Leeds United: Massimo Cellino - many faces of Elland Road suitorMassimo Cellino boarded a flight at Leeds-Bradford Airport on Sunday morning and began the journey back to his mansion in Miami.
Leeds United fans were left behind, scratching their heads and wondering whether the surreal and chaotic events of the past week had actually happened. To summarise, Cellino:
*Tried to put compatriot Gianluca Festa on the Leeds bench for Tuesday's game against Ipswich.
*Sacked Brian McDermott on Friday because the popular manager had "done everything to get fired".
*Pleaded with McDermott to return on Saturday.
And all this before he has even become the official owner of the mid-table Championship club. Cellino says he completed a deal to buy 75% of Leeds on Friday lunchtime, but the Football League have yet to decide whether he is a "
fit and proper person"
to own the Yorkshire outfit. Fans of the Italian's "other club“, Cagliari Calcio, can nod knowingly at all of this, because the 57-year-old is one of the most colourful, controversial and charismatic owners in Italian football.
Cellino looks like an ageing rocker and still plays rhythm guitar and drums in a band called Maurilos . Last year, he sported a ponytail and intricate goatee, but now opts for a slightly more sober look, with greying hair to the collar . Still, he often has stubble, a leather jacket, aviator sunglasses and, more often than not, a cigarette in his hand.
His superstitions include a fear of the number 17, which has posed the Sardinian a few problems.
Cagliari's stadium doesn't have any seats numbered 17 for a start. Instead, they are labelled 16b . And when a league game against Novara was rearranged for 17 September, 2011, the press office was ordered to hastily release a statement on the club website. In a bid to counteract any ill fortune that might come Cagliari's way, fans were asked to turn up for the match wearing purple, a colour Cellino believes is unlucky. His rationale? That one negative cancels out another. Many of the club's fans obliged and the team won 2-1.
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