Dream showdown becomes headache

A knee injury to Thierry Henry has sabotaged Major League Soccer’s dream showdown between its two biggest international stars and delivered a storm of criticism to the league’s doorstep.
Henry’s injury means the New York Red Bulls star will not be present when his team visits the Los Angeles Galaxy (featuring David Beckham and Landon Donovan) on Friday night in a match that was being billed as the biggest regular-season game in cheap nfl jerseys
MLS history.
However, the Frenchman’s absence has not been able to quiet the barbs being aimed at the MLS hierarchy following the decision to simply fine Henry $2,000 for his actions against FC Dallas last weekend that left opposing goalkeeper Kevin Hartman badly injured.
After Mehdi Ballouchy scored for New York, Henry ran up to the ball and attempted to smash it into the empty net. Unfortunately, Hartman had already placed his own foot behind the ball to kick it away, and the resulting impact damaged the medial ligaments in his knee badly enough that he is expected to miss several weeks of action.
Referee Hilario Grajeda neglected to issue Henry a second yellow card, one that would have come with an automatic suspension for the Galaxy showdown. Then, the league’s disciplinary committee issued a fine which amounts to no more than around one-fifth of Henry’s daily salary. They imposed no further sanctions.
The decision protected the league’s marquee matchup – at least until Henry’s injury was revealed – but attracted anger from several quarters.
“The members of the disciplinary committee should be embarrassed and ashamed,” Hartman’s agent Ron Waxman told the Washington Post. “It’s either no punishment or there must be a suspension. I’m sorry to discover that they’ve established a double standard for the treatment of Bills jersey
their marquee players as opposed to the treatment of their rank and file.”
Galaxy star Donovan also entered the dispute – and his comments may not be taken kindly by the Red Bulls, especially since there is no love lost between the teams.
“That’s definitely a yellow card,” Donovan told the LA Daily News. “It’s a foolish play, I think Henry knows that. The reality is, you might have ended [Hartman’s] season, and that’s unacceptable.”
Like it or not, the ugly incident has only added extra spice to Friday’s clash, even with Henry ruled out.
Quinn proposes EPL wage disclosure
The English Premier League is set to discuss a revolutionary new system which would allow clubs access to the salary details of every player in the league.
The concept, proposed by Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, is aimed at offering greater transparency and reducing the power wielded by player agents.
Quinn feels his idea can help to keep ever-escalating EPL salaries in check, and prevent agents from being able to exaggerate their players’ earnings when discussing contracts with another interested club.
Yet while Quinn’s plan has gained some support from other club chairmen, it is likely to be strongly opposed by the players’ union, the Professional Footballers Association.
Italian strike off – for now
Fans of Italian soccer shouldn’t get too concerned over the proposed strike for this weekend’s round of matches.
No resolution over regulatory disputes between the players’ union and club owners has been reached and if discussions continue to stall, a strike could once again be a realistic possibility.
A source close to the discussions told Yahoo! Sports that Nov. 49ers jersey
14 “would be one option” for a strike date by the players, which could disrupt a huge weekend on the Italian soccer calendar.
Inter Milan and AC Milan are set to square off in a local derby, Juventus is due to face Roma, while the always-spicy Sicilian derby between Palermo and Catania also is on the schedule.