Terry Venables tells England to appoint a manager – Charles Sale

Posted on by Listify Me

By
Charles Sale


PUBLISHED:

22:00 GMT, 29 March 2012

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UPDATED:

23:55 GMT, 29 March 2012

The Sir Dave Richards debacle following his crass comments in Doha about UEFA and FIFA stealing the game has now led to questions being asked in Parliament.

Lord Mawhinney, the former chairman of the Football League who sat on the FA board alongside beleaguered Premier League chairman Richards, has tabled a written question in the House of Lords.

He wants to know whether there has been any Whitehall interaction with Qatar over Richards’s spectacular gaffe.

Tumble: Sir Dave Richards fell into a small pool after his widely mocked outburst

Mawhinney’s question, listed on the Upper House website, states: ‘To ask her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the government of Qatar regarding the visit of Sir Dave Richards.’

Beard gets in a tangle

Phil Beard, chief executive of struggling QPR, speaking at Soccerex, said: ‘When we go down.’ He quickly corrected himself for his unintended pessimism.

But even if QPR are relegated, Beard says he stands by all those last-minute signings over two transfer windows — even those with no relegation clauses in their salary contracts.

Stricken Portsmouth will have to shift the 11 players earning £12,000 a week or more during the next window if they are to remain afloat. The mess makes it all the more staggering that former chief executive Peter Storrie, who  presided over the worst excesses, can suggest he would like a return to the club.

Man City follow neighbours’ lead

What is it about the Salford-based BBC and their Manchester football neighbours? After United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s seven-year silence with the Beeb, City have banned the BBC’s combative sports reporter Dan Roan, who has moved up to Manchester.

There are claims – which Roan disputes – that he misrepresented the comments of Patrick Vieira on BBC Sport’s hopeless website.

The ban was made public by City, with both sides at fault in the row. A City spokesperson said: ‘We have an issue with Dan Roan, not the BBC.’

Not fair: Man City claim Dan Roan misrepresented Patrick Vieira’s (left) comments

Qatar’s annoyance at FIFA committee

There is angst in Qatar – whose 2022 World Cup campaign faces fresh investigation – over the conflict of interest in the make-up of the FIFA governance committee which recommended the probe into the 2018 and 2022 votes.

Swiss professor Mark Pieth leads the 13-strong group, whose proposals FIFA will discard or approve on Friday. It contains Sunil Gulati, who headed the United States bid that lost out to Qatar. It also includes Lord Goldsmith, who sits on the board of Westfield Holdings – the vehicle of shopping centre tycoon Frank Lowy who led the Australia bid squashed by Qatar.

Leader: Mark Pieth heads up the group

Orange move into Olympic territory

Communication providers Orange, who spend most of their promotional money on films, now have Olympic Park sponsorship opportunities high on their agenda. The Olympic Park Legacy Company are attempting to find naming rights partners for the venues.

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