A News Roundup That Started Out Brawl-Free But Isn’t Anymore

By: Martha | March 7th, 2007

Yes, it's more on the fight. •A Celtic supporter died in Milan late last night. While the death apparently had nothing to do with Champions League or Milan fans (he was hit by a car), this is not exactly going to be conducive to a friendly atmosphere tonight.

•Fox Soccer Channel scored the US television rights to Serie A games for the next three seasons yesterday. At first, this news was exiting to me: The preview and review shows could be good, and I figured there’d be more good games on easily-accessible, English-language TV. That’s a good thing, right? But then I realized: FSC + Serie A = more aggressively awful announcers. And, frankly, I think I’d rather keep watching games on RAI than listen to those FSC dolts more than I already have to. Plus, Gol TV (which currently seems to have the rights to all matches except the home games of the three teams FSC somehow scored) sometimes just uses feeds that I assume are from Sky, thus saving us from the hell of Ray Hudson and friends. FSC, I’m guessing, is too thrilled with their buy to do anything less than unleash their morons on every single game. I do not have a good feeling about this.

•The guy responsible for kidnapping Kakha Kaladze’s brother and later executing him was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Georgian (the former Soviet republic, not the US state) court yesterday. Levon Kaladze was kidnapped in 2001 and, despite the alleged payment of a $600,000 ransom, wasn’t heard from again until his body was found. This is too horrible to even contemplate, and the fact that Kaladze actually managed to continue to play through all of this is mind-blowing.

•UEFA has charged Carlos Marchena, David Navarro, Nicolas Burdisso, Ivan Cordoba and Maicon of Inter with gross unsporting conduct as a result of yesterday’s postgame fracas. Two questions: 1)What did Maicon do and when, and 2)How did Figo, Cambiasso and Toldo escape charges, what with the attempted dressing room invasion and all? Apparently the new date for a decision is March 14, and both teams have until then to appeal. Jeez, I hope Navarro at least has the dignity not to try that.

•The un-charge Toldo has told the press the thrilling story once he got into the Valencia changing room: Nothing. Apparently there were several roadblocks to him finding and killing Navarro, first among them that he didn’t actually know what Navarro looked like, or who he was. Well, it’s the thought that counts, right?

•And, finally, another broken nose. Unlike Burdisso’s, Christian Chivu’s nose was broken during actual gameplay, when he was accidentally (?) elbowed last night by Lyon’s Fred. He’ll have minor surgery today to make sure he stays pretty and, if Eugenio Corini’s recent experience is anything to go on, is likely to be out for at least a week.