A statement on the Everton club website, Thursday March 12:
“We would now expect [Victor Anichebe] to receive a full and unreserved apology from the police - and then both he and the club would then consider the matter closed.”
A statement on the Everton club website, a bit later on Thursday March 12, after the police issue the apology Anichebe requested:
“Whilst I do fully understand Cheshire Police’s desire to tackle the problem of robberies on jewellery shops in the Knutsford area, I remain deeply upset and very angry about the treatment which was meted out to myself and a friend yesterday (Wednesday).”
We can’t figure out what is more shocking - Anichebe’s reticence to forgive the police despite receiving the apology he desired, or the fact that a footballer used the word “meted” in a statement. Did you swallow a dictionary, Victor?
Police swoop on Victor Anichebe while he browses in shop window
While deciding how to dispose of his generous income at the window of a posh jewellery shop in Knutsford, Cheshire yesterday, Everton star Victor Anichebe was deemed to be “acting suspiciously” by Police. Rather than risk letting the wealthy footballer make a purchase, the fuzz decided the best course of action was to slap him in some handcuffs.
Officers leapt from a car, surrounded the Nigerian-born Everton ace and handcuffed a pal he was with.
An astonished witness told yesterday how the shaken star - on CRUTCHES after being crocked for the season - was grilled by up to five cops in front of afternoon shoppers.
He kept protesting: “I’m a footballer - I play for Everton. Why would I want to rob a shop?”
The Sun continue by quoting Sean Reynolds, a witness of the incident:
“Either Victor or his mate said, ‘If I was a white man it wouldn’t matter - you’re being racist’. A crowd was gathering by this stage. It was getting more and more agitated.”
While it is fair to cite racism as a motivator for this incident, is not also a tiny bit racist to fail to discern between Anichebe and “his mate”? The quote above may as well start: “One of those black folks said…”
Everton have issued a statement claiming the player was “distressed” by the incident, and that they expect a full apology from the police.
Wenger says some fouls should receive harsher punishments
Arsenal have had 76 players sent-off under Arsene Wenger but the Frenchman has demanded longer bans for horror tackles, claiming that the FA should create a committee who analyse red card decisions and decide whether the offender should be given a stronger punishment.
The current system is very rigid, whereby a player receive a one-match ban if sent-off for two bookable offences and a three-match ban for a straight red. An extra match is added to the ban if it’s your second red of the season but even that is open to farce.
West Ham’s Carlton Cole is now forced to sit out two games because he cannot appeal the second yellow he received against Wigan for challenging for the ball, leaving the Hammers without their top-scorer as they look to secure European qualification.
Is Wenger right that ten-match bans should be handed out for fouls like Kevin Nolan’s two-footed lunge on Victor Anichebe? Should players be allowed to appeal when unfairly dismissed for two bookings? Let us know what you think with a vote and comment below:
Perhaps one day someone will start a sentence with “there’s an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman” without it being a joke about people in boxes saying “potatoes” - it could even be used to introduce a Great British football line up. How wonderful would that be? Although, of course, the Irishman would have to come from the less green-grassy part of the emerald isle, and more the cobbled street bit where horses run wild (that’s the north, right?). Until that day, though, we’re going to have to content ourselves by gazing jealously at the other countries who get to call their footballers Olympians. Here’s eleven to keep a hungry eye on this year…
GK Brad Guzan, USA
Aston Villa’s (other) new American goalkeeper called Brad, the USA’s decision to make him one of their three over-23 players - he turns 24 during the tournament - shows just how great he is. That, of course, will count for nothing when he gets to Villa and warms the bench for the next decade, as Friedel becomes steadily more decrepit but still brilliant.
DL Marcelo, Brazil
Real Madrid signed the left wing-back in 2007 and he became a regular starter last season, pushing Gabriel Heinze into the centre. Unsurprisingly, he gets compared to Roberto Carlos - everyone does - and found the net on his international debut against Wales.
DC Vincent Kompany, Belgium
For those who spend their weekends playing Football Manager instead of talking to girls, you already know this guy, he’s one of the best buys in the game, damn it! And as it turns out, the 22-year-old isn’t too shabby in real life either. Right now he’s at Martin Jol’s Hamburg, and The Spoiler’s computerised West Ham.
DC Ezequiel Garay, Argentina
With all the Ronaldo talk this summer, Garay’s arrival at the
Loading ...