The off-beat. The interesting tit-bit. The humorous and the down right silly news from around Italy AROUND THE PENINSULA

Fair play Matteo Contini fought back against the stereotypical footballers’ behaviour when he convinced referee Danilo Giannoccaro not to dismiss his opponent. Fiorentina’s Giampaolo Pazzini was blamed for elbowing Fernando Couto in the 2-0 defeat at Parma, but Contini owned up to accidentally whacking his teammate.

Private Vieri Christian Vieri is to take legal action against Inter and Italian phone company Telecom. While at the club, Vieri’s calls were intercepted by the company, which is owned by Massimo Moratti’s friend Marco Tronchetti Provera. The Atalanta striker is asking for £6m from the club plus £8m from Telecom. Info regarding Vieri’s romance with showgirl Elisabetta Canalis (right) was revealed by wiretap.

Shoe sale Inter striker Julio Cruz has had some very special boots made to celebrate winning the title with the Nerazzurri. The new shoes are in Italy’s colours of green, white and red and have his name and a Scudetto shield with ‘15’ in the centre stitched on to the heel. Only three pairs have been made and after wearing them Cruz will auction them off, with profi ts going to a charity helping Argentina’s poor.

Porn sandwiches Manchester Utd offi cials feared the worst when a suspicious black bin bag was found in the West Stand, housing the home fans, at Old Trafford after the Champions League semi-fi nal fi rst leg against Milan. A closer inspection revealed it was not a bomb, unused fl ares or even leftover prawn sandwiches. Instead, the sack contained a haul of X-rated adult DVDs.

Devoted ‘Dinho Reports from Spain suggest it is not Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard (below) who will decide Milan target Ronaldinho’s future, but the Dutchman’s daughter Lindsay. It is claimed that the Brazilian star is involved in a blossoming relationship with the young beauty, who even travelled with the Barca squad to Egypt recently so the couple would not be separated.

Ron or bust Ronaldo has been in fi ne form since joining Milan in January, but things haven’t quite gone to plan off the fi eld. The tubby hitman saw his Emporio Ronaldo business go into liquidation. Not one to shirk his responsibilities, Roni appointed himself liquidator and was responsible for its closure. Specialising in luxury watches, the company’s R9 brand failed to take off and were losing 1,000 Euros per day.

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Mystery man After Roma’s loss to Man Utd in the Champions League quarter-fi nal, Fulham’s on-loan Giallorossi striker Vincenzo Montella tried to get into the visitors’ dressing room to offer commiserations. However, it seemed that the security were having none of it until Montella managed to convince them that he is actually owned by the capital club.

Cute Carlo Chelsea players were recently asked to name the best looking player in their squad – and the result was conclusive. Step forward Carlo Cudicini. Among those to list the former Milan ‘keeper as their dreamboat were fellow custodian Petr Cech, Frank Lampard and Khalid Boulahrouz, while the majority of the Blues’ players refused to answer. Something to hide, lads?

Curiosità à

Like father... If Sven Goran Eriksson thought that he had it bad during his spell as England Coach then he had better spare a thought for his son Johan. The 28-year-old has left his job at the helm of Nigerian outfi t Kwara United after receiving death threats from the club’s fans following a disastrous run of results. “It’s best I leave the country as there’s a big possibility I may be kidnapped,” he said.

Piece of cake Former Reggina midfi elder Shunsuke Nakamura has revealed how he celebrated in style after clinching the Scottish Premier League title with Celtic and the Scottish PFA Player of the Season award on the same day. “I went home and spent time with my family,” he said. “We took photos together with the trophy and when I arrived they were waiting for me with a cake they had baked.”

Pele poser When asked to name the best player in the world, Brazilian legend Pele opted against going along with recent Press hysteria. “Cristiano Ronaldo plays very well in England, but to mention him as the best player in the world is too soon,” he said. “Recently, we had Ronaldinho in good shape. However, you also have Kaka, and I think he is at the same level. I think to compare Cristiano with the great players is premature.”

Wedding party Lazio President Claudio Lotito sent a message of congratulations to Roma’s Rosella Sensi following her marriage. “I hope it will be her fi rst and last wedding, considering the divorce trend these days.” Isn’t the rivalry lovely in the capital?

Going, going, gone Bidders on eBay were surprised to fi nd a real bargain recently when a disillusioned Milan fan attempted to sell goalkeeper Nelson Dida via an Internet auction. The Rossoneri tifoso put the Brazilian up for grabs following his blunders in the Champions League semi-fi nal fi rst leg against Manchester United, but the eBay customers seemed to share the prankster’s view as the bidding reached just £50 before it was removed.

Riganòò regrets One gets the impression Christian Riganòò wasn’t entirely satisfi ed with the way Messina’s campaign panned out. “We should be ashamed of ourselves. We have succeeded in getting relegated ahead of teams who had points penalties. We’ve been a laughing stock in front of all of Italy and the only reason I’m not crying is out of respect for the television cameras.”

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