Football in a flutter |over an ugly duckling

FOOTBALL’S SHOWING its ugly side again, but not on the pitch for a change. This time the squabbling is over players’ personal appearances. And it’s happening in Spain, a country renowned for hot Latin facial features – and hot tempers.
Goal.com puts the ball in play with a temper-testing headline: “Di Maria sold by Real Madrid for being ‘ugly’, claims Barcelona chief.” Smelling blood, British newspaper the Independent has a kick. “Too ugly,” its header agrees. The Manchester Evening News keeps the play in motion: “Angel Di Maria was too ugly for Real Madrid – Barcelona chief”.
What it really comes down to, as far as anyone outside the changing room knows, is a conspiracy theory – a bit of fluff, though rather hurtful. The premise is that Real Madrid’s real motivation in selling the Argentinean Di Maria to Manchester United is because he wants a good-looking squad. Of course it didn’t hurt that Man U was offering a record transfer fee of