Talking Balls: AWOL Aussies, Skipper Kidnaps and Giant Kids

Beijing Guoan are not even playing at the moment, but are still managing to be controversial. This time the controversy stretches all the way to Australia and guess who’s at the center of it? None other than Beijing’s former hardman/nutcase/sensation, Joel Griffiths. As mentioned in a previous Talking Balls it was understood that he was fated to return to the Newcastle Jets after Guoan refused to meet the Australian team’s valuation. But now Griffiths has gone AWOL from the A-League club. He skipped his first training session highlighting that he had an agreement that Beijing only had to offer AUD 350,000 to secure his services for next season. The Chinese champions did that on New Year’s Eve but the Jets said that deal was contingent on Griffiths finishing the A-League season and that deal ended on December 16. Read more here and here. If Griffiths is to play for Guoan in next season’s Asian Champions’ League then he needs to be registered before January 11. Wait and see.

Sina.com has it that Beijing Guoan are in the market for Valencia’s Portuguese international full-back Miguel. How true this remains to be seen as just this month in FourFourTwo magazine an interview with Arjen Robben highlighted Miguel as the toughest opponent he has come across. Will one of the best defenders in the world plying his trade in the CSL? Not if Bayern Munich or Chelsea get their way. Regardless, it is real as Miguel has said, “my agent did tell me that a Chinese club is interested, but I don’t know which one.”

It wouldn’t be football news without a mention of corruption so here’s this weeks. Li Chengpeng, one of China’s most revered football journalists, reported on his blog that a Team China captain was kidnapped in Hong Kong and held for three days for failing to carry out an agreement with a gambling gang. The alleged kidnap happened in 2004 which means that, were it to be true, the man in question would be either Li Weifeng or Zheng Zhi. Meanwhile, Zheng was an unused sub in Celtic’s weekend draw with rivals Rangers.

Finally, China’s most famous basketballer is said to be expecting a child. Yao Ming, all 7’6” of him, and his wife Ye Li, a mere 6’3”, are said to be in the family way according to Sina.com. There has been no speculation so far as to how tall this child may be.