Kung Fu keeper: Amazing scenes as goalie attacks fan who ran on pitch... and then match is abandoned as teammates storm off after HE is red carded

By LEE MORAN



Kung-Fu fighting: AZ Alkmaar's goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado spots an Ajax fan charging at him just in time



A football hooligan stormed a Dutch Cup match to try and Kung Fu kick the rival team's goalkeeper - who himself was then sent off for flooring his would-be attacker.

Chaos erupted 36 minutes into Ajax's clash with AZ Alkmaar at the Amsterdam Arena stadium last night after the drunk 19-year-old ran onto the pitch.

AZ Alkmaar's Costa Rican keeper Esteban Alvarado spotted him launching his flying kick and skilfully tripped him - before himself launching an attack with a series of kicks.



Attacked turned attacker: Alvarado turns the tables on the hooligan by kicking him on the ground



Security guards dragged the supporter away before referee Bas Nijhuis red carded the keeper for violence. Alkmaar coach Gertjan Verbeek then ordered his side to walk off in protest.

Nijhuis said: 'I understand that Esteban was defending himself, but he walked to him (the supporter) and kicked him multiple times. He could also have walked away.'



Down and out: The hooligan winces in pain as Alvarado launches a series of kicks at him



Ajax was leading the round-of-16 match 1-0 after a goal by Gregory van der Wiel. Attempts to convince Alkmaar to continue were fruitless.

Alkmaar club director Toon Gerbrands said his players 'didn't feel safe any more in this situation'.



Calming down: Stewards rushed on to the pitch to intervene following the attack



Ajax apologised for the security lapse and said the supporter would receive a lifetime ban from games.

Dutch Football Association director Bert van Oostveen said his organisation was considering the incident, but is not certain whether the game will be replayed.

Ajax coach Frank de Boer, a renowned former defender for the Netherlands' national team, said of Alvarado's reaction: 'Maybe I would have done the same thing, maybe not. But emotionally I do understand it.'



Chaos: AZ Alkmaar players protest after referee Bas Nijhuis red carded their goalkeeper



You're coming with us: The pitch invader is led away by security staff after disrupting Ajax against AZ Alkmaar



It is not the first time a player has attacked a fan. In 1995, Manchester United's then star Eric Cantona famously lashed out at an abusive supporter who was sitting in the front row during the team's clash with Crystal Palace.

Cantona was fined £20,000, banned for nine months and stripped of his French captaincy after the incident.

He claimed the fan shouted racial insults and threw a missile at him as he walked off the pitch after being given a red card for kicking another player during a tackle.



Anger: AZ Alkmaar players cannot believe their eyes as referee Bas Nijhuis shows a red card to their goalkeeper following the incident



Game over: AZ boss Gert Jan Verbeek orders his team to leave the field in protest at Esteban's sending off



Nothing to do: Ajax players are forced to walk off after AZ refuse to play on following Esteban's red card







source: dailymail

Sporting calendar girls! Team GB model for charity shoot ahead of 2012 Olympics

Be a sport: Synchronised swimmer Jenna Randall poses for the 2012 Nichole de Carle London charity calendar



In between training for 2012, female members of team GB have taken time out to pose for a charity calendar.

The Olympic hopefuls showed off the results of their hard work for lingerie firm Nichole de Carle London - a far cry from their upcoming uniforms.

The calendar features girls from a range of sporting disciplines.



Synchronised swimmer Jenna Randall, Water Polo player Vicki Hawkins, Rosie Morris and Frankie Snell, Artistic Gymnast Imogen Cairns, K4 Kayaker Jess Walker, triathlete Hollie Avil, 400m runner Nicola Sanders and Modern Pentathlete Katy Livingston all signed up for the glamorous shoot.

Models wore jewellery designer Salima Hughes and Coster Diamonds and were shot by photographer Clara Maidment.

The calendar will be sold on the lingerie brand's site for just £9.99 and can be pre-ordered ahead of the launch in the first week of January 2012.



Water Polo players Francesca Snell, left and Vikki Hawkins, right, channels Madonna in a black lingerie set and high heels



All profits going to Wellbeing of Women, improving the health of women and babies.

A spokesperson for the charity said: 'Wellbeing of Women is the charity dedicated to improving the health of women and babies, to make a difference to everybody’s lives today and tomorrow.

'We fund pioneering medical research and training into women’s health and use education and information to empower women; so that we can all be at the top of our game.'



