Testing times as Prem loses one of its Bist
THE Premier League is losing one of its most respected executives.
Long-serving executive office director Peta Bistany is leaving with no departure date yet fixed and no job to go to, but she wants to spend more time with her family, according to a source.
Bistany (above) is well-liked among clubs and in the Premier League for her work across the board with charities, business and community projects.
She was unwittingly caught up in the sexist e-mail scandal involving former Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
Aussie Bistany was referred to as “Edna” in one exchange, and also reported to have played along with some of the e-mails, but later defended Scudamore, which probably helped him keep his job at the time.
These are testing times for new Premier League chief
Richard Masters on the back of weekly VAR controversies and that will come under the spotlight again at the IFAB meeting in Belfast on Saturday.
But what is surprising is that Mike Riley, general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Limited, is not under more pressure.
Despite the general feeling among fans that Riley is partly to blame for discouraging referees from checking pitchside monitors, there is no will among most clubs to remove him.
One senior executive insisted it is not going away – but must be improved.
IFAB will discuss VAR, offside and handball among other things at their annual general meeting.
Also likely to be discussed is a proposal to allow a live broadcast of the referees’ feed from the VAR and fourth official, as has been used in Australia to offer greater transparency.
ARSENE WENGER and David Dein were arguably Arsenal’s greatest-ever double act as manager and executive vice-chairman.
Now they are reuniting on stage for one night only at the London Palladium in aid of Dein’s Twinning Project charity, which does great work for prisoners.
Ian Wright and Alex Scott host the evening with Dermot O’leary asking the questions. Tickets are available at lwtheatres.co.uk or 020 70877755.
even puts him ahead of Roy Hodgson’s four.
He wants to get into club football after leaving India last year, but it is a tough world out there for managers right now.
Incredibly, the Faroe Islands recently had 300 applicants to be their new national team boss – and the position was not even advertised!
TALKSPORT legend Alan Brazil has pretty much confirmed his departure from the popular breakfast show.
Brazil, who has been on holiday for most of this week, said to co-host Sam Allardyce: “See you in a week and then it all changes, but I’ll let someone else tell you that…”
Meanwhile, the funniest thing heard this week involves talksport’s Ian Abrahams, who likes to call himself The Moose. After complaining at a recent match about a lack of hot food, he returned to his workstation carrying a plate of biscuits.
But, not looking where he was going while protecting his custard creams, he accidentally kicked a cable out of a socket and briefly took the station’s live coverage off air.