The great FIFA watches farce continued when football powerbrokers Michel Platini and Greg Dyke joked about their contrasting responses after being ordered to return their £16,400 Parmigianis. The watches were given as gifts by Brazil’s football federation to delegates at the FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, but FIFA ethics chief Michael Garcia has ruled that they be sent back to Zurich. UEFA president Platini, who had a laugh with FA chairman Dyke about the pantomime while on a train to St George’s Park, has sent his watch back despite saying he would not do so because he doesn’t believe in returning presents. Dyke, though, still intends to auction his watch for the benefit of the FA cancer charity and has informed Garcia of that decision in writing for a second time. Michel Platini poses with Greg Dyke at St George's Park and the pair joked about their posh watches . Platini was relaxed and the Frenchman sauntered across the indoor pitches at the national football centre . Garcia had earlier warned Dyke he could face disciplinary action if the watch wasn’t posted back to FIFA. But Dyke, rightly, is not prepared to be dictated to on such a petty issue. Garcia’s deadline for retrieving the watches was October 24, but there is still no word from him on how many of the 65 were handed back, or on those threatened sanctions. Meanwhile, it didn’t do much for London’s standing as UEFA’s favourite location for their marquee matches when it took Platini three hours to travel from Heathrow to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium for the Champions League match against Anderlecht on Tuesday night. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, who control the referees, are doing themselves no favours with their lack of transparency when they are under the spotlight after banning Mark Clattenburg for not travelling with his assistants after a game. Elite assistant referee Sian Massey, at the centre of the sexism storm involving former Sky pair Andy Gray and Richard Keys, hasn’t been selected for any match this season. PGMO will say only that she is ‘injured’ but has not failed any fitness tests. Christian Purslow, Chelsea’s new head of global commercial activities, is yet to meet Jose Mourinho, despite, one would imagine, busy Christian making that a priority. A Chelsea spokesman said their paths had not crossed due to the nature of their jobs rather than Mourinho remembering anything Purslow said about Chelsea when he was Liverpool CEO. Christian Purslow (left) pictured during his Liverpool pomp, alongside commercial director Ian Ayre . Wacky Leeds owner Massimo Cellino regards the number 17 as unlucky, to the extent that it has been taken off the shirt, squad list and an executive box at Elland Road. So the chances of Cellino attending Saturday’s match against Blackpool look slim. Leeds have 17 points after scoring 17 goals and the next match is their 17th of the Championship season. Elleray case haunts FA . The FA only giving referees chief David Elleray diversity training after he made a ghastly racist comment to a colleague, continues to embarrass the governing body. John Cummings, the Northumberland County FA vice-president rightly banned for telling young referee Lucy May that a ‘woman’s place is in the kitchen’, is appealing over the severity of his sentence compared with Elleray’s. Cummings said: ‘Does it seem fair that I get a four-month ban and a £250 fine and Elleray gets a slap on the wrist. I want a fair punishment for what I’ve said and what’s been said elsewhere.’ David Elleray, a former housemaster at Harrow School, came under fire for his controversial comments . Guy Kinnings, IMG’s head of golf, seems the obvious choice from inside the sport to replace departing European Tour chief executive George O’Grady. But it seems that Tour chairman David Williams wants to make an appointment from outside golf. The appointment of Nick Rust, head of retail at Ladbrokes, as the new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority was kept under wraps because, it is understood, the struggling betting giants were concerned how the departure would affect their share price. Rust’s former racing roles include being director of business for trainer Micky Hammond, with whom he has four horses. Hammond’s racing concern went into voluntary liquidation in 2010, but the BHA say Rust was a director of the company from 2005 to 2007.
Powerbrokers Dyke and Platini joked about the Parmigianis pantomime .
The pair were each handed a £16,400 watch by FIFA, but were ordered to return them .
Platini returned his, but Dyke plans to send his to auction .
Christian Purslow has not spoken to Jose Mourinho since joining Chelsea .
