Man of the week; transparency news; Bin Laden in Romania; plus why football is not for oxen
Man of the week
Equatorial Guinea's PR team say the $1m bonus paid to the squad by minister Teodorin Obiang was "a personal gesture", not public funds. "There is no official standing to the prize. It boosted morale." ? $100m: Obiang's income from "extortion and theft of public funds" according to US prosecutors, with $70.8m allegedly laundered in the US on purchases including a jet and a Malibu mansion. Obiang denies wrongdoing: "I've been very lucky in business. I like to live well."
Timing of the week
1) Michel Platini renews Uefa's pledge to enforce a clear message on financial fair play in football; Uefa highlight excessive spending by Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari owners QSI, and promise sanctions which will survive any legal challenge. 2) Platini's son Laurent joins QSI as a lawyer.
Transparency latest
Russia: Sports minister Vitaly Mutko says his new anti-corruption committee will clean up football ahead of the 2018 World Cup; officials praise his "initiative of great relevance". 2010: The previous government transparency committee issues its report, highlighting Mutko's expenses claim for 97 breakfasts eaten during a 20-day trip to Vancouver. Mutko denied wrongdoing.
Book of the week
The Argentinian FA's new tribute to its nine-term head Julio Grondona, Sepp's deputy. The FA say the book ? More than three decades of achievements and international reputation ? is 263 pages of Grondona's "commitment and sacrifice", and will serve as "a unique piece of great historical value".
Safe pair of hands
December 2011: Brazil's FA head Ricardo Teixeira takes a "leave of absence" to fight corruption allegations, with Jos� Maria Marin taking over as acting head to "provide transparency". January: Marin denies stealing a medal during the presentation ceremony at the Copa S�o Paulo. Marin was seen on camera putting a medal in his pocket, leaving the Corinthians goalkeeper without one, but regional FA head Marco Polo Del Nero told a local reporter it was "totally normal". "We said he could have it. There are always spare medals. Would you like one too?"
Football family latest
1) Greece: Back in the news: former Paok owner Giorgos "Batman" Batatoudis, named on a government tax defaulters list, accused of owing the state ?2.5m. Batatoudis, given a 10-year suspended sentence in 2009 for embezzling ?7.3m by selling Paok's TV rights to himself at a discount, arrived back in Greece last year from Libya, where he enjoyed "excellent relations" with the Gaddafis.
2) Switzerland: Bulat Chagaev, remanded in custody for a month after Xamax were confirmed bankrupt, nine months after he bought them. Chagaev denies fraud and forgery. Lawyer Jacques Barillon: "Prison does not make him afraid. He is full of perspective and philosophy. He's ready to fight for his cause."
Oxen news
Dubai: Former head of referees Ali Bujsaim says Al Ahli's Luis Jim�nez will pay after he "pushed a referee with his head": "He went in like a total fool. Football is for footballers, not oxen. You cannot behave like that. Thank God he does not have horns, otherwise it would be very dangerous." Jim�nez: "I'm sorry to everyone. It wasn't a normal act."
Model news
October 2011: Persema Malang support striker Irfan Bachdim after he was given a 12-month suspended ban for skipping an Indonesia U-23 match to attend a modelling job. National coach Rahmad Darmawan: "He texted to say he was doing a photoshoot and he'd join us later. I said no thanks"; Persema said the ban was harsh. January: Persema fine Irfan �500 for missing a week of training to attend a modelling job.
One to watch
Romania: Highly rated in youth football: 10-year-old Bin Laden Virtosu ? born two weeks after the 2001 attacks in New York. "I'm Bin Laden and I will be the new Messi," he told local TV. In 2008 Bin Laden told Romanian press his name is OK. "I want to be a strong man like Bin Laden. But not a terrorist. A cop, maybe."
Poetry corner
August 2011: Ex-Real midfielder Guti tells Twitter how leaving model Noelia L�pez and having his Noelia tattoo lasered left him ruined. "I ask myself whether to love and desire is worth the anguish. Afterwards, all that remains is an inner vacuum. I exist in a solitude I did not court." January: Guti tweets his plans for new model Romina Belluscio: "Health, peace, love, and a good romp."
Plus: farewell
Argentina: Model Macarena Lemos says she plans to leave football for acting. Lemos ? who last year accused Lionel Messi's mother of threatening her in a shopping mall ("She chased me with a frying pan, saying I talked to a magazine about her boy. I did not") ? says linking herself with footballers and Justin Bieber has set back her credibility. "I don't want to be just that beauty who wears thongs like dental floss. It is time to focus. I have many plans."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jan/28/said-and-done-teodorin-obiang
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