He said he said

The world is a big place, but when it comes to football, it can be a small planet ... especially when it comes to what footballers are supposed to have told willing journalists. Case in point is Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. Only recently, the midfield maestro was supposed to have said, several times, that a move back to his native Spain could be a possibility with only the time frame differing from publication to publication. He was even recently to been quoted as saying that Arsenal were 'impotent' and a quick return to La Liga would add spice to his already saucy game.

Now, senor Fabregas was being interviewed in a Spanish publication but, only a couple of hours flight time away, the UK press got hold of the report, probably fed the story through Babelfish (although we can't discount that some of the British hacks can speak more than one language), and 'voila' instant controversy to be fed to the hungry masses eager to satisfy their footy fix. And Fabregas is not the first footy player to have said something in another language only to have it rammed back down their throats in another.

The fact is, there's a demand for such controversies, especially now in the silly season between football seasons. Footballers (and their advisors) should take note of what they say. Even in jest, words and sometimes whole sentences can be taken out of context ... and that can always get someone in trouble. The moral of the story then is, watch what you say or be prepared to eat humble pie. Case in point, see Fabregas' apology of sorts on the Arsenal website.