HEROES VILLAINS
JOSHUA KIMMICH & LEON GORETZKA
In March, the Bayern Munich and Germany midfield duo established the WeKickCorona campaign, which has donated over €6 million to organisations including food banks, hospitals, homeless charities and blood donation services. Their latest donation of €500,000 to UNICEF is in support of the United Nations Children’s Fund, which aims to help provide vaccines to the world’s poorest countries.
FARA WILLIAMS
The former England midfielder of 172 caps became the first inductee into the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame. Set up to mark the league’s ten-year anniversary, the honour recognised Williams’ status as one of the country’s most gifted female players, overcoming homelessness to become the most capped English footballer ever.
FREIBURG
The Bundesliga side’s new stadium, which they moved into in October, is set to be one of the greenest in the world, with the potential to be carbon neutral. The 34,700-seater SC-Stadion has solar panels on the roof, generating 2.3 million kWh per year, and will be heated by energy generated from a nearby manufacturing plant. The ground also offers electric car charging stations and over 3,000 parking spaces for bikes.
MESUT OZIL
The Fenerbahce midfielder recently launched a football development centre for South Asians in the UK. Recent research revealed that British Asians make up seven per cent of the overall UK population, but just 0.25 per cent of footballers. “Why are we not seeing more [Asian] players or managers breaking into professional football?” said Ozil. “I hope the Football for Peace Mesut Ozil Centre will become the platform they need.”
WILLIAM RIBEIRO
The Sport Club Sao Paulo player has been charged with attempted murder after kicking a referee Rodrigo Crivellaro in the head. “I don’t really remember [what happened],” Crivellaro told a local radio station after being discharged from hospital. “My refereeing colleagues told me that I gave him a yellow card. He punched me in the face, I fell to the ground, got kicked, and passed out.”
PINI ZAHAVI
One of football’s most prominent agents, Zahavi has been indicted for forgery, use of forgery, fraud and money laundering. The Israeli, who has worked with the likes of Neymar, David Alaba and Thomas Tuchel, was accused amidst investigations into Belgian club Mouscron, which he bought in 2015 and sold a year later. He denies all charges.
RONNIE BRUNSWIJK
The 60-year-old owner of Surinamese side Inter Moengotapoe chose the biggest game in the club’s history – a round of 16 clash with Olimpia in the CONCACAF League – as the moment to make his professional football debut. Brunswijk played nearly an hour of the 6-0 defeat, and was later recorded handing out cash in the visitors’ dressing room and left wearing an Olimpia shirt. Both clubs were subsequently disqualified from the competition.
MARK CLATTENBURG
The former Premier League referee came under fire for his comments on female referees in an interview with talkSPORT. “The problem with women is…they have a difficult pathway if they get pregnant during their refereeing career,” said Clattenburg. “Do they want to be pregnant or do they want to be referees?” The organisation Women In Football described Clattenburg’s comments as “lazy” and “outdated”.