Pundit Andy Gray has left Sky Sports in the aftermath of his controversial comments on female officials.
Sky has confirmed it has terminated his contract in light of "new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behaviour".
Along with presenter Richard Keys, Gray was caught off camera making controversial comments about assistant referee Sian Massey ahead of Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday.
Keys suggested that "somebody better get down there and explain offside to her", and Gray added: "They probably don't know the offside rule".
Sky News released footage on Monday evening of Gray in conversation with Sky Sports reporter Andy Burton. Burton, who has been stood down for Wednesday night's Carling Cup semi-final, referred to Massey as a "bit of a looker" while Gray again said she would be unaware of the offside rule.
Keys has since telephoned Massey to apologise and, although Gray had not been in contact, a Sky spokesman said: "It wasn't a case of Andy not apologising. It doesn't really make sense for both of them to call."
However, after footage emerged of Gray joking that Sky Sports News presenter Charlotte Jackson should help him to tuck his shirt in, he has now left the company.
A statement read: "Sky Sports today terminated its contract with Andy Gray. The decision, which is effective immediately, was made in response to new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behaviour.
"The new evidence, relating to an off-air incident that took place in December 2010, came to light after Andy Gray had already been subjected to disciplinary action for his comments of January 22, 2011."
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said on Tuesday: "Andy Gray's contract has been terminated for unacceptable behaviour.
"After issuing a warning yesterday, we have no hesitation in taking this action after becoming aware of new information today."
Massey has been withdrawn from the League Two game between Crewe and Bradford on Tuesday night.
Professional Game Match Officials general manager Mike Riley said: "PGMO and Sian believe that, with any football match, the focus should not be on the officials but on the players and the game itself.
"Sian is an excellent professional who has unwittingly found herself in the middle of a story that has nothing to do with her competence as a match official.
"Sian only wants to be notable for her performance as an assistant referee and is keen for things to get back to normal so she can return to officiating as soon as possible.
"Sian has the full backing of PGMO and we hope she continues her development, which has shown excellent progress so far. It is important for PGMO to have talented people from all backgrounds getting involved in refereeing.
"The more people are attracted to the game, the better standards will be, and the more everyone can talk about the football."
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Andy Gray Officially Axed By Sky Sports in Sexism Scandal
Monday, January 10, 2011
It's Official; Lionel Messi Wins the Balon d'Or
Not surprisingly, Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named the FIFA Men's World Player of the Year for 2010. He is unstoppable, and clearly the greatest player in the world right now.
Messi was on a three-man shortlist with Barca team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta but, despite Spain's World Cup triumph, the Argentina forward came out on top in the voting.
He becomes the first winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which merges France Football magazine's European Footballer of the Year prize with the FIFA World Player of the Year. The awards were based on the votes of the coaches and captains of national sides as well as global journalists.
Messi scored more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2010, with 42 goals in 36 La Liga games, as well as finishing top scorer in the Champions League in 2010 with 12 goals in 12 games.
Here's 12 minutes of greatness:
Messi was on a three-man shortlist with Barca team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta but, despite Spain's World Cup triumph, the Argentina forward came out on top in the voting.
He becomes the first winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which merges France Football magazine's European Footballer of the Year prize with the FIFA World Player of the Year. The awards were based on the votes of the coaches and captains of national sides as well as global journalists.
Messi scored more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2010, with 42 goals in 36 La Liga games, as well as finishing top scorer in the Champions League in 2010 with 12 goals in 12 games.
He totalled 60 goals for the year for club and country.
"To be honest, I didn't expect to win today, but it was already great to be here next to my two mates," Messi said as he accepted the award. "To win it makes it even more special.
"I want to share with all of my friends, my family, all the Barcelonistas and the Argentinians."
He totalled 60 goals for the year for club and country.
"To be honest, I didn't expect to win today, but it was already great to be here next to my two mates," Messi said as he accepted the award. "To win it makes it even more special.
"I want to share with all of my friends, my family, all the Barcelonistas and the Argentinians."
