All bets are off!
By James Pearson Last updated: 4th July 2008
Van Bommel: May think twice about last-minute bets
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Mark van Bommel is unlikely to make anymore bets on football.
After keeping a close eye on Bayern Munich colleague Franck Ribery in training, Dutch ace van Bommel conceived a great idea how to make a little extra cash during a game.
So confident that the Frenchman was inept when it came to set-pieces that during Bayern's romp of Anderlecht he offered a €100 (£78) bet that he could not score with a late free-kick.
However, van Bommel's money-making scheme swiftly disappeared when Ribery smashed home Bayern's fifth: "I thought it would be easy money. I was wrong."
Bayern team-mate Oliver Kahn was also surprised van Bommel lost out after seeing Ribery's recent efforts in training.
"Franck's last few free kicks in training have all gone over the fence," said the veteran keeper. "Having seen that, I would have taken the bet as well."
Fats enough
Bury director Iain Mills has been forced to resign from the club after failing to conform to the traditional attire you would expect of a member of the board.
With Mills weighing over 20 stone he preferred to wear shorts to every game, although his casual approach to League Two football turned more than just heads.
Following a number of complaints, Mills was forced keep himself and his Bermuda shorts at home, away from Gigg Lane.
"Put me in a pair of shorts and I'm as happy as a pig in mud. But there are obviously certain individuals who want to make an issue of it," he bemoaned.
Sweet encounter
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger failed to see the innocent side of Alexander Hleb's discreet meeting with Italian agent Claudio Vigorelli.
The pair hooked up the day before The Gunners' sensational 2-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Internazionale's neighbours Milan.
With Wenger threatening to report Vigorelli to Uefa over an illegal approach, leading agent Vincenzo Morabito came up with the crucial reason why the pair were so desperate to meet.
"It is not true that they went to talk to Inter. They went for an ice cream," explained Morabito. Hmmmm, not sure anyone believes that one, but at least it is original.
Finally, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has heaped praise on Scotland's team by stating they could not possibly be visiting the country for anything other than a good footballing test.
"The [quality] is the reason why we chose Scotland. We didn't choose it for the weather," he stated.
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