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.)
I’m no softy when it comes to players bad behavior but if someone throws a metal object at you…..?
The ground won’t be frozen in Philly on Dec. 1. It is going up to 70 here tomorrow. Takes a while for the ground to get frozen.
“i still wish the philly stadium was actually in philly. im still glad we are getting a team though i can’t wait till 2010
Posted by: Ryan | November 14, 2008 at 02:00 PM”
Looks like there are plenty of good pubs but it does look like it will be a bit of a commute.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester
The rivalry between Phila/NY will now get another spark. Its all good, two new soccer stadiums about 100 miles apart is fantastic.
GO ZOLO!!!
GO SOBs!!!
i still wish the philly stadium was actually in philly. im still glad we are getting a team though i can’t wait till 2010
“What does McCain/Palin have to do with Maradona?”
What, you don’t think that Maradona looks like a naughty librarian?
God I love a good infight. Maradona’s really off to a great start in the headline department. I hope his time is fiery and quick – it would be a pain if this developed into a trench war of words.
I don’t see the big deal about this Drogba thing. I don’t really blame him for his actions even though I think he’s an idiot. The last person to do this same thing was Carragher who got a NASTY fine along with his suspension. So he’ll get suspended and fined and who cares? At this point it’s only news because for all the millions Chelsea have spent buying him and paying him, he has only given them one good season. He’s a bust, that’s bad enough, let’s leave him alone while he pays his fine and gets suspended.
Okay fine I know, it’s news and it has to be covered. I know. I’m just sick of this guy being being covered so much without ever really doing anything on the pitch except for one great season.
Good luck getting a shovel into the frozen ground in Phili on December 1st.
I think it would be funny if the FA fined Drogba 10,000 times the value of the coin he threw back into the crowd.
Drogba is CLASS-LESS!!
He should know better!
Lets not forget that this is the same idiot who said i should’ve punched vidic in the face in the champions league finals! I mean come on!! who the hell says that!?!!?
MLS Philly should just play in the spectrum 😉
Something about pigs and lipstick.
What does McCain/Palin have to do with Maradona?
im tired of seeing the leagues punished the victims…. the incedent would not have occured if the fan did not throw the coin…. not saying Drogba did the right thing, simply saying he was a victim of an item being thrown and he will be punished for retaliating… its about time they start to punish the fans for these mistakes…. perhaps the surrounding fans will snake out the offender..
But I would *MUCH* rather see Palin naked than Maradona.
Oh, and what exactly is the FA doing to charge the individual who *initiated* the coin throwing? What? Oh.
Their stadium is going to be in a place called Chester? My mind is racing with nick names rhyming with Chester.
The Mccain/Palin soap opera of Argentina continues.