goalscorers Owen and Giggs (right) rolled back the years at Elland Road
Michael Owen marked his first action of the season with a brace as Manchester United sauntered into the Carling Cup fourth round at the expense of Leeds.
The visitors, despite sporting 11 changes to the side that beat Chelsea at the weekend, were excellent.
Owen opened the scoring with a scuffed shot after good work by Dimitar Berbatov before lashing in a second.
Ryan Giggs made it 3-0 with a fine run and shot before half-time and that was enough to secure their progress.
It continues Manchester United's remarkable start to the season, the result at Elland Road making it seven victories and a draw from their eight matches so far this campaign, including the Community Shield.
And the nature of the win was all the more impressive given Sir Alex Ferguson reshuffled his entire team - not that the changes affected their rhythm at all.
A makeshift defence marshalled by Michael Carrick and young debutant Ezekiel Fryers was assured, a midfield flanked by Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf full of running and an attack led by Owen and Berbatov a constant threat.
The outcome might have been different had Leeds converted a fine chance early on, when Berbatov cleared off the line twice in quick succession - first from Tom Lees's header from a corner and then from Ross McCormack's follow-up.
But as it was that was the closest Leeds came to causing an upset.
Owen was their tormentor-in-chief, scuffing a left-foot shot home to open the scoring from Park Ji-sung's pass after Berbatov's sublime through-ball and then drilling a beauty into the top corner from just inside the area to make it 2-0.
DID YOU KNOW?
Continue reading the main story
Michael Owen has now scored 18 goals in 19 League Cup starts for Liverpool, Newcastle and Man Utd.
Regarded by some as a nuisance, the Carling Cup must rank as one of Owen's favourite competitions - that brace representing his fifth and sixth goals in six Carling Cup games under Ferguson.
Leeds continued to battle gamely - with Adam Clayton particularly impressive in midfield for the hosts.
The boys in red always looked likely to cause problems, however, and Giggs continued the "valuable veterans" theme before half-time with an excellent goal, surging in from the left, nutmegging Robert Snodgrass and firing a rising finish past home keeper Andy Lonergan.
As a result the second half was far less competitive than the first, with Manchester United happy to sit on their lead and Leeds less keen to mix it up with Friday's league encounter against Brighton surely weighing heavily on their minds.
Owen remained a threat, chipping narrowly wide just before the hour mark and then having a goalbound shot from substitute Danny Welbeck's cross deflected wide.
However, the latter stages of the match were more memorable for the debuts given to Paul Pogba and Larnell Cole, and the centre-half pairing that finished the match for the visitors - Carrick paired with Berbatov after Fryers' exit through injury left them with 10 men for the final 10 minutes.
Michael Owen marked his first action of the season with a brace as Manchester United sauntered into the Carling Cup fourth round at the expense of Leeds.
The visitors, despite sporting 11 changes to the side that beat Chelsea at the weekend, were excellent.
Owen opened the scoring with a scuffed shot after good work by Dimitar Berbatov before lashing in a second.
Ryan Giggs made it 3-0 with a fine run and shot before half-time and that was enough to secure their progress.
It continues Manchester United's remarkable start to the season, the result at Elland Road making it seven victories and a draw from their eight matches so far this campaign, including the Community Shield.
And the nature of the win was all the more impressive given Sir Alex Ferguson reshuffled his entire team - not that the changes affected their rhythm at all.
A makeshift defence marshalled by Michael Carrick and young debutant Ezekiel Fryers was assured, a midfield flanked by Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf full of running and an attack led by Owen and Berbatov a constant threat.
The outcome might have been different had Leeds converted a fine chance early on, when Berbatov cleared off the line twice in quick succession - first from Tom Lees's header from a corner and then from Ross McCormack's follow-up.
But as it was that was the closest Leeds came to causing an upset.
Owen was their tormentor-in-chief, scuffing a left-foot shot home to open the scoring from Park Ji-sung's pass after Berbatov's sublime through-ball and then drilling a beauty into the top corner from just inside the area to make it 2-0.
DID YOU KNOW?
Continue reading the main story
Michael Owen has now scored 18 goals in 19 League Cup starts for Liverpool, Newcastle and Man Utd.
