Boro chief executive Keith Lamb was also upset at the decision, branding it “a travesty of justice.” Lamb added: “How can nameless, faceless people on a commission decide that our genuine claim for equality and justice be dealt with in such a flippant manner? It is a disgraceful comment to suggest our claim was frivolous. Who are they to know our minds when we made this appeal?”

The saga began in last week 3-2 loss to Liverpool. Aliadiere was dismissed for slapping Javier Mascherano and subsequently suspended for three matches. Middlesbrough felt it was harsh and, well within their rights, they appealed. After a review (which I doubt was carefully considered), the FA judged the claim was “frivolous” and they went a step further to punish this profligate waste of their time by increasing the ban to four games.

Well done!! I am convinced that the FA has the ability to create debacles of mega proportion – the appointment of England managers is a case in point. The bigger issue at stake here is whether the top guns in the Premier League possess more clout, deserve more protection and have it easier in their appeals to maintain their advantage.

A bone of contention is Liverpool have escaped pretty much unscathed from this incident. Javier Mascherano first put his hand over the Aliadiere’s mouth in a muzzling manner. Aliadiere merely retaliated with a light tap on Mascherano’s face and this should not warrant a classification as “violent conduct.” If there was shoving, punching or kicking, or whatever actions carried out in a malicious manner, then I have no problems with the punishment.

When the referee decided to dismiss the French striker, he should not have left Mascherano on the pitch since he provoked the response. Though I have a soft spot for the Argentine, I feel a penalty claim may even be valid in such circumstances.

I think there is a loophole in the system where the provocateur gets away scot-free while the person who retaliates get the hard end of the stick. In the 2006 World Cup, Zidane’s head butt of Materazzi was instigated after the Italian hurled abuses at his mother and sister. To protect the family honor, any man will have reacted under such circumstances.

Self-restraint is important in this game where passions can run high but how do we draw the line to curb the unsportsmanlike behavior of the instigator?

Liverpool desire the fourth spot which will guarantee them Champions League action and for Boro, every point counts in their relegation battle. It is bound to be a hotly contested match. Understanding the nature of this game, both players should have been separated and given a stern warning.

As it happens now, Aliadiare had his unfair suspension increased by another game. That is a big blow to the club. While the forward doesn’t have many goals to his name, his pace and passing is important for Boro as he attracts defenders and creates space for his team mates to run into positions to shoot.

Boro must have agonized over the decision to appeal and even if they know the FA will come up with such an action, they will still have risked it. They cannot afford to sacrifice such an important player in this critical stage of the season. They have every right to be incensed with this mockery of a ruling. What do you guys think?

Quest has collaborated with the FA over the past year to investigate “bungs” – bribes linked to transfers. The investigation revealed little evidence of widespread corruption in the English Premier League game but did highlight certain suspicious deals and poor level transparency in many clubs’ handling of transactions running into millions of pounds.

FA’s director of governance Jonathan Hall said: “This transfer audit is a different undertaking to their previous inquiry for the Premier League. It will focus specifically on reviewing the FA’s processes in respect of the new Agents Regulations, assessing compliance with FA Rules and identifying any areas of poor practice within the industry.”

The FA have also set up a “whistleblower” telephone line to report any possible irregularities with transfer deals.

The announcement was made on the same day as reports of agents fees earned between July 1 and December 31 2007 are published. In total, the report says, League clubs paid 7.9 million pounds to agents, up from the 6.2 million spent in the same months of 2006. The 72 Football League clubs were involved in 1,913 transfers in the six months from July to December compared to 1,795 the year before.

Agents are not averse to making dodgy deals to fatten their wallets. Look at Anelka, his agents have benefited a lot during his career. With more cash swirling around in the Premier League, this is a timely reminder that the FA is serious about weeding out corruption.

Main aspects of the plans:

• An additional round of Premier League fixtures, extending the season to 39 games, from January 2011.
• Four clubs to travel to one of five host cities, with two games taking place in each venue over a weekend.
• Cities would bid for the right to become a host, not for individual matches.
• Points earned from the games would count towards the final Premier League table.

Those 10 extra games would be played at five different venues, chosen after an auction, and each city hosts two of the matches over a weekend. The time zones of the venues will be considered to allow British television viewers the possibility of watching all 10 games from Saturday morning onwards.

“There will be no club influence that will determine which host city they go to,” Scudamore said. “The current plan envisages that they (the host cities) will take the games they are given.”

I suppose this is a dream come true for Asian and Middle-Eastern countries to see the players in the flesh, think David Beckham’s fever in New Zealand. It is likely to be a big scramble for the hosting rights, on the scale of the Olympic Games and World Cup. But before Scudamore basks in the glory of securing an avalanche of cash into the coffers, there are many issues to iron out before this plan even get out of phase 1.

