Didier Drogba is in trouble.
His well-publicized return throw of a coin tossed at him during Chelsea’s Carling Cup loss to Burnley could wind up costing him far more than he could have bargained for now that Drogba is facing a charge from the English FA over the incident.
What sort of suspension could he be looking at? It is looking like the striker will face a three-match ban, an unfortunate development for a player who had just returned from injury.
And yes, for those of you wondering, at least one fan has stepped forward and filed a complaint against Drogba over the incident. Yes, I know, shocking.
Here are some other stories to get your day started:
MLS Philadelphia sets date for stadium groundbreaking
The MLS expansion team in Philadelphia doesn’t start playing until 2010, but the club is set to break ground on its stadium. The club announced that Dec. 1 will be the date for the groundbreaking ceremony in Chester, Pa.
I’m sure Red Bulls fans will be setting the over/under on total groundbreaking ceremonies for Philadelphia at 2.5 given the history of Philadelphia CEO and former MetroStars general manager Nick Sakiewicz, but Sakiewicz has stated that the process to get a stadium built in Chester has been night and day compared to the lengthy and arduous process to get a stadium projected going in New Jersey.
No call-up for Beckham
Anyone hoping to see David Beckham play for England in next Wednesday’s friendly vs. Germany is going to be disappointed. Beckham is set to be left out of England’s squad for the friendly, with manager Fabio Cappello expected to go with a young team.
Maradona denies threatening to quit
The alledged deadlock between Diego Maradona and Argentine Football Federation president Julio Grondona over Maradona’s desire to hire Oscar Ruggeri as an assistant isn’t nearly as bad as reports have made it out to be. At least that is what Maradona is claiming after denying reports that he threatened to quite if he weren’t allowed to hire Ruggeri.
What do you think of these stories? Think Drogba should be punished? Excited to hear about Philadelphia’s groundbreaking? Do you believe Maradona’s claim that he didn’t threaten to quit?
Share your thoughts on these stories and any other stories from this morning and Thursday in the comments section below. (Also, be sure to check back in to SBI for a preview of the RSL-Red Bulls clash, This Weekend’s Soccer on TV and a feature story on RSL midfielder Dema Kovalenko and Red Bulls midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic. It’s a story you are going to want to read.)