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Arsenal smack down Ozil on China; Kroenke holidays in Rwanda

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil says China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims is abhorrent. It is. He says the Uighurs are “warriors who resist persecution”. He then added on the Chinese microblog Weibo, where he has over 4m followers: “[In China] Qurans are burned, mosques were closed down, Islamic theological schools, madrasas were banned, religious scholars were killed one by one. Despite all this, Muslims stay quiet.”

So upset was China that the state broadcaster CCTV banned the broadcast of Arsenal’s Premier League game against Manchester City. (To anyone watching in China, Arsenal won 4-1 and were magnificent.)

“China’s Communist Party propaganda outlets can censor Mesut Özil and Arsenal’s game all season long, but the truth will prevail,” says US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. “The CCP can’t hide its gross human rights violations perpetrated against Uighurs and other religious faiths from the world.”

The United Nations says as many as 2m Uighur Muslims have been locked up in Xinjiang. Beijing calls it an antiterrorism campaign. Detaining that many people sounds like something far more sinister.

China’s Foreign Ministry says Özil “had been completely deceived by fake news and false statements”. Fans in China have been burning Arsenal shirts.

Arsenal backed their man to the hilt. Er, no. They caved, commenting on Chinese social media: “The content he expressed is entirely Özil’s personal opinion.” The club that’s now the London office of Kroenke inc, then guffed: “Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.” Good-oh. Josh Kroenke can read up on how to look the other way when he’s taking his holidays in Rwanda.

Here’s what Human Rights Watch has to say about the country Arsenal advertise on their shirts:

Tight restrictions on freedom of speech and political space remain in place, contrasting with solid results on economic development. Amendments to the constitution allowing President Paul Kagame to stand for a third term were approved in a referendum in December 2015. Kagame announced he would run for a third term. The government continues to limit the ability of opposition parties and civil society groups to function freely and independently in advance of the August 2017 presidential elections. Pro-government views dominate domestic media. Journalists who dare to question the official narrative are harassed or arrested. The authorities detained people unlawfully in unofficial detention centers; some were held incommunicado and tortured.

If you’re not going to back Ozil and say that importing British football means importing British values, then best to say nothing. Arsenal stuffed up – again.

Posted: 17th, December 2019 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment


Loew brushes off Arsenal star Ozil’s claims of racism

When Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil retied from international football for what he saw as racism in the German FA (DFB), Joachim Loew, his head coach, waited. And today he delivered his response. “Mesut made allegations of racism,” says Loew, “but I can clearly say that in the DFB, there have never been racist comments.” Maybe the racism is more subtle?

“The players with an immigration background have always enjoyed playing for us and nothing has changed,” adds Loew (seen below). But it has changed. It changed when Ozil said: “I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.” The player voted the German national team’s player of the year five times since 2011 by supporters says he’s the victim of racism. That is a change.

 

joachim loew sniffing

 

Loew seems keen to isolate Ozil. “His advisor called me to inform me that Mesut would issue the third part of his statement,” says Loew. “The player himself did not call me, which normally players have done in the past. Mesut has still not called and for the last two weeks I have unsuccessfully tried to reach him. I am sure there will be a chance for a personal conversation in the future. He has chosen this path – I have to accept that.”

The background to this is Germany’s failure at the summer’s World Cup and Ozil and Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan – two players born in Germany to Turkish parents – meeting with Turkey’s first executive president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president pumped out photos of the meeting. Cue Germans accusing the players of divided loyalties.

Gündogan recently told Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung: “Tell me, is it not racism when a German politician writes on Facebook: ‘The German national team is made up of 25 Germans and two goat-f***ers’?” Bernd Holzhauer, an SPD councillor, resigned after that outburst. “Such remarks must be labelled as racism. However, it does not mean that everyone in Germany is racist. Absolutely not. Almost all of my experiences in my life in Germany have been positive. But there are people who have used the photo for their political agenda. And in this context, the racism line was sometimes crossed.”

