Bellamy, Neville warned over Manchester derby antics

Bellamy, Neville warned over Manchester derby antics

Craig Bellamy and Gary Neville have been warned by the English Football Association over their behaviour in Sunday's explosive Manchester derby.

Craig Bellamy and Gary Neville have been warned by the English Football Association over their behaviour in Sunday's explosive Manchester derby.
The FA launched an investigation after Manchester City striker Bellamy responded to a fan who invaded the Old Trafford pitch by pushing him in the face.
Neville, a non-playing Manchester United substitute, was also investigated for his actions in celebrating the home side's winner by running down the touchline towards the City fans.
But the FA have decided against charging either player with improper conduct, in Bellamy's case because referee Martin Atkinson told FA officials that he would not have sent off the Welsh star had he seen the incident.
A statement released by the FA on Tuesday said: "The FA has today warned both Manchester City's Craig Bellamy and Manchester United's Gary Neville following separate incidents in Sunday's fixture at Old Trafford.
"In relation to Craig Bellamy the match referee has confirmed that he would not have sent the player off had he seen the incident with the fan at the time.
"Craig Bellamy will be contacted by the FA and warned as to his future conduct.
"The FA would repeat its previous advice that players should not become involved with or approach fans in such circumstances.
"The FA would also take this opportunity to remind fans, managers and players of their joint responsibility towards the game and strongly condemns any pitch invasions by fans.
"Gary Neville has been reminded of his responsibilities following his actions after Manchester United's final goal deep into injury time."
City boss Mark Hughes insisted the FA's verdict vindicated his opinion, expressed immediately after the match, that Bellamy had done nothing wrong.
"We viewed the incident as something and nothing," he said. "Craig wasn't privy to how much time was left to enable us to get back into the game. He wanted the guy to get off as quickly as possible and told him so in no uncertain terms.
"The guy has made an aggressive move towards him and Craig has put up a defensive hand and pushed the guy away.
"He was right to do that because you are never quite sure what is going to happen in those situations."
Meanwhile, United have also avoided any disciplinary action after City substitute Javier Garrido was struck on the head by a coin as he headed down the tunnel at half-time.
The statement added: "The FA has also contacted Manchester United regarding a coin-throwing incident during the same fixture.
"The FA fully expects the club to use all available means to identify and deal with the culprit appropriately and, along with the fan who entered the field of play, look to issue bans on attending future matches."

Suspended ban for Renault

Suspended ban for Renault

But former team boss Briatore receives lifetime ban from F1Suspended ban for Renault

Renault have escaped with a two-year suspended ban by the FIA after admitting they ordered former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

However, former team principal Flavio Briatore, who issued Piquet the order and who left Renault last week, has been banned indefinitely from all Formula One activities, including driver management.
Pat Symonds, the team's former executive director of engineering, has received a five-year ban for his part in the scandal while Piquet, who blew the whistle after being sacked by the team, had already been granted immunity from punishment.
The Brazilian's former team-mate Fernando Alonso, who won the race after benefiting from the safety car period the crash brought about, was cleared of any involvement.
Although the FIA admitted the "unparalleled severity" of the incident merited permanent disqualification, it instead suspended the punishment after taking into consideration the steps taken by Renault "to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved".
The team have been told that the threat of a permanent ban will hang over them until the end of the 2011 season and will only be activated if they are found guilty of a similar charge.
"We apologised in front of the World Motor Sport Council," Renault F1 president Bernard Rey said after the 90-minute hearing, held in Paris. "We took full responsibility and we hope that we will enjoy better days in the future."
The FIA has effectively handed Briatore a lifetime ban from motor sport, as well as determining he should not manage any drivers. The flamboyant Italian currently looks after the interests of four F1 drivers and, ironically, those of Piquet himself.

Complicit

Briatore had insisted that no wrongdoing occurred during the race, held on September 28 last year, but the WMSC decided he was "complicit", also ruling that he continued "to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence".
Symonds was given a more lenient sentence after accepting his part in the conspiracy, as well as communicating his "eternal regret and shame" to the 26 members of the council.
According to the FIA, Renault made a number of points in mitigation, not least the acceptance "at the earliest practicable opportunity" that it "committed the offences with which it was charged and co-operated fully with the FIA's investigation".
It confirmed "Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds were involved in the conspiracy and ensured that they left the team", that Renault apologised "unreservedly" to the FIA and were also committed to paying the costs incurred by the FIA in its investigation.
Describing the action taken against Briatore, the FIA noted that it "does not intend to sanction any international event, championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series involving Mr Briatore in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any team or other entity engaging Mr Briatore in any capacity whatsoever.
"It also hereby instructs all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr Briatore access to any areas under the FIA's jurisdiction.
"Furthermore, it does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr Briatore."
As well as having management contracts with Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Mark Webber, Romain Grosjean and Piquet Jnr, Briatore also has an involvement with the GP2 feeder series.

