Wellington Phoenix defender Tim Payne has been fined A$700 after pleading guilty to a drink-driving offence in Australia.

The New Zealand international football player was sentenced at Manly Local Court on Monday, after he was stopped by police while joy-riding on a golf cart on a public road in the early hours of March 24 when he was supposed to be in Covid-19 quarantine.

According to NSW Police, Payne underwent a roadside breath test and was then taken to Mona Vale Police Station where he allegedly returned a 0.100 breath-alcohol reading.

He pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink-driving charge on June 10.

On Monday, Payne was ordered by the court to pay a A$700 ($747.7) fine.

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Earlier this month, Payne was slapped with a four-game suspension from the FFA for breaching the National Code of Conduct, as was back-up Phoenix goalkeeper Oliver Sail, who was in the passenger seat of the golf cart at the time. Sail was not charged by the police.

The Phoenix have since returned to Australia, where they are currently in the midst of another 14-day stint in quarantine as they prepare for the resumption of the A-League season in mid-July.

The team’s next match is against leaders Sydney FC on July 17.

Their remaining six regular season games will be played in Australia.

Although they will be without Payne for their next four rounds, the 26-year-old’s loss has been offset by the return of first-choice right-back Louis Fenton from a long-term shoulder injury.

Prior to leaving Wellington, Fenton declared himself fully fit and said he was ready to win back his starting spot.

“I want to play every game and even if Tim was still available I think I’d be trying to push him and trying to get my spot back in the starting 11,” he said.

THE AFL advises the Match Review for the Sunday games of round two has been completed. Two charges were laid.

Charges Laid:

Jy Simpkin, North Melbourne, has been charged with Striking Lachie Whitfield, GWS GIANTS, during the fourth quarter of the Round Two match between the GWS GIANTS and North Melbourne, played at GIANTS Stadium on Sunday June 14.

In summary he can accept a $1000 sanction with an early plea.

Based on the available evidence, the incident was assessed as Careless Conduct, Low Impact and High Contact. The incident was classified as a $1500 sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a $1000 sanction with an early plea.

Luke Parker, Sydney Swans, has been charged with a second offence of Careless Contact with an Umpire during the third quarter of the Round Two match between the Sydney Swans and Essendon, played at the SCG on Sunday June 14.

In summary, he can accept a $750 sanction with an early plea.

Based on available evidence, the incident was assessed as Careless Contact with an Umpire. The incident was classified as a $1250 sanction as a second offence. The player can accept a $500 sanction with an early plea.

Gold Coast duo Sam Lisone and Ash Taylor have been charged over incidents in Sunday night’s upset win over the Wests Tigers.

Lisone was charged with grade-one dangerous contact to the head/neck for a tackle on Adam Doueihi in the 15th minute while Taylor received the same charge for an incident involving Luke Garner in the 67th minute.

Each player will avoid suspension if they submit an early guilty plea.

Eels centre Waqa Blake has escaped suspension despite being charged for a high tackle in his team’s dramatic win over Manly.

Blake has been charged with a grade-one careless high tackle for a 19th-minute incident involving Sea Eagles hooker Danny Levi in Parramatta’s 19-16 win at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night.

Because of the low grading and his good record, he will cop a $550 fine if he enters an early guilty plea or $750 if he unsuccessfully challenges the charge at the judiciary.