Taking time out: It's a far cry from kayaking for Jess Walker, who also posed for the calendar, sending proceeeds to Wellbeing of Women



source: dailymail

Time to ask for a refund? Wayne Rooney's hair appears to be thinning... just months after £30,000 transplant

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER



Time to ask for a refund? Wayne Rooney, seen today, appeared to be thinning on top just months after his £30,000 transplant



He spent a staggering £30,000 earlier this year in his quest to get the perfect head of hair.

But it seems that maybe the time has come for Wayne Rooney to request a refund.

The 26-year-old footballer's hair appeared to be thinning slightly on top as he flew out to Basel, Switzerland, this morning.

With his head bowed, Rooney's hair looked significantly thinner both on the top and at the front of the hairline, with the effects of the transplant seemingly wearing off.



Full head of hair: Rooney looking thicker on top last month



Earlier this month, Rooney sparked concern that the transplant may not have fully worked when he was seen sporting greying locks.

However, the director of the clinic then came forward to insist the 'discolouration' was normal, and may last months.

Nadeem Uddin Khan, Director of the Harley Street Hair Clinic, said: ‘It isn’t possible to judge the full effect of a transplant for at least 6-12 months. The whole process is similar to transplanting a favourite plant or shrub.

'While the roots re-establish themselves, the growth on top can be patchy and this can involve some initial loss or discolouration.'



Jetsetter: Rooney was seen with football team Manchester United leaving for Basel, Switzerland, this morning



'This is entirely normal and does not affect the ultimate outcome of a fully restored hairline featuring strong and healthy growth.'

Rooney had the treatment at a central London clinic at the beginning of June.

In the days following the procedure, he revealed: 'Just to confirm to all my followers I have had a hair transplant. I was going bald at 25, why not? I'm delighted with the result.'

Rooney had a follicular transfer in which hairs are moved from donor areas – usually at the back of the head – and then replanted in bald areas.

Rooney flew out to Basel with team Manchester United ahead of their UEFA Champion's League match against the Swiss team on Wednesday night.



source: dailymail

Bravery of Gary Speed's widow as she joins Leeds fans in match-day tribute to late husband at emotional Elland Road

By POLLY DUNBAR



Emotional: Louise Speed, centre, surrounded by friends and family as fans and former players pay tribute to her late husband



The heartbroken wife of tragic footballer Gary Speed yesterday made her first public appearance since his death.

Louise Speed was in the stands at Elland Road, the home of Gary’s first club, Leeds United, to witness thousands of football fans pay their respects.

In a remarkable outpouring of public sympathy and appreciation, the minute’s remembrance before the Championship match between Leeds and Millwall was filled not with silence, but rapturous applause and the steady chant of ‘Speedo, Speedo’.



Brave: Louise Speed is helped to her husband's shine yesterday in a poignant moment



Mrs Speed managed a brave smile, while her husband’s former teammates, including Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and David Batty, whom he played with when Leeds won the 1992 First Division title, struggled to hold back tears as they laid wreaths on the pitch.

Across the country the tribalism usually found in football was placed to one side as the sport united in mourning the Wales manager, who was found dead by his wife at his home in Cheshire last Sunday.



Remembering: Fans gathered outside Elland Road to pay their respects to Gary Speed



There was another moving remembrance before the game at Newcastle United, where Gary played from 1998 to 2004, and a minute’s applause was held before every Premiership match, in recognition of the high regard in which he was held throughout the game.

Mrs Speed, who was supported at Elland Road by family members including the couple’s teenage son, left the ground shortly before half-time to look at the masses of tributes that have been placed during the past seven days around the statue of the club’s legendary captain Billy Bremner.



Leeds' Robert Snodgrass, left, and Andy Keogh, right wear a black armband with Gary Speed's name on it



She spent 15 minutes reading some of the messages on the shirts, scarves, photographs and wreaths left by supporters from many different clubs.

Before the match, hundreds of fans formed a circle around the shrine, many of them in tears.

Earlier in the week supporters of long-time bitter rivals Leeds and Manchester United were seen chatting warmly to each other outside the ground before adding their tributes to the shrine.



In memory: Gareth Bale wore boots with the words RIP Gary Speed embroidered on them



A Leeds fan holds up a shirt with his message of support for Gary Speed's wife Louise who watched the match today



Tearful football fans of all ages pay tribute to Gary Speed in the first Leeds United home game since the player took his life



One of the lads: Former team-mates Gary McAllister, Gordon Strachan and David Batty laid a wreath at Elland Road this afternoon



Former teammates of Gary Speed from left Gary McAllister, Gordon Strachan and David Batty carry a wreath onto the pitch



Leeds players clap after observing a minute's applause before the match today



Toon idol: The team applaud Gary Speed during a minutes clapping for the Magpies idol at St James' Park



source: dailymail