'Right decision'

Speaking after the hearing in relation to the penalty, FIA president Max Mosley said: "I think it's the right decision.
"I think the blame has been placed where the blame should be placed.
"The penalty we have imposed is the harshest one we can inflict, which is disqualification, and it is complete expulsion from the sport.
"However, because Renault have demonstrated they had absolutely no moral responsibility for what took place - that's to say Renault F1 the team didn't know, and still less of course the company - it would be wrong in the circumstances to impose an immediate penalty."
As for Briatore, Mosley added: "It's sad because he's been in motor sport for 20 years, more actually.
"It's sad to see a career end like that, but what else could we do?"
With regard Renault's future in F1, when asked whether they would remain in the sport, as they are committed to do through to the end of 2012, Mosley issued a firm "yes."

Click here for the full FIA World Motor Sport Council decision.

McLeish considered Owen bid

McLeish considered Owen swoop

Birmingham chief quickly discovered United's interest

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish has revealed he considered signing Michael Owen on a free transfer during the summer.

Owen was wanted by several Premier League clubs during the close season after opting to leave Newcastle United at the end of his contract.Hull City and Stoke City were among the clubs to be linked with the striker before the former Liverpool ace joined Manchester United.He has largely been used as a substitute by the Premier League champions, but demonstrated he still retains his ability in front of goal by scoring a last-gasp winner in Sunday's Manchester derby.McLeish confirmed he held an interest in Owen, but revealed a summer conversation with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson quickly scuppered any thoughts of signing the 29-year-old."I remember speaking to Alex when he signed him, we'd actually thought about Michael Owen and he told me in a conversation he had signed him," admitted McLeish."He said 'where else am I going to get 15 goals in a season for nothing?'."I'm sure he cost nothing, but then there's wages there. But I knew exactly what Alex meant and you could see yesterday the quality of the player."It was one of those ones where, would Michael Owen get the same level of chances created for him in our side that he would at a club like Man Utd?"I think Alex Ferguson could take any goalscorer from any country and he would get goals in that side."

The MrBrown show lekuasimi The Music Video

Fans honour Sir Bobby

Thousands of fans and some of the biggest names in football attended a thanksgiving service for Sir Bobby Robson at Durham Cathedral on Monday.

Robson died on 31st July at the age of 76 following a long battle against cancer.
A thanksgiving service was arranged in his native Durham to celebrate the life of the former England and Newcastle manager.
Robson enjoyed an illustrious playing and management career in football, having success with Fulham and West Brom before going on to manage Ipswich, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona and his hometown club Newcastle.
The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, as well as a host of other famous faces, attended the event.
Sir Bobby fought cancer five times, and devoted his final years to helping others with the disease.
Such was the affection felt for a genuine football man, his target of raising £500,000 was met in just eight weeks.
In February, he was proud to officially open a cancer trials centre at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, and he said then that he wanted that to be his legacy.
England and Newcastle star Peter Beardsley said as he arrived for the service: "Sir Bobby was one of the greatest football men of all time.
"He was so close in 1990. Lady Elsie would be so proud."
Other arrivals included current Newcastle United caretaker manager Chris Hughton and players from the first-team squad. Former goalkeeper Shay Given was also among the guests.
Current Ipswich manager Roy Keane walked alone into the cathedral before the service.
Everton manager David Moyes remembered receiving a hand-written letter from Sir Bobby when he was at Barcelona in response to a request by the would-be coach to come to watch training.
Moyes said he still has a copy of the letter at home. He added: "All the Premier League managers look up to Sir Bobby."

Tributes

Former Fulham player Tom Wilson recalled Sir Bobby's early playing days and his love for his "beloved" north east of England.
He said: "Friends have said to me you should never finish a eulogy with a cliche such a 'we'll never see his like again'... but we won't."
Gary Lineker told the congregation about Sir Bobby welcoming him to the England squad when he was first called up.
Lineker said: "He made me feel 7ft tall. "He'd seen something in my game I wasn't even aware of myself."
He went on: "He made you feel good about yourself and good about the game."
The former England forward said: "I had the extreme good fortune to reach my peak at the same time as Bobby Robson was the England manager.
"Two World Cup campaigns and a European championships over a six-year period was easily enough time for me to realise that Bobby was indeed not just a brilliant leader of men who brought the absolute best out of his players but also, without question, the single most enthusiastic and passionate man I ever met in football."
Lineker finished his eulogy saying: "He was everything that was good about the game.
"He loved the game and the game loved him. He was a lion of a man. No, make that three lions.
"Sir Bobby Robson, we will miss you but we will never, ever forget you."
Sir Alex Ferguson said Sir Bobby never forgot his roots in the North East.
He told the congregation: "He never forgot that. He always knew his roots.
"Fantastic that he would do that, not to change his entire life. It's a great talent that, not to change, to be the same person."
Speaking about Sir Bobby's fight against cancer, Sir Alex said: "He fought his disease with incredible courage and resilience and showed you what his background was."
The Manchester United manager spoke of Sir Bobby's enthusiasm for football and remembered many times when they would speak about the game together.
"He never lost that enthusiasm," he said.
"That enthusiasm, you just can't explain it, special people have got it.

Influence

"I think I speak for almost everyone here in football terms, he influenced me but what made him so special was he influenced people who didn't know him.
They admired his courage, his dignity, his enthusiasm."
Sir Alex said people would "forever" remember his "little jig" when England scored against Belgium in the 1990 World Cup.
The manager ended his eulogy: "It has been one of the privileges of my life to have met him and to have been enthused by him.
"He influenced me then and he's always influenced me."

shearer pays his respects to Sir Bobby