FULHAM chairman Mohamed al-Fayed has never been one for keeping silent over events across the globe.
The Harrods owner has been maintaining a close eye on the subject of finances within the game and proffered some thoughts on wages which may not go down too well with the powers that be in England.
"Our expenses bill rose by 17 per cent last year,
" said al-Fayed. "How can it be right for top players to earn £15-20 million a year? It's crazy. These wages need to be capped. But I worry that it won't happen because the Premier League and the FA (Football League] are run by donkeys who don't understand business, dazzled by money."
However, while al-Fayed has called for Premier League chairmen to unite in his stance against massive wages, his invitation to talk it over does not sound too appealing.
"I want to help other clubs," he said. "I speak my mind and other chairmen should too. They need to wake up from their coma and join me in this fight with the Premier League and the FA.
"In fact, they can come and have lunch with me at Harrods, where I can serve them stags' testicles from my Scottish estate, Balnagown."
Just not cricket for prisonersPRISONERS in Calcutta's main prison went on a brief hunger strike in an effort to force authorities to allow them to watch Indian Premier League cricket on television.
Nearly 500 out of the jail's 2,000 prisoners skipped lunch and dinner on Sunday demanding to see the IPL matches, but it was all in vain.
Rules are rules, and private television channels are not allowed inside the prison.
The jail has about 70 TV sets, but only screens the government-owned Doordarshan's news and entertainment channels. A good crime deterrent, perhaps.
Haye pulling no punches on rivalONE could be forgiven for wondering if David Haye secretly likes Wladimir Klitschko ahead of their heavyweight showdown at FC Schalke's Veltins-Arena in June.
The Englishman has long voiced his contempt for the Ukrainian, including renaming him yesterday as 'Bitchko' in an unofficial ceremony. But strangely, while hurling insults, Haye said he was "a gentleman".
"I have a personal dislike for Wladimir," he said. "He sucks, he's crap. I don't like his style. Yes, he's a gentleman but you should judge a fighter on when the bell rings, not what he does outside the ring."
TALES FROM THE TABS
MOGGA MAKES A MOVE WHILE the subject of the Old Firm heading south of the Border to a Premier League 2 dominated the headlines yesterday, West Brom manager Tony Mowbray was already preparing for next season in the Championship with a move for Livingston striker Leigh Griffiths (pictured), according to the Sun. Mowbray has already had the Scotland Under-19 forward, who has scored 20 goals this season, watched on a number of occasions.
The Daily Record reports that Celtic are heading for Australia this summer after opening talks with Brisbane Roar – previously Queensland – over a possible friendly match.
Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov is poised for a new deal at Aston Villa, says the Daily Mirror. The Bulgarian has just over a year left on his current deal.
Former Rangers and Scotland manager Alex McLeish is looking at a possible £2.5m move for Doncaster defender Matthew Mills, according to the Mirror.
Middlesbrough might still be fighting for their top-flight status, but Riverside utility man Matthew Bates has already been linked with Wigan.
The full article contains 594 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