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
U.S. Soccer looks to EA Sports to help develop next generation of pros
ou would think that with a population of 300 million the U.S. would be a little better at soccer than it currently is. Not that the US Mens National Team is terrible—its victory against Spain in the Confederations Cup in June was all kinds of great—but we’re (yup, Royal We time) not exactly known as a “world power,” mentioned in the same breath with Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and Argentina. In steps… EA? Yup, we just got word that EA Sports, makers of FIFA 10, has teamed up with US Soccer to develop and promote a series of training videos that young players can use to improve their game. Is is enough to to give some future USMT the World Cup one day? US Soccer certainly has high hopes.
The premise is pretty simple, actually. American kids spend an awful amount of time playing video games, so why not get these kids, kids who have already expressed an interest in the sport, to improve their game a little bit? EA set up a new Web site, Interactive Training, that has a series of tutorial videos that explain the basics of the game to youngsters. (The program is aimed at 8-12 year olds.) So you’re playing a round of FIFA against your son/daughter or younger brother/sister, and you say, “Wow you’re good at headers in the game. Let’s go to this Web site where they’ll teach you how to actually head the ball.”
That’s just what US Soccer would like to see, at least. I talked to John Hackworth, who’s the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Technical Director (a fancy title that means, essentially, he’s in charge of youth development), and he said that, yeah, U.S. Soccer should try to leverage, if that’s the right word, kids’ proclivity to sit down and play FIFA all day long. Why not tell these kids, “Look, you’re pretty good at this game, why not try it out for real?” That way you’ve exposed the sport to a large number of kids who might turn out to be halfway decent one day.
Again, no one expects overnight success here, especially if it’s targeting young kids. But there’s nothing wrong with steps in the right direction.
Courtesy of Crunch Gear
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ESPN Actually Pugging The World Cup and Soccer In America?
Am I dreaming, or has ESPN gotten Kenny Mayne to vouch for the validity of football as the world's game to a couple American meatheads?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bill Simmons' Addresses International Soccer In A Recent Mailbag
Great, great analysis here from ESPN's acclaimed Sports Guy in a recent "Mailbag" column where Simmons addresses reader emails...
-- T.J., Leeds, England
SG: Sure. I'll do it in five short paragraphs and 500 words total. The theory goes like this …
1. Americans enjoy watching the best (fill in any sport). We are elitists. That's why we like the Olympics, that's why we enjoy any finals, that's why we watch Wimbledon and the Masters, that's why we don't care about sports like the WNBA, MLS or arena football as anything other than a niche sport. International soccer plays into this. It's the best of the best. Hell, we even liked "The Best of the Best" even though Eric Roberts was the biggest star in it.
2. The games zoom along: no commercials, no sideline reporters, no corporate tie-ins, no four-hour games like in baseball, no "takes 20 minutes to play the last two" like in the NBA. You can sit down for a soccer game and say, "I'm going to spend the next two hours watching this and then I'm going to do something else." Like watch more TV.
3. Give credit to ESPN for committing air time in non-Cup years to elite international soccer tournaments like the UEFA Cup. I know that's how I started paying more attention. If you like sports, you cannot NOT get caught up in the level of play, the maniacal crowds, the intensity and tension and everything else. It's impossible.
4. Widescreen TVs make it easier to see the field; HD makes it easier to see faces and numbers (and the grass looks green and vibrant); and better camerawork (and also more cameras) make the games more intimate. Now you feel like the players are flopping right onto your living room rug! Just kidding, soccer fans. Seriously, settle down. Jokes.
5. International soccer never took off here for the simple reason that American sports fans had trouble following anything they couldn't attend in person and/or watch on television at their leisure. Now? We're turning into a sofa culture; since it's more expensive to go to games, many of us find it just as rewarding to stay home, save money and watch games on a nice TV. Throw in the Internet, DirecTV, fan blogs and everything else and you really can follow soccer from across the Atlantic.
