Alpay leaves Villa.Byline: By Mark Richards Mark Richards can refer to:
Aston Villa have terminated the contract of Turkish international Alpay by mutual consent - and the player has bowed out with a blast at David Beckham  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. .
Villa have cut their losses on the central defender who caused a storm of controversy for his conduct in his country's Euro 2004 qualifier with England in Istanbul on October 11. The 30-year-old goaded goad n. 1. A long stick with a pointed end used for prodding animals. 2. An agent or means of prodding or urging; a stimulus. tr.v. Beckham after the England captain For information about the captains of England sports teams see the articles on the sports team in question. For example:
Villa chairman Doug Ellis Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE (born January 3, 1924 in Chester, Cheshire, is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club. Early life Ellis[1] began life in a poor family with a widowed mother. said last night: "In light of recent events, it would have been difficult for Alpay to represent Aston Villa again in the future. "The player himself was aware that life in England had become increasingly difficult for him and his family. "Therefore, both parties agreed that the best course of action was for the immediate termination of his contract which was due to expire in June 2004." Alpay said: "This wouldn't have happened if the confrontation had been with any other player than David Beckham. "The time and effort the English media give to David Beckham is unfair. It is injustice to the other players in the England team. "The other players work harder than he does. "I wanted to leave Aston Villa anyway. I am happy that we have resolved the situation." Alpay - signed for pounds 5.6m from Fenerbahce more than three years ago - was already unpopular with many of the club's supporters and, despite scoring, was booed during the recent home game with Charlton. It was 10 days after the highly-charged Euro 2004 match before Alpay returned to training with his Villa team-mates. There was no showdown meeting with Villa manager David O'Leary, whose response was to give Alpay a few days' break with his family and leave him out of his squad for the weekend's derby match against Birmingham. Alpay was one of the stars of Turkey's 2002 World Cup campaign when they reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Brazil and ultimately finishing third. But his relationship with Villa initially soured after he was reported to have requested a transfer in the aftermath of the tournament. Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin and Turkish giants Galatasaray are believed to be interested in him. |
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