Regarded by some as a nuisance, the Carling Cup must rank as one of Owen's favourite competitions - that brace representing his fifth and sixth goals in six Carling Cup games under Ferguson.
Leeds continued to battle gamely - with Adam Clayton particularly impressive in midfield for the hosts.
The boys in red always looked likely to cause problems, however, and Giggs continued the "valuable veterans" theme before half-time with an excellent goal, surging in from the left, nutmegging Robert Snodgrass and firing a rising finish past home keeper Andy Lonergan.
As a result the second half was far less competitive than the first, with Manchester United happy to sit on their lead and Leeds less keen to mix it up with Friday's league encounter against Brighton surely weighing heavily on their minds.
Owen remained a threat, chipping narrowly wide just before the hour mark and then having a goalbound shot from substitute Danny Welbeck's cross deflected wide.
However, the latter stages of the match were more memorable for the debuts given to Paul Pogba and Larnell Cole, and the centre-half pairing that finished the match for the visitors - Carrick paired with Berbatov after Fryers' exit through injury left them with 10 men for the final 10 minutes.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Monday, 12 September 2011
Rooney is back...Evera Man united full-back belive it..
Patrice Evra believes Wayne Rooney is now back to his best form following the Manchester United striker's problems of last season.
Rooney's future at Old Trafford appeared bleak almost 12 months ago when he handed in a transfer request after questioning the club's future ambitions.
He subsequently performed a U-turn and signed a new contract before playing a key role in United's Premier League title success in the second half of the campaign.
The England international has carried that form into the new campaign and scored his second successive hat-trick for the Red Devils in Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers.
Evra feels his team-mate is now eager to prove his quality after Rooney's form also dipped during the period of uncertainty over his future.
Great professional
"Last season he had some problems but now Wayne is back," said Evra. "Now he wants to show what a top player he is.
"He is a great professional and wants to be the best in the world.
"He just has to keep doing what he is doing. I will be very happy if he keeps scoring and we win the league."
Meanwhile, United new boy Phil Jones is glad to be on the same side as Rooney and Javier Hernandez rather than having to try and stop them.
Hernandez scored United's other two goals at Bolton on Saturday and Jones feels halting the strike duo must be a nightmare for opposition defenders.
Jones said: "It is impossible to defend against Wayne and Javier at times.
"Their movement is phenomenal. It is a struggle for defenders to cope with it."
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Tottenham boss has revealed he would love to sign David Beckham.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has revealed he would love to sign David Beckham.
The former England captain is in the final year of his Major League Soccer contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Redknapp told the Sun: "If David wants to come to Tottenham, I'd welcome him with open arms."
He added: "He's definitely still good enough to play in the Premier League.
"His game was never about pace so whether he's quick or not isn't an issue."
Beckham, who trained with Spurs last winter, has been linked with a move to QPR after their owner Tony Fernandes made his interest in the player known on Twitter.
Redknapp added: "He is worth his weight in gold, he'd be an asset for any club. I'd have him here, that's for sure.
"He wouldn't be able to play until the January transfer window opens, though, because we've already lodged our 25 players with the Premier League.
"But he'd be a great one to have around the club again.
sportstotal: Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is thankful Manchester...
sportstotal: Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is thankful Manchester...: United start their quest for a fourth final appearance in five seasons on Wednesday with a trip to Benfica, and also face Basel and Otelul G...
Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is thankful Manchester United have not been drawn in as difficult a UEFA Champions League group as local rivals Manchester City.
United start their quest for a fourth final appearance in five seasons on Wednesday with a trip to Benfica, and also face Basel and Otelul Gulati in Group C.
In contrast, derby foes City will be making their Champions League debut and have been drawn alongside Bayern Munich, Villarreal and Napoli.
Ferguson accepts United have been lucky with their draw and does not envy his City counterpart Roberto Mancini's task in the group phase.
"I think we've been very lucky in the draw because you can sometimes get a really difficult group - not just against good teams but involving travel too," said Ferguson.
"I think we've been very lucky in the draw because you can sometimes get a really difficult group - not just against good teams but involving travel too."
