Just when we were all beginning to get over the constant schizophrenic highs and lows induced by the World Cup, another dose of football mania hits Ireland. This year, for the first time, Carlsberg has decided to sponsor a trophy and are bringing Liverpool, Leeds United and the Italian Cup winners Lazio to compete with Irish national league champions, St Patrick's Athletic. This will bring a few more multimillionaires to our shores if only for a short while - no doubt they will all spend their free time checking out over-sized houses in Dalkey. One of the top earners, I mean players, is Marcelo Salas, who was recently signed to Lazio for a cool £15 million - one wonders whose legs have the higher insurance premium, Marcelo's or Michael Flatley's? Salas will be playing his first game for the team in Dublin, so it is unlikely any Irish fan will be watching his game as closely as the Lazio accountant.
A good number of Irish people will also be declaring their allegiance this weekend. POD nightclub owner John Reynolds has always been a fervent Leeds United fan and will be heading off to the match, as will Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, who will be bringing his latest boy band, IOU. All of these lads are football crazy, apparently. In fact, one of them had trials in Leeds United before joining the band. Other football fans will include player Jason Sherlock, models Natasha Byram and Sarah Bargus; the Carter Twins and perhaps even Boyzone themselves - they're hoping to drop in this afternoon before heading to England to do the National Lottery show there.