World ruling body FIFA and Europe’s UEFA have frowned on the proposal. Two major concerns are the impact on international games and how the popularity of the Premier League in regions like Asia will act as a barrier to the development of their own leagues and national sides.

A case in point was the arrival of Manchester United for a pre-season friendly in Malaysia while the country was jointly hosting the Asian Cup. It is depressing to see the Red Devils getting more press coverage and fans’ interest than an important regional tournament.

The Football Association, meanwhile, has given its muted support but will not make the final decision till January 2009. Home fans, especially, season ticket holders are, understandably, up in arms. Very few fans are biting the “if we don’t do this, then somebody else is going to do it” rhetoric from Scudamore.

From their point of view, football isn’t about money (it only benefits the club owners and directors), and taking the league away from its roots is not acceptable. It is the English Premier League, with the emphasis on “English”, so tradition dictates that it stays put. If another league gets in first, then what gives? Will it erode the popularity of the Premier League severely?

The parity of the Premier League is also questionable. From a perfectly symmetrical league where each team plays against the others in a home and away system, now there is an additional game where the luck of the draw decides who meets who for the third time in a season.

Say, if Manchester United is drawn with a struggling club like Derby while their close competitor Arsenal face off with a mid-table club like Tottenham or Blackburn. If three points are what separates the Premier League title, I expect the managers to gripe about a conspiracy theory. Seedings could be used to ensure all the top clubs played clubs from the bottom half of the table but it will never be fully satisfactory.

While Scudamore recognized the various obstacles, I believe he will bulldoze his plan, one way or another; after all, he is no stranger to the money spinning business. Overseas broadcasting rights is now the fastest-growing source of revenue for the league. Under his reign, this income has ballooned from £178m in 2001 to £625m for the current deal that runs until 2010. Currently, the games are broadcast to over 600 million homes in 202 countries worldwide.

Scudamore has warned of slowing growth in the United Kingdom market as it is approaching saturation. Local television rights will be worth 1.7 billion pounds in the same period but it is set to taper off. There is little choice but to look overseas to cope with the ever increasing salaries and transfer fees.

A precedent was already set by the National Football League (NFL) in the United States, which organized a regular season match between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants at Wembley in October. The event was so successful – a scramble for tickets resulting in the 90,000-capacity venue being sold out, that the NFL is planning a second match later this year.

Similarly, going international will consolidate the popularity of English football, boost club revenues with increased value of TV rights and attract sponsors from new markets. The clubs can then invest in new facilities and better players.

It may seem amusing that the same clubs who complained about the overcrowded calender are excited over this controversial idea. Club managers have often grumbled that their prized assets are burned out without a winter break.

But while greed is a sin, many a time, pragmatism calls for us to take the money and then devise ways to deal with the undesirable side-effects. Money makes the world goes round, so do not be surprised if, at the end of the day, the clubs jet off happily to far-flung destinations as entertainers for the sake of more money.

Capello has assured the FA he has nothing to fear from the investigation. He said: “With my advisers, I have always endeavored to conduct my financial business with integrity. I understand that these inquiries in Italy are part of a wider investigation into the finances of many high-profile individuals.”

The Football Association has rallied behind their man, saying: “Mr Capello’s fiscal affairs are in order. We have spoken with Fabio and his advisers and they explained the facts to us.”

Raffaele Guariniello, the head of the investigation, refused to comment, but it is understood that the investigations are focused on Capello’s income from his sponsorship deals at that time. The most prominent deal was with Zerorh, who provide his distinctive glasses. However, their annual payment is not known. It is possible that the investigation will also extend back to Capello’s spells at AC Milan and Roma as well.

The investigation has snowballed from the initial checks into the finances of Juventus, which started a year back, and Guariniello has already interviewed several figures, including Luciano Moggi, the former chief executive of the club. But so far, nothing incriminating has surfaced and Capello is not about to take stands for charges of tax evasion.

Pier Filippo Capello, his son and agent, said: “This is not an investigation. It is merely to ascertain some facts. We know about it, but it is merely an offshoot of the Calciopoli, football bribery, investigation.”

“It follows the modus operandi adopted up to now to check the earnings of famous people. One of the reasons for this method is that these people, like my father, often change residence because of work.”

The tax evasion suspicion is also not helped by the complicated network of foreign holding companies in the Capello family. Their family trust is based in Guernsey, and includes a holding company called Sport 3000 and is based in Luxembourg.

In turn, Sport 3000 is linked to 1000% F.C, a company run by his son Edoardo, which runs his four houses in Milan, and his property on the island of Pantelleria. Capello also has an Irish investment fund and a stake in a property company in Legnano, called Verde Cortese.

Capello has already been the subject of one embarrassing tax investigation, when it was discovered that he had faked an address in Campione Italia, a town in Switzerland, in order to dodge taxes. Investigators in Como found that Capello had been told by Roberto Salmoiraghi, the mayor of Campione Italia, to transfer his tax residence to the town.

