REPORTS WE COULDN’T MAKE UP
1 BOOT BETRAYAL
Corinthians striker Jo was hit with a fine by his club after taking to the pitch in their Serie A clash with Bahia wearing a green pair of boots – the colour of the club’s arch-rivals, Palmeiras. In a statement, the Sao Paulo club said that they “spoke with striker Jo about the use of football boots in the match against Bahia. The player was warned, fined and will not wear them again, neither in training or in games.” The former Brazil striker, who has enjoyed spells in Russia, England, Japan, China, United Arab Emirates and Turkey during his club career, and is now currently in his third spell at the Sao Paulo club, said: “I would never disrespect Corinthians, much less the fans. I have always honoured this shirt and I always will.”
2 ACTING UP
Thai League 1 side Ratchaburi Mitr Phol marked their first appearance in the Asian Champions League with a Hollywood signing: actor Phakin Khamwilaisak, also known as “Tono”. After training with the club to improve his fitness, the former reality TV star is said to have done enough to earn a six-month contract and a spot in the Champions League squad. Tono’s story didn’t quite to go script however: he didn’t play a single minute as Ratchaburi were dumped out of the group stage with just two points.
3 “WE HAVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EUROPE”
That was the verdict of the six French supporters that set out to Bucharest to watch their country take on Hungary in the Euro 2020 group stage, 518 miles from Budapest where the match actually took place. According to reports, the group didn’t even realise their mistake until arriving in the Romanian capital city, when they attempted to follow some Ukrainian fans (in town for their team’s Group C fixture with Austria) to the stadium. “We thought they were Hungarian fans going to the game and we followed them,” said one of the men.
4 AFRICAN SUPER LEAGUE
Undeterred by the nearuniversal derision that greeted proposals for a European Super League, Patrice Motsepe, the new president of CAF (Confederation of African Football), has announced plans for an African equivalent. His organisation, he said, are: “in preliminary discussions to start an inclusive and broadly supported and beneficial CAF Super League.” FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly behind the idea, with the goal of making football on the continent more financially viable.
5 FAKE NAME
The Bundesliga Rookie of the Season, Silas Wamangituka, has revealed that he spent the last four years playing under a false name and age. The Stuttgart striker – whose real name is in fact Silas Katompa Mvumpa – admitted that an agent pressured him into adopting a fake passport while on trial at Anderlecht as an 18-yearold. “I have lived in constant fear in recent years and was worried about my family in the Congo,” he told Stuttgart’s official website. “I wouldn’t have dared do this if VfB Stuttgart hadn’t become a second home for me where I feel safe.” The DFB were not sympathetic however, handing the winger a €30,000 fine and a three-month suspension.