 

Player	Waqa Blake
Club	Eels
Time Minute of Match	19th
Charge/Incident	Careless high tackle
Charge Grade	1
7 years incident free discount?	No
Base penalty	$750
Early plea	$550
Guilty	$750
Prior Similar Offences in last 2 years (50% loading)	0
Prior Non-Similar Offences in last 2 years (20% loading)	0
Carry-over points	0
Misconduct on whom?	Danny Levi

 

Player	Sam Lisone
Club	Titans
Time Minute of Match	15th
Charge/Incident	Dangerous contact – head/neck
Charge Grade	1
7 years incident free discount?	No
Base penalty	100
Early plea	75
Guilty	100
Prior Similar Offences in last 2 years (50% loading)	0
Prior Non-Similar Offences in last 2 years (20% loading)	0
Carry-over points	0
Misconduct on whom?	Adam Doueihi

 

Player	Ash Taylor
Club	Titans
Time Minute of Match	67th
Charge/Incident	Dangerous contact – head/neck
Charge Grade	1
7 years incident free discount?	No
Base penalty	100
Early plea	75
Guilty	100
Prior Similar Offences in last 2 years (50% loading)	0
Prior Non-Similar Offences in last 2 years (20% loading)	0
Carry-over points	0
Misconduct on whom?	Luke Garner

 

Over the course of 16 NBA seasons in the NBA, Charles Barkley proved to be one of the all-time greats. Among other impressive feats, he is one of just four players in NBA history to amass 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists. He garnered those impressive numbers as one of the most physically dominant power forwards the game has ever seen.

Barkley was also a passionate, competitive player. On more than a few occasions, his physicality crossed the line into downright aggression, leading to fights with other players. One of Barkley’s most notorious fights, however, took place off the court. Let’s look at the incident and seemingly small price Barkley had to pay for it.

Charles Barkley’s craziest bar fight

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The fight in question took place in Orlando, Florida on October 26, 1997. At the time, Barkley was a member of the Houston Rockets, who were in town to play a pre-season game against the Magic. The naturally gregarious party guy decided to hit the town one night. He ended up at a bar by the name of Phineas Phoggs.

There, a 20-year-old construction worker by the name of Jorge Lugo accosted Barkley. At just 5-foot-2, Lugo didn’t stand much of a chance against the 6-foot-6 Barkley. So instead of taking a swing at the big man, Lugo threw a cup full of ice at him. Barkley initially ignored the provocation. But when the man returned a short time later and threw a second glass, hitting a member of Barkley’s group, he flew into a rage.

As it happened, an off-duty police officer was working at the bar, and quickly intervened. Yet Barkley refused to back down. Instead, he wrestled Lugo out of the officer’s grasp and, in a move straight out of professional wrestling, picked him up threw him through a plate-glass window.

Unsurprisingly, police quickly arrested Barkley. He spent several hours in jail before fellow Rockets star Clyde Drexler bailed him out. That gesture of friendship set Drexler back a cool $6,000.

Barkley’s response to the fight

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In discussing the incident, Barkley took full responsibility for his actions, while standing by his decision to react the way he did, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

“I’m going to defend myself. Let there be no debate. If you bother me, I’m going to whip your ass. The guy threw ice in my face, and I slammed his ass into the window. I’m not denying that. I defended myself. He got what he deserved.”

To anybody who knew Barkley, those words came as no surprise. To this day, Barkley’s candor and willingness to stick to his guns are two of his most characteristic personality traits.

Charles Barkley’s legal ramifications

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Barkley was charged with a count of aggravated battery, and a count of resisting arrest without violence. Fortunately, Lugo had not been seriously injured during the incident. A local hospital treated him for a minor laceration to his right arm. Lugo ultimately decided not to press charges against Barkley.

Instead, in December, reports surfaced that Barkley reached an out-of-court civil settlement with Lugo. The exact terms of the resolution never surfaced to the public. As for the criminal charges against Barkley, he ended up getting off relatively light. A judge decreed that he pay a $320 fine and do two community-service visits with children’s programs.

Lugo remained adamant that he had never thrown anything at Barkley. Yet reporters soon uncovered the fact that Lugo was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. He had already been arrested twice that same year, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In September, he was released from jail after serving over three months on drug charges.

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Rennes striker M’Baye Niang has been fined €1,500 for breaking social distancing rules in France to watch horse racing.

