Each of Mario Balotelli’s last two goals have been late winners for Liverpool and each have prompted someone who should know better to criticize him for somehow not doing it properly. At this point, it has become clear that no matter what Balotelli does, someone will find a way to scold him for it. So in the interest of streamlining this process, here are a list of positive things Mario Balotelli might do and ways to turn them into negatives…
Author: Brooks Peck
Now Steven Gerrard is criticizing Mario Balotelli for scoring winners
For the second time this month, Mario Balotelli came off the bench to score a winner for Liverpool — this time in a Europa League match against Besiktas. And for the second time this month, Balotelli is getting criticized for how he did it.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a Ballon d’Or phone case worth more than his phone
Cristiano Ronaldo has a gold ball (three, actually), gold boots, and now he has a gold iPhone case to complete the set of things that would make Auric Goldfinger jealous if he were alive today and a real person. The iPhone 6 case made specially for Ronaldo by Swedish company Golden Concepts is 24 karat gold and worth more than $6,000. So if he drops it, he would be more upset about scratching the case than breaking the phone. Or he wouldn’t care because the combined value of both items is about four minutes worth of wages to him. Read more
Rise of sports data gathering firms providing opportunity to fix matches that don’t exist
Though images of players and officials pocketing wads of cash are the first that come to mind when match fixing is discussed, the practice can take many forms. And now match fixers have developed a simple new way of living up to their name: having people bet on matches that don’t actually exist. Ghost games.
Samuel Eto’o didn’t buy a cursed mansion in Italy
The Italian press ran a story this week worthy of a Scooby Doo episode: That new Sampdoria signing Samuel Eto’o purchased a 40-room villa in Portofino, Italy that is cursed by Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun for €25 million (marked down from €40 million).
DT Exclusive: David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson’s conversation during the PSG-Chelsea match
David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson sat near each other at the Parc des Princes for the first leg of PSG and Chelsea’s Champions League round of 16 tie. Though the two have had several cordial meetings since Beckham left Man United a few months after having a boot kicked in his face by Ferguson, this was the first time they’ve taken in a match together in this manner.
The following is an excerpt of their conversation while watching the game.
Group of Chelsea fans, Arrigo Sacchi destroy the absurd fantasy that there’s no racism in football
It can be far too easy for people who aren’t directly affected by racism to dismiss it as a thing of the past. Over the last few years, both FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho have both denied the existence of racism in various aspects of football. But, in quick succession, a group of Chelsea fans in Paris and former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi have provided crystal clear reminders of just how incredibly wrong that notion is at every level.
Australian defender scores own goal from 40 yards out
Central Coast Mariners defender Josh Rose scored one of the most excruciating own goals in recent memory when a misjudged backpass turned into an own goal from 40 yards out in the 89th minute of an AFC Champions League match against Guangzhou R&F.
Mariners keeper Liam Reddy was almost closer to Rose than he was to his own net when the 33-year-old defender attempted the pass in the 89th minute with R&F up 2-0. So Reddy had some distance to cover in his futile attempt to chase down the bouncing ball that made it 3-0.
The Australian club scored in added time, but losing 3-1 probably didn’t make them feel any better.
Bayern Munich fund 60 operations for children in Ukraine
Bayern Munich begin their Champions League round of 16 tie against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, but the first leg was moved to Lviv, a Ukrainian city 750 miles away from Donetsk. The decision to move the match came after Shakhtar’s Donbass Arena was damaged by artillery fire amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Chelsea break a window trying to park the bus in Paris
When parking the bus goes wrong. Chelsea suffer a broken window driving into Parc des Princes… pic.twitter.com/pxk7XSNqrK
— AS English (@English_AS) February 17, 2015
PSG’s Twitter account invoked the Chelsea parking the bus meme last weekend (jinxing themselves in the process) and before the two sides began their Champions League round of 16 showdown, Chelsea fueled a new round of jokes by literally having trouble parking their bus.