The great FIFA watches farce continued when football powerbrokers Michel Platini and Greg Dyke joked about their contrasting responses after being ordered to return their £16,400 Parmigianis. The watches were given as gifts by Brazil’s football federation to delegates at the FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, but FIFA ethics chief Michael Garcia has ruled that they be sent back to Zurich. UEFA president Platini, who had a laugh with FA chairman Dyke about the pantomime while on a train to St George’s Park, has sent his watch back despite saying he would not do so because he doesn’t believe in returning presents. Dyke, though, still intends to auction his watch for the benefit of the FA cancer charity and has informed Garcia of that decision in writing for a second time. Michel Platini poses with Greg Dyke at St George's Park and the pair joked about their posh watches . Platini was relaxed and the Frenchman sauntered across the indoor pitches at the national football centre . Garcia had earlier warned Dyke he could face disciplinary action if the watch wasn’t posted back to FIFA. But Dyke, rightly, is not prepared to be dictated to on such a petty issue. Garcia’s deadline for retrieving the watches was October 24, but there is still no word from him on how many of the 65 were handed back, or on those threatened sanctions. Meanwhile, it didn’t do much for London’s standing as UEFA’s favourite location for their marquee matches when it took Platini three hours to travel from Heathrow to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium for the Champions League match against Anderlecht on Tuesday night. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, who control the referees, are doing themselves no favours with their lack of transparency when they are under the spotlight after banning Mark Clattenburg for not travelling with his assistants after a game. Elite assistant referee Sian Massey, at the centre of the sexism storm involving former Sky pair Andy Gray and Richard Keys, hasn’t been selected for any match this season. PGMO will say only that she is ‘injured’ but has not failed any fitness tests. Christian Purslow, Chelsea’s new head of global commercial activities, is yet to meet Jose Mourinho, despite, one would imagine, busy Christian making that a priority. A Chelsea spokesman said their paths had not crossed due to the nature of their jobs rather than Mourinho remembering anything Purslow said about Chelsea when he was Liverpool CEO. Christian Purslow (left) pictured during his Liverpool pomp, alongside commercial director Ian Ayre . Wacky Leeds owner Massimo Cellino regards the number 17 as unlucky, to the extent that it has been taken off the shirt, squad list and an executive box at Elland Road. So the chances of Cellino attending Saturday’s match against Blackpool look slim. Leeds have 17 points after scoring 17 goals and the next match is their 17th of the Championship season. Elleray case haunts FA . The FA only giving referees chief David Elleray diversity training after he made a ghastly racist comment to a colleague, continues to embarrass the governing body. John Cummings, the Northumberland County FA vice-president rightly banned for telling young referee Lucy May that a ‘woman’s place is in the kitchen’, is appealing over the severity of his sentence compared with Elleray’s. Cummings said: ‘Does it seem fair that I get a four-month ban and a £250 fine and Elleray gets a slap on the wrist. I want a fair punishment for what I’ve said and what’s been said elsewhere.’ David Elleray, a former housemaster at Harrow School, came under fire for his controversial comments . Guy Kinnings, IMG’s head of golf, seems the obvious choice from inside the sport to replace departing European Tour chief executive George O’Grady. But it seems that Tour chairman David Williams wants to make an appointment from outside golf. The appointment of Nick Rust, head of retail at Ladbrokes, as the new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority was kept under wraps because, it is understood, the struggling betting giants were concerned how the departure would affect their share price. Rust’s former racing roles include being director of business for trainer Micky Hammond, with whom he has four horses. Hammond’s racing concern went into voluntary liquidation in 2010, but the BHA say Rust was a director of the company from 2005 to 2007.
after being ordered to return their £16,400 Parmigianis. The watches were given as gifts by laugh with FA chairman Dyke about the pantomime Dyke, though, still intends to auction his watch at St George's Park and the pair joked about only that she is ‘injured’ but has not failed any fitness tests. Christian Purslow, Chelsea’s new meet Jose Mourinho, despite, one would imagine,