The Incredible Hulk and Zenit

Did Hulk and Witzel come to destabilise Zenit St. Petersburg, after joining from FC Porto and SL Benfica, respectively? Rumour has it that their millionaire salaries have destabilised the team and that all is not well with Russian stars Denisov and Kershakov, jealous of the huge salaries that the Brazilian and Belgian players earn.

If true, this could in part explain the slump Zenit has experienced since the players arrived: two defeats and a draw. Gossip in Russia has it that striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov and midfield player Igor Denisov have refused to train and were replaced by team coach Luciano Spaletti at the weekend who declared that this is not the right way to carry on.

Elsewhere, trouble in the England camp, where the FA's decision to hold an enquiry into the alleged racism incident between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, after Terry was cleared by a court of law, has caused the former England captain and defender to resign from international football after over a decade playing for England.

In Madrid, the derby game between Rayo Vallecano and real Madrid was called off at the weekend because of sabotage to the lighting system. The floodlights in the Vallecas Stadium failed... meanwhile the Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany (26 years old) has stated that rumours about his wishing to leave for Spain are totally untrue - he is staying at City.

Aleksei Federov

Pravda.Ru