Sir Alex Ferguson Quotes of the week
"You look at City's group, with Napoli, Bayern Munich and Villarreal, and that's a bloody difficult group - a glad-you're-not-in-it kind of group.
"There are four teams in there capable of being in the top seven in this country so that won't be easy.
"When you look at the danger teams this season you definitely think Real Madrid will be there because I'm certain they will improve this year but Bayern Munich will be in there too and they say Napoli have improved too.
"Italian football is not in a good cycle of success at the moment but Napoli are doing OK and have some good players.
"The cycle is with the English and Spanish teams so you'd expect those two countries to provide the teams who will be involved again in the final stages."
The Red Devils have enjoyed a 100 per cent start in the Premier League this season after Ferguson put his faith in the youngsters, but he is expected to revert to an experienced line-up for the opening Champions League game away to Benfica.
Experience
He added: "Experience will be important against Benfica and that's why my team might be different in Lisbon on Wednesday.
"Benfica are always a handful. We always expect a difficult game there and I watched a couple of their matches away from home and they were absolutely brilliant.
"There's no doubt the younger players will get good experience in the Champions League this season but the important thing is to qualify.
"The home games will be better for them. Our first home game is against Basel and the young players are capable of playing in that type of game. Benfica away is one you have to respect."
Meanwhile, Ferguson is hoping there will be an improvement in the quality of the pitch at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest where United will face Galati next month.
He said: "We hope that something will be done. Galati is 140 miles from Bucharest and we thought it would be a bonus playing in the national stadium but if the pitch is bad it is a problem."
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Sir Alex Ferguson is considering leaving goalkeeper David de Gea out of Saturday evening's Barclays Premier League game at Bolton Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2035707/Manchester-United-goalkeeper-David-Gea-facing-axe.Manchester United manager Ferguson has been publicly supportive of the 20-year-old Spaniard since he arrived at Old Trafford and is firm in his belief that De Gea will go on to be the club's No 1 goalkeeper for the next decade. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2035707/Manchester-United-goalkeeper-David-Gea-facing-axe.
Manchester United manager Ferguson has been publicly supportive of the 20-year-old Spaniard since he arrived at Old Trafford and is firm in his belief that De Gea will go on to be the club's No 1 goalkeeper for the next decad.
But after a couple of high-profile mistakes in his first few games for United, Ferguson spent much of Friday wondering whether to replace De Gea with Denmark keeper Anders Lindegaard at the Reebok Stadium.
Ferguson is concerned about the physical threat carried by Owen Coyle's Bolton side and thinks that De Gea may benefit from a day out of the spotlight ahead of United's game in Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday.
However, leaving De Gea out now would represent a blow to the former Atletico Madrid man and Ferguson was wondering what effect it may have on his confidence.
Meanwhile, midfielder Tom Cleverley is expected to be rested on Saturday.
But after a couple of high-profile mistakes in his first few games for United, Ferguson spent much of Friday wondering whether to replace De Gea with Denmark keeper Anders Lindegaard at the Reebok Stadium.
Ferguson is concerned about the physical threat carried by Owen Coyle's Bolton side and thinks that De Gea may benefit from a day out of the spotlight ahead of United's game in Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday.
However, leaving De Gea out now would represent a blow to the former Atletico Madrid man and Ferguson was wondering what effect it may have on his confidence.
Meanwhile, midfielder Tom Cleverley is expected to be rested on Saturday.
David Beckham's brother-in-law 'forced out of job for not arranging meetings with football star"
Darren Flood, 32, who married Victoria's sister Louise in 2009 in a lavish
ceremony at the Beckhams' Hertfordshire mansion, was asked by his boss Tony
Herbert to use the relationship to arrange trips to Los Angeles and Milan
and, when he didn't, told him he "wasn't good enough" to be a part
of the famous family, it was alleged.
Mr Flood, who has an Indian grandfather, said he was also racially bullied and
taunted and "belittled" by Herbert about his background - who "insisted"
he was in charge of ordering takeaways for colleagues if it was curry and
said he was going to buy him a beaded car seat "like Indian cab driver".
