You might have read last week that there is finally a resolution to the case involving Jens Lehmann removing the roof beams from his Bavarian neighbour’s garage with a chainsaw because it blocked his view of the nearby lake. And which one of us wouldn’t have done the same?
He had been found guilty of the offence last December but having originally appealed against the verdict he opted to plead guilty on Friday. He was fined €135,000 and reached an out-of-court settlement with his neighbour.
In what was an eventful week for the former German goalkeeper, having earlier been arrested for suspected drink driving, he was also found guilty of attempted fraud having twice been spotted avoiding paying for parking at Munich airport. “He is said to have driven bumper to bumper behind another car in his Porsche to get under the barrier without paying,” reported Bild.
Lehmann is reckoned to be worth €24 million, the court calculating that he still earns around a million a year, a big chunk of that coming from rent from a sizeable property portfolio. By twice slipping through that car park barrier, he saved himself €230. But you know what they say, if you look after the cents, the euros will look after themselves.
Turkish football rivalry spills over to basketball
The rather intense Fenerbahce v Galatasaray rivalry has spilled over in to the world of Turkish basketball, causing no little mayhem. The gist: Ergin Ataman, the basketball coach of Turkey’s men’s side, is a Galatasaray football fan, and during a recent club basketball match he held up his fingers to signal ‘3-1′ in a celebratory fashion, 3-1 having been the margin of Galatasaray’s recent victory over Fenerbahce.
Did Fenerbahce accept Ataman’s apology when they kicked up a fuss? God no. “What he did stands in complete opposition to the dignity of the national coach’s position.” And? They will refuse to allow players from the basketball wing of the club to play for the national team until Ataman is sacked. From here on in, Ataman will most likely keep his hands in his pockets.
Quote of the Week
“It’s all about lightening the load and taking the pressure off them. I know what’s coming now – my photo will be in the papers on the head of Derek.” – Damien ‘Del Boy’ Duff revealing that he makes lovely jubbly Only Fools and Horses’ compilations for his Shelbourne players to watch, just to ease the strain of the title race.
Number: 50
That’s how many Premier League appearances Evan Ferguson has now made, making him the youngest Republic of Ireland player to reach the half-century mark (hat-tip: @irish_abroad).
Word of Mouth
“Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t know how to play football. He could score 3,000 goals, I don’t give a ****. Higuain, Agüero, Benzema, Lewandowski, Ibrahimovic and Suarez knew how to link up with the team, unlike Ronaldo whose only objective has always been to score.” – Former Italian international Antonio Cassano won’t, you’d suspect, be getting a CR7 tattoo any time soon.
“When he enters the dressingroom everything goes dark, he is huge!” – Barcelona coach Hansi Flick on his sizeable Uruguayan defender Ronald Araújo.
“What is called the Mourinho effect? Trophies. In every club I’ve been at, I won cups. Except Tottenham.” – José Mourinho, now Fenerbahce gaffer, almost forgetting his Spursy reign.
“When Stale decides to leave, I am happy to enter in to discussions. I am a Norwegian who is proud of where I come from.” – Ole Gunnar Solskjær admitting that he’d be well up for becoming manager of Norway when Stale Solbakken leaves the post.
“If your family asks you, you say yes every day of the week. It feels wrong to talk about jobs other people have. But I say yes.” – Solskjær admitting that he’d be well up for becoming manager of Manchester United (again) when Erik ten Hag leaves the post.
Would someone please give Ole a job?
