Round 1, Battle 6
Uli Hoeness (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Crimes:
-
Tax evasion
- Actually got nominated on here before the tax evasion
- Tried to get out of it with a 'voluntary disclosure' after being sprung
- Poached Dortmund's best players every year to cripple them as Bayern president
- Conceded a penalty in the 1974 World Cup Final with a foul on Cruyff
- Missed a penalty to lose the Euro 76 Final to Czechoslovakia
-
In same prison as Hitler
"Those 11.94 euros are tax free." - Prison warden on Hoeness' wage working in the prison cafeteria
"Unlike some of our foreign competitors, we won't do crazy things." - Hoeness on Bayern's financial policies
"You can't preach the virtues of water and then drink wine." - Hoeness on transparency
"Dortmund will not be knighted by me until they have played a super season in the Bundesliga and have played successful in international competition" - After losing the 2012 Bundesliga to Dortmund
"Mr Hoeness and many others expected the agreement to be signed, they would keep their anonymity and their behaviour would be virtually retrospectively legalised." - Socialist Party PM candidate Peer Steinbruck
Marco Materazzi (Internazionale, Italy)
Crimes:
- Glass sternum
- Three red cards in 13 games for Everton
- Equal on World Cups with Fernando Torres
-
Managed to hug Mourinho without losing an eye
- Wore a Berlusconi mask to troll Milan fans after having nothing better to do as an unused sub
"As always, what Materazzi does always causes a stir, even though I wore a carnival mask which can be bought anywhere and by anyone.” - Materazzi
"If you want my shirt, I will give to you afterwards." - Zinedine Zidane to Materazzi before the headbutt
"I would prefer your whore of a sister." - Materazzi's response
just before the headbutt
"I heard them once, then twice, and the third time I couldn't control myself. I am a man and some words are harder to hear than actions. I would have rather been knocked down than hear that." - Zidane afterwards
"As you will see, dear reader, I found it funny to explore the absurdity of the whole affair." - Foreword of a 100-page
joke book about things he wanted to say to Zidane
"He's lying. Marco Materazzi is lying. He's lying, just lying. Everything that he said is a lie." - Rafa Benitez on Materazzi's allegation that he assigned homework
"So I'm a liar? He's thin then, so that gives reason to call me a liar." - Materazzi's retort
Diego Maradona (Napoli, Argentina)
Crimes:
-
Hand of God
-
Second handball at 1990 World Cup
-
Sent off against Brazil in knockout round of 1982 World Cup
- Tested positive for cocaine
- Tested positive for five different variants of ephidrene in a single drugs test (on
reasonable suspicion)
- Shooting journalists with an air rifle in 1994
- At peak weight in 2004, was over 127kg on a 165cm frame (280 pounds and 5'5 for imperialists) - leading to a BMI of 46 before his heart attack
- Complete liability as Argentina manager
- Tried to kiss own dog, who
savagely attacked his face in response
"You must ask this question of my girlfriend." - On being asked how he was sleeping
"But it's important. It does play a part and I'd ask Pele and Platini to go and play with it and take a look at the ball and stop talking about me." - After having coaching credentials questioned by FIFA
"My legitimate kids are Dalma and Giannina. The rest are a product of my money and mistakes." - On being a dad
"I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me and no one came, ... I told them, 'Come hug me or the referee isn't going to allow it.'" - After the Hand of God
"The people voted for me. Now they want me to share the prize with Pele. I'm not going to share the prize with anybody." - After ignominy of being nominated FIFA Joint Player of the Century
"I was, I am and I always will be a drug addict." - During a lecture on drug rehabilitation
"Anyone saying he didn't have a great World Cup is an idiot." - On Lionel Messi after a goalless World Cup
"It was like pick-pocketing the English and stealing a win." - Autobiography on the 1986 game
"Mascherano, Messi, Gutierrez, and eight more." - At a meeting announcing team selection for Argentina