The only worry for the FA is the the dirt which will stick to the coach once his name is linked with such an inquiry. Senior sources within Capello’s camp have also been eager to downplay the story, pointing out that the vagaries of the Italian justice system have sensationalized the case more than it apparently is.

As Capello is a high profile character in the Italian sporting arena with his salary advancing into the millions, his financial dealings are likely to be scrutinized but I feel that so long as he is upfront and transparent and provide the authorities with any information they require, he should come out of the scandal unscathed.

Yes, it has to be unscathed. Nothing less is expected of him. Capello’s main strength lies in his disciplinarian approach and if he loses the moral high ground, the aura he commands could be unraveled and it will be difficult to get the prima-donnas to toe the line. At the moment, Capello is innocent until proven guilty.

The scandal is really something which England can do without, as the country seeks to revitalize their team under the Capello revolution. After Sven Eriksson’s sex scandals, England don’t need another coach who gets into the headlines of the tabloids as frequently as the players.

Still, I believe there will be minimal distractions for Capello’s preparation of England’s first match in charge, against Switzerland on February 6, that is if the tabloids have not uncovered further shocking truths.

Audacious statements from a man secure about his own talent but it appears to be misplaced. England’s hopes depend on both Russia and Croatia dropping points to rescue his skin. If Russia demolish Israel this Saturday, it will condemn England to the humiliation of playing Croatia in a friendly match.

I had hoped that the argument over McClaren’s England job can be put to rest after this week. Whether England will be on the plane to Euro 2008 is immaterial, there is no escaping the fact that he is not the right person for this role.

Now, I do not expect Steve McClaren to resign on his own accord (thus his defiant attitude), that will be foolish and being uneasy on his own wallet. Rather he is looking forward to being sacked by the FA. The severance paycheck is waiting for him and once he banked it in, he can then settle for the role of a club manager, see how relaxed Sven Erikkson is these days.

Four years under Erikkson as No. 2 has not been in vain, McClaren has picked up, if not the tactical acumen, then at least the money making skills, from the master. When Erikkson was told by the FA to go after the World Cup debacle, he demanded full compensation for the remaining two years on his 4.1 million pounds-a-year deal.

Same goes for Steve McClaren. He is testing the patience of the FA and the nation by his incompetence and it is only a matter of time before he forces their hand to ask him to go. That will be in breach of the contract since he has done “nothing wrong”.

Here lies the conundrum. To pay him a king’s ransom or to endure the ridicule of a wrong appointment all the way till 2010. I trust that the FA is “rich”, else why will they perennially settle for bungling managers? Brian Barwick, the chief executive who, after failing to court Scolari, insisted that McClaren’s was always his No 1 choice, had to take some responsibility.

The FA should appoint people on a meritocratic basis. Candidates with the proper credentials, passion and talent. That rules out most, if not all English managers. It is the best man for the job. Why persist with an Englishman to coach the England team mentality and settle for the mediocre, instead of wooing the winners?

Nobody was in favor of this appointment right from the start. McClaren did perform reasonably as the no.2 but when he is thrust with heavier responsibilities, he cannot live up to expectations. After following the England team under Erikkson for over 4 years, he should know on an intimate level the strengths and weaknesses of each player. A game plan should have developed in his mind by then.

As a club manager, he won the Carling Cup but that is a competition which none of the major teams are interested in and most often use it as an opportunity to throw their reserves into the fray.

For a Euro qualifying group featuring minnows and with Croatia (10th) and Russia (16th) as the main threats, nobody expected a tricky qualification. But under Steve McClaren, it was painful to watch. Against Macedonia, Estonia, and Israel, England was superb but when faced with more credible opposition, England’s inadequacies were exposed.

Some discussions have pinpointed the players as part of the problem. Indeed, some players have accepted the blame, most notably Gerrard who threw his weight behind McClaren, even if Euro 08 is a sham.

He said: “I’m certainly backing the manager, I’ve got a lot of faith in him. There is no point changing managers every five months or every year. You need continuity and I feel we are moving in the right direction.”

Owen echoed Gerrard’s comments, saying: “I think every player you would ask would back the manager, that is a natural thing to do. We think he is the right man for the job.”

To a certain extent, it is true that for all the resources McClaren have at his disposal, if the good players who impress at club level don’t integrate at national level, then it is as good as zilch.

But that should not deflect from the main issue. Steve McClaren is not enough of a strong personality to deal with this, we need a person who commands as much presence as the superstars and who will be willing to wield the axe on any player who is not performing.

Backtracking his earlier decision and recalling David Beckham to rescue England is a bad call. Becks was not in fine form for LA Galaxy and this action smacks of a desperate and clueless man grabbing at straws.

After this misadventure, will the FA finally wake up and save the fans from angst by appointing someone who is a proven winner to do this job? Mourinho or Scolari, anyone?