EPL side Queens Park Rangers Manager Harry Redknapp and player Adel Taarabt were reprimanded by the club on Tuesday after QPR admitted to having been "embarrassed by the public
slanging match between manager and player." QPR was ready to fine Taarabt £130,000 ($208,700), the "equivalent of two weeks' wages,
for bringing the club into disrepute over claims about his manager’s
supposed failings, but they have come under pressure from the Professional
Footballers' Association to avoid handing out a punishment" (LONDON TIMES, 10/22). ... Powerful lights "confiscated by police during marijuana raids are now being used by the groundsman" of English third tier club Rochdale to help the turf grow on its field. Police "donated the lights to the club last week to avoid having to pay for their disposal" (AP, 10/22). ... The Football Kenya Federation is "mulling at the possibility of introducing an 18-team Premier League next season." The
federation believes that time is "ripe to increase" the number of teams
taking part in the Kenyan Premier League to 18 in a bid to popularize
the sport and "also give other counties a chance to have teams in the top
competition" (GOAL, 10/22). ... Scottish Premiership side Celtic's Europa League opponent Astra Giurgiu was delayed on its way to Scotland on Tuesday night -- "amid claims their flight had not been paid for." The hold-up was not the "only problem for the Romanian club, because when they finally got off the ground they were forced to leave two of their biggest stars at the airport." Astra players Kehinde Fatai and Seidu Yahaya were "turned away from the flight as they did not have the appropriate visas" (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 10/22). ... The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) said on Wednesday that Greek third division team Irodotos has been docked 15 points and "ordered to play 10 matches behind closed doors following the death of an Ethnikos Piraeus supporter." In one of the "heaviest punishments handed out in Greek football, the Cretan club were also banned from all transfer activity until the end of the season" and fined €2,500 ($3,160) (REUTERS, 10/22). ... The "intimidation of Ebola virus has passively attacked Bangladesh football as some premier league clubs are struggling to fly in players from the African continent for trial and sign up." The Bangladesh Football Federation is "also preparing to take necessary steps in order to ensure safety throughout the football arena from the deadly virus Ebola that broke out in West Africa." The concern is "mainly due to the big number of African players playing in the domestic leagues for a long time now" (DHAKA TRIBUNE, 10/21).
