Patients from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital paid a special visit to the home of struggling Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal to spread some much needed holiday cheer. The children were delighted to help raise the spirits of someone less fortunate than them during Christmas period.
Petr Cech forms a festive band with Alexis Sanchez and Nacho Monreal
Petr Cech puts his drumming skills to good, playing a holiday medley with Santa Claus on guitar to benefit the Arsenal Foundation. But when Alexis Sanchez and Nacho Monreal enter the room, Cech puts them to work for a jam session.
The most deluded quotes from Sepp Blatter’s suspension press conference
With a bandage on his cheek to match the metaphorical one on his ego, Sepp Blatter conducted a rambling and typically bizarre press conference after being given an eight-year ban (along with Michel Platini) by FIFA’s ethics committee. These are the most astoundingly real and supremely Sepp quotes from this hilarious event.
-An early fake-out: “I am sorry. I am sorry that I am still somewhere a punching ball. I am sorry that as president of Fifa I am a punching ball. I am sorry for football. I am sorry for the 400+ Fifa members. I’m sorry. I am sorry about how I am treated in this world of humanitarian qualities.”
-You don’t say: “The decision has created a lot of collateral damage, my family was mocked.”
-Dumber than they look: “Inside FIFA people could not understand why the president was suspended.”
-Case closed: “There might have been an administrative error, but this was nothing to do with the ethics. This cannot be proven. If it cannot be proven, then it cannot be guilty.”
-An important distinction: “I have never cheated with money.”
-Fingers in his ears: “This committee has no right to go against the president of FIFA. The president can only be removed by the congress. Even suspended, I am still the president. I regret, but I am not ashamed.”
-A parting threat: “I’ll be back.”
DTotD: Felipe Melo kicks Lazio player in the ear, gets sent off
“@Marcocalcio22: From bad to worse Felipe Melo sent off for this Karate Chop on Lukas Biglia pic.twitter.com/G1fGmH0q9M” IDIOT!
— petrichor (@glossolalia69) December 20, 2015
Felipe Melo, who you might remember as the man who used Arjen Robben as a doormat during the 2010 World Cup, is still finding creative ways to assault people with his feet after all these years. During Inter’s Serie A match against Lazio, Melo was shown a straight red for proving that he could use Lucas Biglia’s shoulder as a foot rest.
Inter lost 2-1.
This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.
Massimo Maccarone celebrates goal by having a beer
If anything is deserving of a mid-match beer, scoring twice in a span of six minutes to give your side a 3-2 lead is probably it. And since that’s what Massimo Maccarone did for Empoli against Bologna, scoring just before and just after halftime, he ran to the stands and swiped a beer for a cheeky sip.
Previously: Toronto FC goalkeeper takes a sip of a fan’s beer after win
Chelsea fans support Jose Mourinho, react angrily to winning in first match after sacking
With the new braintrust of returning friends of the club Guus Hiddink and Didier Drogba in the stands next to owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea fans expressed their undying loyalty to ousted manager Jose Mourinho, as well as their frustration with the players who “betrayed” him in the first match after his sacking.
Landon Donovan joins Wambach in crusade against players who aren’t American enough (for them)
There have been two notable responses to Abby Wambach’s declaration of distaste for “foreign guys” playing for the U.S. men’s national team. One was an impassioned and thoughtful defense of such players by someone who falls into that category and the other was a seconding of Wambach’s opinion by a fellow retiree who seems to still be feeling personally aggrieved by the foreign guys she was talking about.
Jose Mourinho’s farewell message to the Chelsea players
You did it. You got me sacked. Seven months after winning the league, four months after signing contract extension, you got me sacked. Again. Bravo for you.
Are you proud of yourselves? You should be. This is impressive accomplishment. Very impressive. It is your first victory in a while, so congratulations.
Something terrible has happened to Andres Iniesta’s head
When Barcelona took the pitch for their Club World Cup semifinal against Guangzhou Evergrande, captain Andres Iniesta’s appearance revealed that he had been the victim of a horrible crime.
U.S. women lose at home for first time since 2004 in Abby Wambach’s last game
What was supposed to be a joyous celebration of Abby Wambach’s legendary career proved historic for a second reason as the U.S. lost 1-0 to China at home. This loss ended the World Cup winners’ 24-match unbeaten streak overall and astonishing 104-match unbeaten streak at home. Their last home loss was in November 2004 to Denmark, just three years after Wambach made her international debut.