| Saturday, 18 January, 2003, 03:54 GMT The back pages ![]() Saturday's sports pages focus on the crazy financial world inhabited by England's top footballers.
Wayne Rooney's admission to the millionaires' club at the age of 17 after signing a lucrative new three-year contract with Everton grabs plenty of column inches. The Sun succinctly sums up the young striker's rise from rags to riches with the headline: "From �90 a week to �15,000 a week." But the papers are also full of the pitfalls lying in wait for football's rich young stars. Following reports of England players gambling heavily in card schools at the World Cup, former national coach Graham Taylor says the betting culture cannot be stamped out. Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri reflects on striker Eidur Gudjohnsen's gambling troubles by telling the Daily Mail he should have bought the striker a Game Boy. And Portsmouth's Paul Merson says in the Daily Star that gambling is the "worst problem in football". Manchester City's reluctance to gamble on the fitness of Robbie Fowler continues to spark debate. The Daily Express reports City boss Kevin Keegan's dismay at the attempts of chairman David Bernstein to renegotiate the deal. And on the Leeds side, The Guardian says Elland Road chairman Peter Ridsdale is ready to hand over day-to-day management of the club to a new chief executive. The England cricket team's likely qualification for the VB Series final wins grudging praise. The Daily Mail says England are getting it "half right" in the run-up to the World Cup. Former England paceman Devon Malcolm tells The Sun that Yorkshire should consider axing Australia's Darren Lehmann for his racist outburst against Sri Lanka. The Independent reports that Kenya has been given the green light by security chiefs to host two World Cup games. And one of sport's biggest security risks, Mike Tyson, resurfaces in the Daily Star. Looking forward to his rematch with Lennox Lewis, Tyson says: "I might have kissed him after the fight but I'll still want to crush his head in the ring." And the most interesting rumour of the day.... The Guardian says Leeds may have to listen to offers for "crown jewels" Paul Robinson, Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Smith. | Top Sport Front Page stories now: Links to more Sport Front Page stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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