Career change leads to terrifying ordeal

Things are looking up for the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine collapse. Having spent 17 days scrambling around in the dark, they’ve received their first care package and are currently chowing down on ‘astronaut yogurt’ (s’not a euphemism) while NASA boffins come up with an escape plan.

Details are slowly being released about the workers involved and Spanish paper AS is reporting amongst the men is Franklin Lobos, a former member of the Chilean national football team in the late ’80s.

Brazilian striker waddles from one controversy to another

Brazilian striker Adriano wrapped up a deal with Roma this week, bringing to an end his year-long self-imposed exile from European football.

Like compatriots Ronaldo and Robinho, the perennially troubled striker decided a move back home was necessary to clear his head and prevent his career being drowned by continual scandal.

Ironically, it looks like he’ll be coming back caught up in more controversy than when he left.

 ”Yeah, not bad”

For anyone who loves television programmes, you might have noticed that the BBC decided to cash in on WAG culture by sending a pretty mob of football sex partners to Africa, in a rather honourable mission to raise awareness about poverty.

It was a nice move, but, even so, The Spoiler would still rather take a more ITV approach to these women, with a show called WAGs to Witches - in which various WAGs undergo a hilarious make-under, before emerging from behind a screen looking absolutely abominable. Any TV execs reading, please, help yourself.

Anyway, on a totally unrelated note, here’s what we know about football transfers, thanks to the likes of The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Ooh-Ah Daily Star, and the rest…:

World Cup winner shows he’s not made of stone

Much has been made of Emmanuel Adebayor’s irresponsible reaction to the torrent of abuse he received from Arsenal fans at the weekend, but Roma’s Daniele De Rossi was also subjected to offensive chants on Sunday. The Italian, however, dealt with the crowd banter a little differently.

After a mistimed tackle, Siena fans started singing a song about his father-in-law (i.e. the daddy of his not-unattractive WAG Tamara), who was apparently executed in a mafia hit last year. When the whistle blew, the midfielder’s reddened eyes quickly turned into full-on waterworks, as his teammates tried to console him.

Siena manager Marco Giampaolo offered an apology on behalf of the callous fans:

“To De Rossi, I express my solidarity as a man and as a footballer for what has happened.”

[Hat tip: 101GG and Dirty Tackle]

It’s FC Bunyodkor’s Gene Hackman look-alike Luiz Felipe Scolari!

Since arriving in Italy, Jose Mourinho’s €11m salary has cemented his status as the best paid manager in the world. This morning, however, it has been revealed that The Special One’s huge remuneration package has been eclipsed by that of another Chelsea alumnus. After signing an eighteen-month contract with Uzbekistani side FC Bunyodkor, Big Phil Scolari will now take home an annual pay packet of €13m.

Bunyodkur - who recently changed their name from PFC Kuruvchi to “reflect their success” - first came to international prominence last summer, when they claimed to have secured the services of Samuel Eto’o. Despite the Cameroonian’s passionate love for clubs who are willing to pay him more money than he is worth, the deal never went through.

Since the Eto’o spectacle, Bunyodkur have introduced several Brazilians to their side,

Also appearing on a computer near you…

The Spoiler didn’t think professional footballers were allowed to ride motorbikes, but that hasn’t stopped SWP, Wayne Bridge and Steve Sidwell from having some two-wheeled fun.
[Dirty Tackle]

The Premier League Champions 2010 REVEALED!
[Interestment]

Fulham agree £2.5m deal for Almeria striker Kalu Uche
[IM Scouting]

Milan have £11m and for some reason they want to use it to buy Gareth Bale
[Goal.com]

Sylvie van der Vaart is not unattractive
[Kickette]

Craig Bellamy continues to sabotage his international career
[The Guardian]

The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies

Peter Crouch to Liverpool
Despite selling him to Portsmouth for £11m last year, Rafa Benitez is interested in bringing Crouchie back into the fold, say the Daily Star. It would cost £12m to steal the lanky striker away from potential suitors Tottenham.

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Crouch has snubbed Sunderland and Harry Redknapp has been quoted in the Daily Mail saying wage demands may scupper the deal, so a return to Abbey Clancy’s homeland isn’t unfeasible.

John Terry to stay at Chelsea
Following Didier Drogba’s confident endorsement of his captain, Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Mr Chelsea will not sell his soul:

“John Terry, I repeat, is the captain of this team and he will be the symbol of this club and this team for many years.

“It’s not been a problem in these last few days. He will be the captain of Chelsea in the future.”

Sardinian beauty could be the catalyst of Mou’s marital troubles

Last week, Portuguese daily newspaper Correio da Manhã broke the news that Jose Mourinho and his wife are to divorce after twenty years of marriage, following an alleged tryst with a mystery Italian woman.

The Portuguese (and the Spanish) are now suggesting that the homewrecking beauty is Elisabetta Cannalis, the outrageously attractive TV presenter who has previously enjoyed the romantic company of Didier Drogba, Parma’s Reginaldo and condom salesman Christian Vieri.

Last month, the former presenter of football show Controcampo and current face of Italy’s version of MTV TRL did nothing to quash the rumours during an interview:

“The one I really like is Mourinho.”

“I confess I’ve always admired him. I’d like to return to my work [on the television show] Controcampo and interview him along with other guests.”

It’s a sexy story, but it seems that Correio da Manhã actually have no real proof that The Special One has been boffing Elisabetta. This means the whole story could in fact be a thinly-veiled excuse to publish pictures of an under-dressed woman.

Non-ironic Spoiler bonus: More pictures of Elisabetta after the jump…