This week’s quotes from IAN COLE includes media charges for internet access, photographer bans at football grounds, problems at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, Usain Bolt and Tiger Woods both getting beaten, and Fabio Capello
“The longest, truest sponsor that sport has is the press. We’ll be doing everything we can over the next year or so to make sure you can tell the stories, buttressed by our operations” Lord Coe, chairman of LOCOG, at last week’s World Press Briefing, where a “reasonable” £150 internet access fee for media at the 2012 Games was confirmed, making the organisers at least £1.5 million which they assure will be “non-profit making”.
“While applauding Plymouth’s amazing victory we are deliberately ignoring one of the hottest title favourites in history” The Sun‘s report that avoided mentioning Southampton, who are refusing to accredit photographers.
“I told you I am not unbeatable. You can get beaten on a bad day and it was one of those for me tonight. I am not in my best shape and he’s in great shape” Usain Bolt after his first defeat over 100 metres in three season, beaten by Tyson Gay in Stockholm.
“In this auditorium, where leaking is taking place, it has a different system. Those are being mistaken for leakage points. If there are some leakage points, they are being watched carefully and they will be attended to” S Jaipal Reddy, India’s urban development minister, at the opening of Delhi’s £10 million indoor weightlifting arena built for the Commonwealth Games, as workers desperately tried to sweep away water from a leaking roof.
“I am really, really sorry. This is not a good period for me. When you win you are the best and when you lose you are absolutely nothing. That is our job. If the FA had decided to sack me I would have understood. But I prefer to stay” Fabio Capello, the England football coach.
“Why don’t we do something about football in this country? Why don’t we get it back on track? It’s shocking that we pay our national manager an enormous amount of money while a football club like Chester ceases to exist” Delia Smith, joint major shareholder at Norwich City.
“Football is moving further and further away from the people. You wonder where all this is going to end. Sometimes it seems as if the club is a franchise being traded around and that’s something I’m not comfortable with” Angus Fraser, Middlesex Director of Cricket, on the continuing battle for ownership of his other passion, Liverpool Football Club.
“As a professional who wants to play every time I have the chance, I don’t see myself as a No3 or No4 keeper and find that role very frustrating. I haven’t had the opportunity of anything other than this in recent years, therefore I feel it is in the best interests of myself and my club to concentrate on club football” Paul Robinson rejects a call to return to the England squad.
“Forging and fudging of various quality and safety checks has widely thrown open the possibility of mishaps, blackouts and accidents” Vijay Goel, leader of the Indian opposition party, on allegations of corruption surrounding building contracts for the Delhi Commonwealth Games, which have cost a record £1.5 billion.
“I feel like a fella who was selling the Big Issue last week with my dog sat by me looking hungry. Now I’ve picked up a winning lottery ticket” Ian Holloway prepares relegation favourites Blackpool for the Premier League.
“I was happy to pull up an armchair at second slip, have the best seat in the house, and watch my mates do all the work. I’m an inherently lazy person and will be happy to do nothing again if the others bowl as well as they did at Trent Bridge” Graeme Swann, the world’s No1 spinner, who bowled only two overs in a 354-run first Test victory over Pakistan.
“It’s nice to see the opposition getting frustrated. But it’s not good to see people throwing balls intentionally at others and not even excusing themselves properly” Salman Butt on England’s Stuart Broad, who was fined for throwing the ball at Zulqarnain Haider.
“Playing with Tiger makes you focus more and that’s what I need after a fortnight away from the game. I think he likes playing with me, too. A lot of players act differently when they’re around him but my caddie and I take the mickey out of him and he returns in kind. It’s probably what he needs right now, with everything that’s going on in his life” Lee Westwood
“I’ve got time to fit in a practice round and still see the leaders here finish on TV” Tiger Woods after his worst four-round total in 20 years as a pro at the Bridgestone Invitational.
“This guy, we put him where he is now and he took advantage. We gave him all the support, we believed in him and he just let us down. But we have a nice guy now. He’s better looking too. I’m sure he is going to get us to the Championship…” Mohamed Al Fayed takes a dig at outgoing manager Roy Hodgson, while replacement Mark Hughes was alarmed at his boss’s forecast for the season.