Loew’s response is to deny any problem. “His claims of racism are exaggerated,” said Low. “Within my team during my time here, there has been not even a hint of racism.” Ozil never said there was racism in the team. Maybe it’s time to raise your gaze…

Posted: 29th, August 2018 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment


Arsenal Transfer Balls: Ozil agrees Barcelona deal by Messi wants Liverpool’s Coutinho

Cancel that one-way ticket to Barcelona, Mesut Ozil. It turn out that Barcelona don’t want the Arsenal forward after all. It was only yesterday the paper were saying how Ozil was dreaming of playing for Barcelona and a £20m move in the January transfer window was on the cards. Now we’re told by the BBC that Barcelona’s mighty Lionel Messi has scuppered any moves for Ozil, 29.

The source for this story is Diario Gol, which thunders: “The Argentine star does not want to know anything about the German.” The story contains not a single quote from Messi. We put it through Google Translate:

Leo Messi…has already told Bartomeu and Ernesto Valverde that he does not want it. He considers that he is a very old player – Mesut is 29 years old – and that, in the event that Coutinho does not come now in January, it is better to put up with the put and go for a crack in June…

In addition, one of the things that has characterized the athletic career of the Arsenal player is his lack of regularity. During his time at Real Madrid , Mesut combined great performances with games in which he could not be seen. Just as it is happening in the English club, where he only drops a pearl from time to time but can not get the reins of the team.

So the move is off. No. Today’s Metro says Ozil has agreed to joined Barcelona.

 

 

The Metro cites “reports in Spain” as its source, but declines to mention which they are. The Express carries the same report, but does link to a source, stating: “And Catalan reporter Quique Guasch told Spanish outlet Catalunya Radio that Ozil had agreed a three-and-a-half year contract and is expected to cost around £17.8million.” How they know, no-one’s saying.

And then there’s the Mail, which says no agreement has been reached, and, as the headline tells it, Ozil wants a lot of money: “Arsenal star Mesut Ozil demands Barcelona offer him £330,000-a-week deal amid January interest.” That report is rooted in Spanish site AS, which says: “In addition to the astronomical salary, Özil will ask for a succulent signing bonus.” It also notes that Arsenal want “Leon Goretzka, an allcampists of Schalke 04”.

Such are the facts.

Posted: 23rd, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, Sports | Comment


Transfer balls: Barcelona and Manchester United are desperate for Ozil but Arsenal want him to stay

Transfer Balls: Having secured a new talent spotter in the shape of Sven Mislinat from Borussia Dortmund – he helped the Germans recruit Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Ousmane Dembele and their want-away striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (any Gooners think he’s heading to the Emirates?) – news is of players leaving the club. And chief among them is Mesut Ozil.

The Sun says Ozil “is keen on joining Barcelona”. Arsenal are apparently eager to get £20m for the 29-year-old this January. The Manchester Evening News says “Ozil is keen on a move” to Old Trafford for £17.7m. The London Evening Standard says “Arsenal players expect Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to stay”.

Much blather, then. But one story has roots: the Sun’s story is sourced in a report in Mundo Deportivo – the sports newspaper published in…Barcelona. Just as the Manchester-based paper knows Ozil wants to play for Manchester United, the Barcelona based newspaper knows he wants to play in Barcelona. As for the London-based Standard, well, it’s balls is based on the opinion of Nacho Monreal, who told a rival organ, “I can’t say much about it. It does not depend on me… If the club want them to stay beyond December [the January transfer window] they will follow. Yet, I do not know the club’s intentions.”

Let’s put the not-in-the-least-bit-biased Deportivo story through Google Translate and see what we learn:

Dr. Erkut Sogut , who represents Mesut Özil , has negotiations with Barça . The agent has confessed to the Barça club the tremendous interest of his represented in playing at the Camp Nou, but he has also made it clear that there are six sets more interested in the German international of Turkish origin.

Ozil played for Barcelona’s dread rivals Real Madrid.

