Jan 28

Knee injury could keep Chelsea midfielder Ramires out for a month

• Ramires appeared to be injured when struck by the ball
• Brazilian could miss Champions League tie against Napoli

Ramires may be out “for at least four weeks at least” due to a medial knee ligament injury suffered during the second half of Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth-round victory at Queens Park Rangers.

The injury appeared to happen when the ball hit the Brazilian midfielder’s leg. After lengthy treatment by club medical staff he was carried off on a stretcher.

If he is out a month, he could miss at least four Premier League games and the last-16 round of the Champions League when it resumes next month.

André Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, said: “It’s not so bad in terms of knee injuries. He’ll have the MRI on Sunday and we’ll know the full extent. Hopefully he is going to avoid an operation and he is going be back soon.

“We have to know the extent of the injury – eventually with treatment we could look at a four-week period, maybe more, hopefully not.”

The midfielder is likely to miss the league games with Swansea, Manchester United, Everton and Bolton Wanderers, plus the first leg of the Champions League last-16 encounter with Napoli.

Frank Lampard, who sat out the 1-0 win over QPR with a calf injury, is rated at 50-50 to play against Swansea City on Tuesday.

ChelseaQPRFA Cup 2011-12FA CupJamie Jackson
guardian.co.uk

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Jan 28

Police are called in to investigate supporter gesture at Anfield

• Fan appears to make monkey signs
• Photograph is circulated on Twitter

Liverpool knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup but were put on the defensive when the question of racism again raised its head at Anfield. An image of a Liverpool fan appearing to make an offensive monkey gesture in the direction of Patrice Evra was circulated on Twitter, prompting Merseyside police to investigate.

Patrice Evra, who became embroiled in a row that led to Luis Suárez being found guilty of racially abusing the United defender in the 1-1 draw on 15 October, was booed loudly every time he touched the ball during the Cup tie, which Liverpool won 2–1.

“This matter is now under investigation by specialist hate crime detectives and we are working with Liverpool Football Club to identify the man in question,” said the match commander, Ch Supt Jon Ward, while Liverpool asked supporters who may be able to help to contact the club.

When Kenny Dalglish was asked what he thought of Evra’s every touch being booed, the Liverpool manager responded: “Are you winding me up?” He added: “Why would I be disappointed for Patrice Evra? I can’t believe you have asked that question before anything else. Have you ever played football? I used to get booed.

“The media has played its part this week in trying to maintain dignity and respect on the pitch and to concentrate on the game. The behaviour of both sets of players on the pitch was a credit to the game. There was banter between the two sets of fans but it was friendly. There may not have been a lot of respect, but both sets of supporters were brilliant. I don’t think there was anything there that was untoward.”

The Kop joined in several choruses of “There’s only one lying bastard”, putting into words what appeared to be the underlying theme of Liverpool’s defence of Suárez.

Queens Park Rangers players took a collective decision to back Anton Ferdinand by not shaking hands with their opponents before their Cup tie with Chelsea at Loftus Road, which they lost 1–0. However, the Football Association chose to discard the usual pre-match convention. The issue was a concern due to John Terry being accused of making a racially abusive slur at Ferdinand in October. Terry will answer the charge, which he denies, at West London magistrates’ court on

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jan 22

Alleged racist chanting by Chelsea fans under police investigation

• Incident said to have taken place on train after Norwich game
• Chelsea vow to take strong action if claims are true

Claims that a group of Chelsea fans were involved in racist chanting on a train back from the club’s 0-0 draw at Norwich City are being investigated. British Transport police said it has been made aware of the alleged incident after the clubs’ Premier League match on Saturday.

“We were made aware of the incident on board the 16:00 Norwich to London Liverpool Street service,” a spokeswoman said. “It is alleged that some individuals were involved in racist chanting. British Transport police has contacted the individual concerned who made the allegations and an investigation is ongoing.”

Chelsea has vowed to take action against any fans proved to be involved in racist chanting. A statement on the club’s website said: “Chelsea Football Club is concerned to hear that a small number of fans travelling back by train from Norwich were alleged to be involved in racist chants and comment.

“We are working to help the relevant authorities identify those responsible and will take the strongest possible action should these allegations prove to be true. The club, like the overwhelming majority of our fans, strongly believe that all forms of discrimination are abhorrent and have absolutely no place in society.”

The alleged incident comes a week before Chelsea face Queens Park Rangers in an FA

Comments Off | Tags: , , , ,
« Previous Page Next Page »