That's why, over the next decade -- starting with the World Cup in 2010 -- I predict international soccer takes off to a modest degree in America during the '10s. Not to compare everything to "The Godfather," but for America, the NASL was Sonny (exciting, impetuous and ultimately self-destructive), the MLS is Fredo (weak) and international soccer is Michael (the heavy hitter who was lurking all along). That's how this plays out I think.
Hleb Regrets Leaving Arsenal
Last week I talked about how hard it is to be a Arsenal fan, since we lose al of out top players. One player on that list was Alexander Hleb, the Belarus international whom we lost to Barcelona. Well today, everyone and their mother is reporting that Hleb regrets the move, citing Arsene Wenger as a father figure to him....
The Belarus international moved to FC Barcelona in order to win more trophies, but failed to establish a regular place in the side.
Hleb said: "When you mostly sit on the bench, winning titles brings very little joy, while getting to the last eight of the Champions League with Arsenal was unforgettable.
"I regret my move from London, but unfortunately nothing can be done about it now.
"For me, Wenger was like a father. I consider him one of the best managers in the world.
"For such a boss one wants to die on the pitch. Arsène managed to create a smashing team with a wonderful atmosphere inside of it.
"I have no doubts that if Arsenal had the same budget as Barcelona, the Gunners would be among the three best clubs on the planet."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Why It's Hard To Be An Arsenal Fan
For all those football fans out there, this rant is for you...
I've been supporting Arsenal of London since I was 12. For more than a decade of support, I've watched them go from the immortals in the '03-'04 season where they went undefeated in the Premier League, to where they are now; the least dangerous of the Big Four. You look at the players of the team, and you ask how it is that they are continually battling for 3rd and 4th position in the hardest league in the world? Well it's because they continually sell off a major star who regularly provides impact. Thierry Henry to Barcelona, Alexander Hleb to Barcelona, and now the impending sale of Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City. With every step we take forward with some 19 year old phenom, we drop a proven professional on the way.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A Day Late: The Ronaldo Presentation
A picture gallery for the introduction of Real Madrid's new number 9....
And an interesting video interview in as many languages as we can keep track of...
Friday, May 29, 2009
Why Sports Are Better In Other Countries
Check out Barcaona's celebration after they won the Champions League to complete the treble (European Cup, DOmestic League Champs, Domestic Cup Champs)...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Movie Sweeping Cannes: "Looking For Eric"
Eric Cantona headlines a heartfelt film that is sweeping through the Cannes Film Festival this week.
Ken Loach could not have painted a more perfect, bittersweet picture for Cannes. Looking for Eric stars the French football legend Eric Cantona in a rare Loach comedy. Needless to say, it is a film of two halves. In the first, a postman called Eric Bishop is having a nervous breakdown. He drives the wrong way around roundabouts; the cupboards in his thoroughly grubby Manchester terrace are stuffed with unmailed letters; his black and white teenage sons from two broken marriages treat him like a doormat; and he’s still racked by guilt for leaving his first wife Lily, the love of his life.
Cue Cantona. How would the King handle Bishop’s crises? In a surreal and comic scene, the former Manchester United player steps out of a poster on the wall of Bishop’s rancid bedroom and dispenses gnomic gobbets of advice. It’s an extraordinary piece of magic realism for a director who usually specialises in art-house grit.
Cantona is basically a ghost, visible only to the delusional Bishop. His vague advice about how to handle Lily and the boys is delivered like poetry. Indeed, Cantona’s quote about sardines and seagulls — after he kicked a Crystal Palace supporter in the chest, earning a nine-month suspension — is central to this barmy comedy.
Read more here...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wayne Rooney's Top 20 Premier League Goals
20 minutes long yes, but an amazing compilation from one the world's top strikers....
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thierry Henry Blowing S**t Up
An awesome post over at AdvertiseMe today showing off my favorite footballer of all time, Thierry Henry. Henry is showing off his new Reebok boots in explosive fashion....that was a hint to what goes on in the commercial for anyone keeping track.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Soccer Project: A Documentary Film In Progress