Niang, who enjoyed a loan spell in the Premier League with Watford in 2016-17, was caught by stewards entering the Marseille Pont-de-Vivaux racecourse to watch his horse “Swetty Beauty.”

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The French government allowed horse racing to restart behind closed doors on May 11 amid the coronavirus pandemic but Niang was among four people who attended the race track the following day.

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A report shown in Equidia said the president of France Galop’s south-eastern regional committee Patrick Dreux led Niang and three others into the car park using an access code before entering the deserted panoramic restaurant.

All five men were fined but said they would not have accessed the racecourse if there had been sufficient security staff or a sign making them aware of the national ban.

Dreux, who is a member of France’s horse racing governing body, is reported to have told a steward: “You should not think that you’re at home here, you’re not the only person who knows the access code.”

Niang is not the only Ligue 1 player to find himself in trouble during the lockdown period in France. Angers attacking midfielder Farid El Melali apologised after he was arrested and charged with public masturbation earlier this month.

The Professional Football League (LFP) in France cancelled the 2019-20 season last month, declaring Paris Saint-Germain as champions while Niang’s Rennes securing a place in the Champions League qualification rounds.

FINED

ABERDEEN director Duncan Skinner has been fined £1,000 after being charged with breaking betting rules over the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 footie seasons.

SFA chiefs have carpeted former oil and gas exec Skinner – who also sits on the board of Sportscotland – over breaches of gambling rules.

And after a hearing at Hampden today the non-executive director has been disciplined by the SFA.

Strict rules ban any “club official” from gambling on games – with players such as ex-Rangers pair Ian Black and Steve Simonsen having been banned and fined in the past.

Skinner admitted at the tribunal to breaking Disciplinary Rule 31 – “No club, official, Team Official or other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match” in seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16.

PA:Press Association

He has been fined £500 for breaching the rule in season 2014/15 and another charge of £500 for 2015/16.

In the 2014/15 season he placed 13 bets involving 26 games, including one on Aberdeen to draw a game.

And in 2015/16, he placed 276 bets involving 653 games including 33 on the Dons to win and two on them to draw.

He still faces two charges under the same rule 31 for seasons 2016-17 and 2017-18 – including include one bet on the Dons to lose to Celtic at Parkhead in February this year – when the Hoops won 1-0.

 

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Another Disciplinary Tribunal will be held on March 29 2018 in relation to these charges.

In 2016/17, it’s claimed Skinner placed 282 bets on 721 games including 37 on his club to win, three on them to draw and one on them to lose.

This season, he has placed 18 bets involving 65 games including three on Aberdeen to win and one on them to draw.

He faces a Hampden hearing in the New Year over claims he placed 589 bets covering 1465 matches over four seasons.

It’s understood Skinner was unaware the rules covered him.

The Dons have supported him, with the club and Skinner himself fully co-operating with the probe led by SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan.

Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland was fined £3000 by the SFA in June this year after betting on 4011 games, including 430 involving his own club.

 

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An Aberdeen FC director has been fined by the Scottish FA for breaching football rules by placing bets on matches.

Duncan Skinner was charged by the governing body with placing 589 bets on almost 1500 matches over the course of four seasons, including one wager backing Celtic to beat Aberdeen in February of this year.

The governing body brought four charges against Skinner, one for each season in which he was believed to have placed bets. The claims against the non-executive director, who is also chairman of the Aberdeen FC Community Trust, were not linked to match-fixing.

Skinner was summoned to a disciplinary hearing in January but waived the normal preparation period to ask for an earlier date. An independent panel considered the case on Thursday and ruled that he was guilty of the first two charges and he was fined £1000 in total, to be paid within 30 days.

The remaining two charges have been deferred until March 29, 2018 to allow time to consider a report from Mr Skinner. In the interim, Aberdeen are to conduct a full internal review and remind office holders of their obligations under the Scottish FA’s rules.

The Scottish FA’s disciplinary rules state: “No club, official, team official or other member of team staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match.”