The broker, who had worked for consulting firm BGC International LP since he
was 18, told the East London tribunal the bullying increased after he raised
issues about alleged "dodgy" trading practices within the company,
to which they apparently turned a "blind eye".
Mr Flood was also struggling financially, having complained about the level of
bonus he was receiving.
When the taunts eventually got on top of him and he handed in his resignation,
he was eventually offered a salary of £75,000 with a Christmas bonus of
£25,000 if he stayed on for another three years.
However, he refused as, having already had three children with Louise, he was "already
breaking into savings to survive."
Reading his witness statement to the tribunal Mr Flood, who was supported by his wife Louise and Louise and Victoria's father, said: "My partner and I got together in 2007.
"My sister and brother-in-law are Victoria and David Beckham, a fact which is well known in the company. Tony Herbert knew this and attempted to use it to the advantage of the clients, asking for trips to Los Angeles and Milan.
"I didn't want to exploit the relationship and would said I would see what I could do. When it never took place he took to belittling me and saying I was not good enough for the family."
Referring to the alleged racist abuse, Mr Flood continued: "Tony Herbert frequently referred to my Indian heritage.
"It was not unusual for the desk to order a takeaway on Fridays and he always insisted I order it if it was a curry. He told me he was going to get a beaded car seat like Indian cab drivers."
He further referred to numerous occasions where he was called a c**t by Herbert, at one point in front of the entire office.
After Herbert had screamed, 'f**k you, you c**t, all pay rises are off the table" he said: "I took this to be the final straw.
"I had told him before not to use such language, but he had not done so. I felt completely undermined. I felt that I could not continue to work for this man.
"I have thought about this a lot and with the benefit of hindsight I believe that after failing to introduce clients to the benefits of Mr and Mrs Beckham, Tony Herbert wanted me out.
"[The respondent] is saying alleging that offensive language is commonplace in the industry. That to a certain extent is true. It is not the language that caused me offence, it was the fact that it was aimed directly at me. I do not believe any employee should be subject to racism, no matter how much they are being paid.
After working for the company for 11 years, Mr Flood eventually handed in his resignation on November 3rd, 2008, and raised his formal grievance in March the next year.
Mr Flood, of Loughton, Essex, is claiming unfair dismissal. The company denies all the allegations.
The hearing continues.
Reading his witness statement to the tribunal Mr Flood, who was supported by his wife Louise and Louise and Victoria's father, said: "My partner and I got together in 2007.
"My sister and brother-in-law are Victoria and David Beckham, a fact which is well known in the company. Tony Herbert knew this and attempted to use it to the advantage of the clients, asking for trips to Los Angeles and Milan.
"I didn't want to exploit the relationship and would said I would see what I could do. When it never took place he took to belittling me and saying I was not good enough for the family."
Referring to the alleged racist abuse, Mr Flood continued: "Tony Herbert frequently referred to my Indian heritage.
"It was not unusual for the desk to order a takeaway on Fridays and he always insisted I order it if it was a curry. He told me he was going to get a beaded car seat like Indian cab drivers."
He further referred to numerous occasions where he was called a c**t by Herbert, at one point in front of the entire office.
After Herbert had screamed, 'f**k you, you c**t, all pay rises are off the table" he said: "I took this to be the final straw.
"I had told him before not to use such language, but he had not done so. I felt completely undermined. I felt that I could not continue to work for this man.
"I have thought about this a lot and with the benefit of hindsight I believe that after failing to introduce clients to the benefits of Mr and Mrs Beckham, Tony Herbert wanted me out.
"[The respondent] is saying alleging that offensive language is commonplace in the industry. That to a certain extent is true. It is not the language that caused me offence, it was the fact that it was aimed directly at me. I do not believe any employee should be subject to racism, no matter how much they are being paid.
After working for the company for 11 years, Mr Flood eventually handed in his resignation on November 3rd, 2008, and raised his formal grievance in March the next year.
Mr Flood, of Loughton, Essex, is claiming unfair dismissal. The company denies all the allegations.
The hearing continues.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Sunday, 4 September 2011
sportstotal: Match of the Day 2...Football...
sportstotal: Match of the Day 2...Football...: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b014616b/Match_of_the_Day_2
Saturday, 3 September 2011
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