In addition to the offer to Özil , they want to know what they will do to Arsenal , their current club. And, above all, the time of the duration of the contract, which would want it to be at least the rest of the season and two more years. The club would want that third season was negotiated between the two parties, taking into account the age of the German, 29 years.

Not exactly chomping at the bit, then.

The advantage of Barça is that Özil has the thorn in the “no” of Pep Guardiola in 2010 and wants to show that he has a place in the Catalan team. He really likes the way Barça played since he was at Werder Bremen .

The advantage? In Ozil’s Die Magie des Spiels, he states:

“Arsenal were interested in signing me after the 2010 World Cup, as were Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid. My agent sat down with Bayern to discuss a move. The club told him about their plans with me and how they intended to use me. He had similar talks with the other clubs that wanted me.

“Before I travelled to Barcelona, I was convinced that was my next club. I was leaning toward joining Barcelona. There was no team in the world that played more beautiful football. But Guardiola did not attend talks and he did not call me either the days after. He did not even send me a text. He did not show me that he wanted to sign me as well. My interest in a move to Barcelona quickly decreased.”

Got that? Barcelona’s “advantage” is that they ignored him. Undaunted by fact, the paper continues:

In addition, Özil believes that if he signs for Barça , playing alongside Lionel Messi , he could hope to win, for the first time, the Champions League .

If he wants to win that, his agent should court PSG.

The Arsenal has given the ‘OK’ to Erkut Sogut that Özil can march on the January market to earn some money, which would not happen at the end of the season to be free. They have the direct permission of Arsène Wenger .

Wenger said he can go? No quote to back that up. But Wenger did says last month: “I cannot tell you what is in his mind. I genuinely think he wants to stay. But I am always positive about that.”

Such are the facts.

Posted: 22nd, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, News, Sports | Comment


Arsenal balls: why pundits have it in for Ozil

It’s fair to say that Martin Keown is no fan of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, offering to to-deadline opinion in October: “I think in some departments he’s already left. Psychologically, mentally, he’s already left the football club.” And on it went, Keown alluding to world Cup winner Ozil being a malign influence on teammates – “I think [Wenger] doesn’t want that sort of player around the youngsters in the group,” – and that Ozil has “downed tools”.

Pundits like to hammer home a point, even if it’s wrong. Ozil played superbly well in Arsenal 2-0 win over Spurs, putting in a man-of-the-match performance and earning a standing ovation from the fans. But Keown spots a hole in his Daily Mail column and offers: “This weekend, we have learned nothing new about Ozil.”

We who spotted Ozil’s record equalling 19 assists in the 2015-16 season, his 12 chances created when Arsenal played Sunderland in May and keeps Arsenal moving forward. But to Keown, Ozil invites the questions, “Will he work as hard on Sunday when Arsenal travel to Burnley?” Probably. Ozil ran further last season than every Arenal player bar Nacho Monreal.  But Keown has the blinekrs on: “This weekend, we have learned nothing new about Ozil. We know he is immensely talented. But if he does not perform and Arsenal fail to get three points at Turf Moor, this victory will have been for nothing.”

No. It’ll have been for three points and bragging rights . Ozil will have been instrumental in defeating Spurs, a team billed as potential Premier League title winners and the coming force in English football. To make that worth nothing is to flush Ozil’s sublime play down the memory hole.

But we’re not looking at Ozil, who remains easy on the yes. We’re looking at Keown, whose opinions tell us much about his attitude to football: scream, shout, go in hard and show off your scars. The difference between Keown and Ozil is acute: whereas Keown was lucky to have a role in a pragmatic Arsenal side; a more progressive Arenal are lucky to have Ozil.

