On this day 15 December 2001 (Exactly 18 years ago today)Les Ferdinand scored the 10,000th goal in the Premiership history and Teddy Sheringham made his 700th league appearance as Spurs chalked up another three points.
Ferdinand scored a nine-minute hat-trick to help Spurs demolish Bolton 6-0 in the Worthington Cup the previous Tuesday
And he followed that up on Saturday by scoring the 10,000th goal in the history of the Premiership as Spurs gave Fulham a 4-0 thumping.
Ferdinand, who scored two goals in the first week of the Premiership for Newcastle nine years earlier, won £10,000 to donate to charity.
“I don’t do the lottery but I think I might buy a ticket,” said Ferdinand.
“It was my 35th birthday last Saturday and things are supposed to be going downhill, but it has been quite a week for me.
“I wasn’t aware before the game of the fact there was £10,000 as a prize.
“I hope to split it between a breast cancer charity and the Teenage Cancer Trust, because I lost my mum to cancer 12 years ago.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it is a great honour because I have been around for some time now.”
On this day 15 December 1995 (Exactly 24 years ago today) The European Communities Court of Justice handed down the “Bosman ruling”, giving EU footballers the right to a free transfer at the end of their contracts, with the provision that they are transferring from one UEFA Federation to another.
The decision banned restrictions on foreign EU players within national leagues and allowed players in the EU to move to another club at the end of a contract without a transfer fee being paid.
The ruling was made in a consolidation of three separate legal cases, all involving Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman:
Belgian Football Association v Jean-Marc Bosman
R.F.C. de Liège v Jean-Marc Bosman and others
UEFA v Jean-Marc Bosman
Facts
Jean-Marc Bosman was a player for RFC Liège in the Belgian First Division in Belgium whose contract had expired in 1990. He wanted to change teams and move to Dunkerque, a French club. However, Dunkerque refused to meet his Belgian club’s transfer fee demand, so Liège refused to release Bosman.
In the meantime, Bosman’s wages were reduced as he was no longer a first-team player.] He took his case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and sued for restraint of trade, citing FIFA’s rules regarding football, specifically Article 17
Judgement
On 15 December 1995, the court ruled the system, as it was constituted, placed a restriction on the free movement of workers and was prohibited by Article 39(1) of the EC Treaty (now Article 45 (1) of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union). Bosman and all other EU footballers were given the right to a free transfer at the expiration of their contracts, provided that they transfer from a club within one EU association to a club within another EU association.
On this day 15 December 1959 (Exactly 60 years ago today) Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stéfano won his second Ballon d’Or Award for best football player in Europe ahead of team mate Raymond Kopa and Juventus’ Welsh utility John Charles.
Despite being born in Argentina, Alfredo Di Stefano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956, and went on to play for the Spanish national football team.
BY: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
