Alpay Ozalan's increasingly fractious spell in English football came to an appropriately snarling end last night after the Turkey international saw his contract at Aston Villa cancelled by mutual consent.
The 30-year-old claimed he had been forced out of the Premiership because he had goaded David Beckham during the feisty, goalless Euro 2004 qualifying draw in Istanbul two weeks ago. The pair were involved in a confrontation in the tunnel at half-time, and the subsequent frenzy over Alpay's conduct made his position at Villa untenable.
"The events in Istanbul were usual for a football match, but have been dramatically exaggerated," insisted the centre-half who moved to Villa from Fenerbahce three years ago for about €7 million. "This would not have happened if the confrontation had been with any other player than David Beckham.
"The time and effort that the English media give to Beckham is an injustice to the other members of the England team. I wanted to leave Aston Villa anyway, so these latest developments are the final reason I've had that opportunity to leave."
Alpay, who agreed a €500,000 settlement for the remaining eight months of his contract after talks with the club's executive directors at Villa Park yesterday, spent most of last season on the transfer list after infuriating the then manager, Graham Taylor, by demanding a move on his return from the 2002 World Cup. Villa's fans have continued to make their displeasure at his attitude obvious.
In the wake of the events in Istanbul, David O'Leary granted the centre-half a few days' break to clear his head rather than involve him in the Birmingham derby last weekend, but, having returned to training 10 days after the international fixture, Alpay did not feature in a reserves match on Tuesday.
"In light of recent events, it would have been difficult for Alpay to represent Aston Villa again in the future," added the club's chairman, Doug Ellis. "The player himself was aware that life in England had become increasingly difficult for him and his family."
Concern about the financial position of Tottenham Hotspur escalated yesterday after the sudden departure of the club's finance director, Paul Viner, only days before the deadline to issue their financial results.
Tottenham have been trying to raise almost €30 million in financing since the summer. The position has caused anxiety because Spurs must publish their financial accounts by Tuesday, otherwise the club will be in breach of City rules.
The resignation of Viner as finance director and company secretary heightened these concerns, particularly because the club are thought to be looking for new bankers as well as financing. Last night the club would say only that his departure was with "immediate effect". They refused to elaborate on when the financial figures would be published.
Tottenham have already warned the City that they will make a loss for the year ended June 2003 of "not less than £5 million" after losing money on transfers. It is thought the club have been trying to refinance a €24.5 million loan and attempting unsuccessfully to find support from shareholders for a new issue. Enic, which owns 29 per cent of the shares, is now expected to come under pressure to step in to resolve any looming crisis.
Once considered one of England's "big five" clubs, Spurs have never finished higher than seventh in the Premier League since the competition's inception at the start of the 1992/'93 season.
Yet they have never been particularly thrifty, even by Premiership standards. The Deloitte and Touche report into football finance found that the club's net spending on transfers in the six years to 2002 was €76 million.