 

 

 

Mesut Ozil needs to be challenged every week to put in as special a performance as he did in the north London derby.
When you play Tottenham, you do not need any motivation. If anything, you have to keep your emotions in check. You have to play with your head, not your heart.
A cynic would say that Ozil’s performance merely guaranteed him his move in January. Will he work as hard on Sunday when Arsenal travel to Burnley?
If both Ozil and Alexis Sanchez perform as they did against Spurs for the rest of the season, they will be able to leave Arsenal with everyone’s blessing. They will have given their all until the last.
Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil fired Arsenal to victory as they beat bitter rivals Spurs 2-0 +5
Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil fired Arsenal to victory as they beat bitter rivals Spurs 2-0
Arsenal are a different animal at home but Arsene Wenger needs to equip his team to win on the road. They have lost four of their six Premier League away games, winning just once at Everton in Ronald Koeman’s last match in charge.
To get into the top four, Wenger needs to map out the upcoming fixtures and keep pushing Ozil to shine in every game.
This weekend, we have learned nothing new about Ozil. We know he is immensely talented. But if he does not perform and Arsenal fail to get three points at Turf Moor, this victory will have been for nothing.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5098353/Mesut-Ozil-needs-challenged-week-reach-peak.html#ixzz4z3tFfU1x
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Posted: 21st, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment


Arsenal: Ozil to Manchester United, 32 million followers and one anonymous source

Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil, 29, wants to join Manchester United when his deal with Arsenal expires at the end of the season, says the Daily Mail. “Ozil will be a free agent for next season after telling Arsenal he will not sign a new contract,” says the paper.

But hold on a moment. Ozil has not told anybody Arsenal he wants to move to Old Trafford, says the Sun. And he’s not rejected a new Arsenal contract. A “close friend of Ozil” has “revealed”:

“Mesut has not had any contract offer from Arsenal. There were talks about a modest pay rise last season but all those talks ended in March. There’s been nothing since then… Mesut is adamant he has never spoken to any player about going to Manchester United. He has no idea if United want him but he wants to stay at Arsenal. Look, he just bought a new house in London.

“Mesut had been renting but he decided to buy a house because he both expects and wants to stay.

“But he is angry that people are briefing against him and feels there seems to be some sort of campaign against him. His intention has always been to remain at Arsenal. Mesut, though, does feel he is being isolated and kept in the dark. He is worried that there is a game going on and he is left in the middle of it.”

You still there? Anonymous sources are ten a penny. Mesut Ozil has a mouth. He has 18.8 million followers on Twitter.

 

 

Ozil has 14.3 millions followers on Instagram.

If only there was some way for poor Ozil to speak for himself and stop all the game playing…

Posted: 21st, October 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, Sports | Comment


Arsenal balls: shameless Ian Wright joins the Get Ozil bandwagon

Arsenal great Ian Wright has responded unkindly to Mesut Ozil’s polite request that former Gunners “stop talking and start supporting” the team. The much maligned Ozil – often unfairly criticised (see here, here and here) – posted a message on Facebook. He wants the clubs, former players working in the media and its fans to get together.

 

 

The bit of Ozil’s message that irked Wright and his fellow to-deadline media whores was:

Personally I’ve had to accept a lot of criticism during my time in London. ‘Too expensive, too greedy, bad body language, and lacking fight’ – this is what people have said about me.

Some of these comments are made by those who do not know me, some are made by former players – both successful and unsuccessful during their time here at the club.

Although criticism is something that all football players have to deal with, I nevertheless expected legends to behave like legends – my advice to these former Gunners: stop talking and start supporting!

Wright careered onto BBC Radio 5 Live to rant:

Sign a contract if you feel that strongly about people criticising the team because you’re somebody who is integral to Arsenal’s success.

You’re not signing a deal and you’re probably going to continue to hide behind the fact that (Alexis) Sanchez is the one that everybody’s going to say, “Is he going to go?”.

Why haven’t you signed yet? That’s what I would say to you. If you feel that strongly, why haven’t you signed yet?

A player that is not actually performing on the pitch is coming out, calling people out and he’s not signing a contract.

It’s laughable.

Ozil must wonder what he ever did wrong to end up Arsenal.

