Lincoln opted to shoot an ad with Samba star Maria Chuteira in his home country of Brazil rather than showing up for the start of training with Turkish champions Galatasaray. The key player, who was absent without permission, must now pay a 150,000 euro fine into the club kitty because the German coach Michael Skibbe spent three days waiting in vain for him to turn up. Skibbe, who joined Galatasaray this season, then wanted to exclude the former Schalke Bundesliga pro from his plans. “We have enough good players and are not reliant on Lincoln,” explained Skibbe with regard to the case. Lincoln appears in the ad with fellow Brazilians Fred (Lyon) and Dede (Borussia Dortmund) playing the guitar and drumming. Galatasaray’s management reacted to news of the absence by imposing a severe fine on the Brazilian. Lincoln had to pay 50,000 euros for every day of training he missed without permission.

Captain Fredrik Ljungberg has announced his retirement from the Swedish national team. The 31-year-old midfielder has earned 74 caps and scored 14 goals for the “Tre Kronor” in the last 11 years. “The strain of playing for both a club and the national team has just taken its toll. That is why I have decided to focus solely on West Ham United from now on,” he said.

The Madrid suburb of Mostoles wants to name a street in honour of goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who was part of the Spanish team that won the EURO 2008 title on 29 June. In fact, the street would be named not after the town’s most famous son, but after his mother. In any case, a petition to that effect is being circulated in Mostoles, where Casillas was born on 20 May 1981. The proposed name of the street is “Calle de la madre que pario a Casillas,” or “The mother who gave birth to Casillas Street”. More than 17,000 people have already signed the petition.