World soccer news for the week of September 25th
Guti targeted by a hard-fisted stalker
Real Madrid's José María Gutiérrez, better known as Guti, must have been shocked when a former boxer came at him before his team was getting ready to head for a league game in Santander.
Guti had been stalked for some time by the individual, whose name has not been revealed by the Spanish police, but no close confrontation occurred before last Saturday.
The stalker noticed Guti as he arrived at the parking lot in Ciudad Deportiva, Real's training camp, and headed toward him in his vehicle.
In the process, the man broke the security ramp and damaged a couple of parked cars before stopping. The guards called the police and tried to intervene themselves, but the boxer punched one of them in the face with his fist.
However, other guards managed to control the individual and kept him at bay before the police arrived.
Guti filed charges against the stalker for stalking and harrassment, while the guards also presented their own charges for assault and trespassing. The investigation is likely to reveal the motive the man could have for shadowing the Madrid midfielder.
Palermo's boss denies ties to the mafia
Italian soccer club Palermo has no links to the mafia, said their chairman Maurizio Zamparini, denying any contact with the criminal organization, hinted at by some Italian media.
It has been claimed that the mobsters have some influence in the construction of Palermo's new ground and the shopping mall which is planned to be opened within the stadium.
"Mafia has no ties to the club," said Zamparini. "I hope everybody sees that my associates and me are doing our jobs professionally. Although the mafia was created in this city, it does not mean they rule everything that exists here, or that they are related to me in any way."
Two years ago, the former Palermo sporting director received a goat's head in the mail, which is the mafia's way of warning of an upcoming execution.
"If anything similar had happened to me, I would have left. I am clean, and so is this club," concluded Zamparini.
Roman still speechless in London
Russian and other Slavic languages are notoriously tough for English speakers. However, the Slavs usually find it easy to learn a syntactically simpler language like English.
Tottenham's new signing Roman Pavlyuchenko may be an exception to the rule, as he has not yet managed to master English well enough to maintain meaningful conversations with his teammates at White Hart Lane.
According to the Russian newspaper Tvoy Dan (Your Day), the Spurs were wise to include a clause in their contract with Pavlyuchenko, stipulating a fine unless he learned English well enough within his first weeks at the club.
The period has passed and the former Spartak striker still has to use an interpreter to understand Juande Ramos' instructions. Since the Spaniard himself is hardly a great connoisseur of English, the communcation of the two must look hilarious.
Still, the Spurs' bosses are certainly not amused, as the team sits at the bottom of the Premiership table after five matches.
Did Haim Revivo escape to the US because of a mob threat?
Haim Revivo, the former Israeli international, has emigrated to the United States after receiving mafia threats, according to the Israeli media.
The one-time forward for Celta Vigo, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray said he and his family moved because his rabbi had advised him to do so.
It may be true, but for all we know, the advice may have been, "save your skin."
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily published a different story, claiming that Revivo had to leave because the local mafia had threatened to kill him because he had an affair with a mob kingpin's wife.
According to Yedioth, the mafia imposed on Revivo a two-year exile as a way of redeeming himself.
One of the leading players in Israel's history, Revivo played 67 games and scored 15 goals for the national team, including the winner in his country's only win over Argentina in 1998.
Welcome to the Boca Juniors Hotel
The Argentinian club Boca Juniors are very special in many respects. Until recently, they were the only soccer club to have a graveyard exclusively for their fans (in the meantime Germany's Hamburger SV have joined the select group of cemetery-owning soccer clubs).
Within two years, they should also have a hotel carrying their name. The construction works is due to start next month, and should be finished in mid-2010.
The luxury hotel will have 17 floors with 89 rooms, some of which will bear names of Boca's celebrities like Diego Maradona, Alfredo Rojas or Ubaldo Rattin. The building, designed by the Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, will also boast swimming pools, restaurants and other commercial and entertainment facilities.
The hotel and the graveyard are not the the only two distinctions that set Boca apart; the blue and yellows have also started their own taxi service in Buenos Aires. We bet there are not many River Plate fans among their customers.
In their 103 years of existence, Boca have won a record 18 international trophies, tying AC Milan, and 22 Argentinian titles.
Copyright Soccerphile/Ozren Podnar