 

Posted: 5th, September 2017 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment


Arsenal balls: missing Ozil is the fourth best player on the pitch

The modern media trick is to report a football match and cover all the angles in a scattergun of clickbait and ‘debate’. And so it is for the Sun’s reporting on Stoke City’s 1-0 win over Arsenal. The trouble begins when readers notice the corruption of facts.

In one story, the paper slams Arsenal star Mesut Ozil’s “lifeless performance”. Another story on the game is punctuated with “Should Arsenal get rid of Ozil now?” Yet another story tells readers: “Ozil, indeed, played like a deserter, hiding in plain sight.” Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool captain now working as TV pundit, was “100 per cent right” to call Ozil a “liability”, says the paper’s Ken Lawrence.

 

ozil ken lawrence arsenal the sun

 

And that’s odd because in the Sun’s round-up of the match, Ozil scores a 7 out of 10, making him the Gunners’ second best performer after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8) – and the joint fourth best player on the pitch after ‘The Ox’, Stoke’s Jack Butland (8 – the game’s Man of the Match) and Jese (8).

 

ozil arsenal

 

Have the tabloids got it in for Ozil, or have they simply worked out that slamming him get Arsenal fans excited? Just last week, the Mirror labelled Ozil a “loser”, although all the facts pointed to him being anything but. It’s almost as if the stories write themselves to an agenda.

Posted: 21st, August 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment (1)


Arsenal balls: Mesut Ozil makes mugs of the experts

Jamie Redknapp says Arsenal’s German midfileder Mesut Ozil “is something special and worth paying to watch”.

Redknapp tells his Daily Mail readers that “Mesut Ozil is an easy target for ex-pros and pundits…”

Adding:

“When things don’t come off for the German, people are quick to criticise. We do that too much in this country — looking at what people can’t do rather than what they can — and it’s where we go wrong so often.”

Well, going into Arsenal’s last match in which Ozil shone, Redknapp said Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson “will press hard and make sure Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla have no room to breathe.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: 6th, April 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment


Transfer Balls: Arsenal’s Ozil To Manchester City And Other Beliefs

TRANSFER Balls: The Daily Express says “Mesut Ozil wants to quit Arsenal for Manchester City”.

Rally? He wants to leave Londron to plays for Manchester City?

City are set to launch a £32m bid for Ozil in January.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: 25th, October 2014 | In: Arsenal, Manchester City, Sports | Comment


Transfer Balls: Arsenal Take £12m Loss On Mesut Ozil For Not Playing Him In The Middle

TRANSFER Balls: Is Mesut Özil on hio way out of Arsenal?

The Guardian has news:

The Rumour Mill wouldn’t presume to know, but talk elsewhere suggests the German international is fed up with being played out of position by his manager Arsène Wenger and wants to move elsewhere in January. Currently sidelined for up to three months with a knee injury, reports suggest the 25-year-old from Gelsenkirchen could be the subject of a £30m bid from Bayern Munich during the next transfer window.

If he gors the rumours are that the Gunerns will use the cash to buy Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, Borussia Dortmund’s central defender Mats Hummel,  Schalke’s No10 Julian Draxler, Paris Saint-Germain’s  Adrien Rabiot keep the cash and sign a few cheap and very talanted youth players who can be trained and then sold to rival clubs?

The Daily Mail says Oxil is off to Bayern Munich for £30million. Ozil joined the Gunners for £42.5million last summer. Will they take huge hit on the player? Seems unlikely. But the Mail says the languid German is keen to leave Arsenal.

The Football Grapevine understands the Germany star has grown increasingly unhappy at the Emirates, not least because he is not being played in his preferred forward floating role by Arsene Wenger.

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Posted: 13th, October 2014 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment


Arsenal Balls: Mesut Ozil Is Remade As A Chocolate Egg

GARY Lineker flogs fatty food crisps to sports fans. And in Germany, the budding sport stars can tuck into World Cup 2014 Kinder Surprise eggs, such as this one featuring Arsenal star Mesut Ozil.

This is his face on the Kinder Überraschung.

