Liverpool to take action over
amazing brawl reports
tribalfooball.com - February 18, 2007
Rafa Benitez has warned Liverpool the club will take disciplinary
action if any of his players breached club rules during their
Portugal trip.
Liverpool went to Portugal to prepare for Wednesday's Champions
League clash with Barcelona and woke on Sunday morning to newspaper
reports alleging a fracas between Craig Bellamy and John Arne
Riise.
"I met this morning with the entire first-team squad and made it
absolutely clear to all of them the responsibilities that come with
playing for this club and the way they are expected to conduct
themselves both on and off the pitch," the Spaniard said.
"The players worked extremely hard at last week's training camp,
but we will take disciplinary action and fine any of them who are
found to have breached club rules during our stay in
Portugal.
"I've told the players this and they understand and accept the
decision I have taken.
"Despite reports to the contrary, the spirit amongst the lads is
very good with everyone looking forward to the game against
Barcelona on Wednesday.
"We remain totally focussed on what will be a very tough game
against the defending European Champions."
According to reports in the News of the World, the 'vicious
punch-up' broke out at a karaoke bar.
The newspaper quotes an 'inside source' saying: "There had been a
lot of drinking and everyone was enjoying themselves. But it all
went wrong when Craig tried to drag John up for a song. There was a
karaoke competition going on, but John's a quiet one off the pitch
and wasn't having it at all.
"It started off as a bit of a lark with some of the other lads
having a go but then it got completely out of hand. John went
ballistic because Craig wouldn't take no for an answer. He was
screaming at Craig to leave him alone, saying he wouldn't do it and
yelling insults.
"Everyone was completely stunned by it because they were really
having a go, standing there toe to toe swearing at each other.
There were about 20 players in the bar including all the senior
guys, like Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt.
"They were warned to keep a lid on it and it appeared to calm
down.
"It was really late, about 2am, and the players eventually started
drifting off to bed. But Craig, who was sharing with Steve Finnan,
was so wound up he couldn't sleep.
"He suddenly grabbed a golf club and went looking for John. And
when he found him he waded in, hacking at his legs with the
club.
"All hell was let loose and John suffered a lot of bruising. Craig
was out of control and shouting that John had belittled him in
front of the lads."
Liverpool stars caught in booze
storm
tribalfooball.com - February 17, 2007
Liverpool stars are being caught up in an alleged booze storm over
their training camp in Portugal last week.
The Daily Mail says goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, Jermaine Pennant and
former England striker Robbie Fowler were named by local newspapers
as being involved in a drunken spree at the Barringtons Golf and
Health Club, in Vale do Lobo, on the Algarve, in the early hours of
Friday morning.
Dudek, a hero of Liverpool's Champions League triumph in Istanbul
two years ago, was reported to have been handcuffed after the
incident, which is alleged to have occurred at the end of a
warm-weather training camp undertaken to prepare for Liverpool's
Champions League game in Barcelona on Wednesday.
A Liverpool spokesman said last night: "The matter will be dealt
with internally."
Local sources claim the trouble began at a bar called Monty's, in
Vale do Lobo, where about 15 members of the squad had gone for a
drink after a team meal on the eve of their departure from
Portugal.
After several rounds of beer, the party reportedly became rowdy
and, despite the efforts of captain Steven Gerrard and England
international Peter Crouch to defuse the situation, police were
called.
