REPORTS We COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 Pre-season Paddle
White-water rafting seemed to be the popular choice of pre-season preparation among Dutch clubs this summer.
Ajax players took their paddles to the Ziller river during their training camp at Hippach in Austria, while PSV took the white-water route from Chable to Sembrancher in the Swiss Alps during preparations for the new Eredivisie season.
2 Back of The Net
When World Cup-winner Cristian Zaccardo found himself without a club this summer he advertised his services on job-hunting site LinkedIn.
The 35-year-old full-back, who played three times during the Azzurri’s 2006 triumph, was a free agent after being released by Vicenza following their relegation from Serie B.
A Bundesliga winner with Wolfsburg in 2009, who has also played for Milan in Serie A, he wrote on the website: “I’m still good physically. I could play two more years at high levels. Who will take me to make a deal?”
3 Costa In Demand
Besiktas fans set a new record on Instagram with their comments on the photosharing social media site after rumours spread that Diego Costa might join the Turkish club.
Over 3.1million comments were posted, many simply urging the Chelsea and Brazil striker: “Come to Besiktas” – beating the previous record of 1.168m comments about a photo of singer Selena Gomez.
4 Buying success
Despite finishing fifth in the First Division last season and missing out on promotion to the Premier League, AmaZulu will start the new campaign in the South African top flight – after buying second-tier champions Thanda Royal Zulu.
Thanda will now be moved 100 miles to their new owners’ Durban base and change their name to AmaZulu.
“We are not against the sale of franchises,” says South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan. “Sometimes owners cannot afford the costs associated with running a PSL club. What we do object to is the relocation of clubs in the process.”
5 St Pauli are The Bees’ Knees
Bundesliga 2 club St Pauli are well-known for their loyal fans, who wave skull-and-crossbones flags during games and protest against racism and fascism. The side even run out to AC/DC’s Hells Bells before matches.
But now they have had beehives installed in their Millerntor stadium in Hamburg and are producing their own honey – which they have called Ewaldbienenhonig, which translates as “Ewald honey” in honour of the club coach Ewald Lienen.