 

arsenal egg

 

 

This is what you get inside:

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Posted: 25th, April 2014 | In: Arsenal, Sports, The Consumer | Comment


Ozil Says Arsenal Will Beat Manchester United ‘For Fun’

MESUT OZIL, of Arsenal, is the subject of a Spurs chant about his eyes being offside.

Arsenal’s German is not easily out off. Ahead of the Gunners match at Manchester United, he has this to say:

“We are going to Old Trafford to have fun — and that is why we are going to win… The plan is not to go to United and settle for a draw. If we are going to achieve the target of our coach, then we go to win. Of course it’s going to be difficult. United are a high-quality team. But I’m sure they also respect us because we can beat anyone, home or away.”

How’s that for positive thinking? Inside every top player is an deep vein of self belief.

 

 

Posted: 10th, November 2013 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment


Arsenal: Millets criticises Mesut Ozil’s looks to flog its anoraks

WHEN football were invited to engage in an online Q&A with Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, Millets saw an opportunity. The sellers of canvas and (blushes) anoraks saw a chance for a bit of piggybacking promotional work. So. It tweeted:

‘does our 20 per cent off all clothing offer not make your eyes bulge with disbelief?’

ozil tweet millets

Posted: 16th, October 2013 | In: Sports | Comment


Arsenal star Mesut Ozil stars in Ebru Polat’s snot ‘n’ tell

ozil lover

THE Sun on Sunday (SoS) only serves to remind us how good the News of the World was at making a must-read scoop. The kiss ‘n’ tells have dried up like Cliff Richard’s grapes. Take today’s offering:

Mesut Ozil’s oozing conk made me say no to a bonk!

It’s a no-shag ‘n’ tell featuring Arsenal’s new superstar.

A STUNNING singer has told how she refused to have sex with Arsenal ace Mesut Ozil because he had a SNOTTY nose.

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Posted: 22nd, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)


Arsenal: Aida Yespica says Ozil is too young and short for her to sleep with (photos)

IS MESUT Özil a sex mad footballer in pursuit of former Miss Venezuela Aida Yespica? In 2007, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told Yespica, “With you, I’d go anywhere.” She did not tell him to go to Hell. Now Yespica has been linked to Arsenal newboy Özil. She says:

“Two years ago we ran into each other at a nightclub in Madrid, but I have nothing to do with his departure from Real. We never had sex. What’s true is that we exchanged phone numbers. Then one night he calls me and tells me: ‘I’m in Milan, I’ll see you?’ So I went to meet him and we went to dinner at one of the most famous clubs of the city, without hiding from the paparazzi.’ We had a fun night together, but then we went our separate ways. Today I know that he is happily engaged, am so am I. Ozil and I just had a beautiful friendship, we never even flirted. He is both younger and smaller than me! I’ve deleted his number, and he doesn’t have my number because I’ve changed it. I expect a denial on his part also: that would be gentlemanly.”

Or as the Daily Mail says:

“He is thought to have forked out £15,000 every couple weeks for a private plane, which would bring him to Yespica. El Mundo reported: ‘The early morning trips, extended to the last minute of passion, led to a down which affected his performances.'”

Did he come up short?

aida-yespica-ozil

Image 4 of 6

 

Posted: 12th, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (8)


Arsenal: Mesut Ozil’s dad will sue Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez over his ‘mad passion’ for Aida Yespica

ozil and dad

MESUT Ozil’s father has threatened Real Madrid with legal action as the ugly fallout of his son’s deadline day move to Arsenal continues to stink up the place.

In case you missed it last week, Madrid president Florentino Perez was quoted as saying that Ozil was allowed to leave the club as he “wasn’t a good professional and was obsessed with women and nightlife” and that he developed an unhealthy obsession, or “mad passion” as El Mundo Deportivo put it, with Colombian supermodel Aida Yespica – and sweet Jesus, we can see how that could be an issue (and below) – that distracted him from his professional duties.

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Posted: 12th, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comment