Sporting Miscellanies: Bin Hammam’s football peace plan off target

Tim Nichols13 April 2012

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, UEFA's Michel Platini and Jack Warner, of CONCACAF, aren't exactly renowned for statements of wisdom but they appear relatively sane when compared with Mohammed Bin Hammam, of the Asian Football Confederation.

Mad Mo' believes the key to peace in the Middle East could be, wait for it, a World Cup in the region.

Bin Hammam (from Qatar, by the way) said: "There are so many advantages. Group matches can be played within reasonable distance of each other.

"The Middle East also has the legitimate right to seek peace through football and the World Cup can replace the sorry story of wars."

The World Cup can do many things. Unfortunately, finding a peaceful solution to the Middle East's myriad of problems is unlikely to be one of them.

England in the shadow of poster-boy Flintoff

Despite Graeme Swann's valiant efforts, Andrew Freddie' Flintoff remains the No1 English cricket personality even after quitting the Test arena.

Swann's Twitter musings have become essential reading but he's got some way to go to reach Fred's legendary status.

When they run out against Pakistan at the Dubai Sports City Stadium today, England will be confronted by six-foot high posters of the Ashes hero promoting an appeal for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

And if that wasn't reminder enough of Flintoff's larger-than-life personality, the stadium's distinctive floodlights are popularly known as the Ring of Fire' — the Johnny Cash song Fred and his Ashes team-mates adopted as their anthem for that glorious summer five years ago.

Wayne's world of riches

In this era of financial meltdown, nothing quite warms the cockles like a list of footballers' astronomical wages.

With this in mind, a Portuguese marketing agency this week published the eye-popping wages of Europe's 50 best-paid players.

And quite a list it was. Cristiano Ronaldo tops the pile with an annual pay packet of £11.3million, while Emmanuel Adebayor earns' £7.4m (feeling better yet?) at moneybags Manchester City, making him England's best-paid player.

But the real eyebrow-raising, spirit-crushing entry came in at 44th, with a wage of £4.3m. Step forward occasional left-back Wayne Bridge.

Arsenal fans are grounded

The empty seats visible among the Arsenal fans at Porto this week were a result of an almighty cock-up — and not because the Gooners wanted an easier journey home, as is so often the case at Emirates Stadium.

Over 100 fans travelling with the supporters' club endured a nightmare journey for the club's Champions League fixture.

Apparently, the wrong flights were booked, ensuring many Gooners missed kick-off, while others were stranded at Gatwick. It's not known whether calamity keeper Lukasz Fabianski was among them.

twitter of the week

* I just hope one day the patron saint of fish and chips with a battered sausage and a tin of D&B will get his own special day...

* Graeme Swann rues missing Pancake Day, having previously informed us of his childhood eating comps'. His record' stands at a sickly 26 pancakes.

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