A good reason to get shirty

Yesterday, as you no doubt know, was International Women's Day, and Indonesian company Salvo Sports Apparel spent a good chunk of it trying to explain on Twitter that they weren't being sexist at all with the washing instructions they've placed on the shirts of Indonesian Super League team Pusamania Borneo: "Give this jersey to your woman. IT'S HER JOB."

Now, to be honest, their earliest efforts to apologise didn’t work hugely well, eg: “The message is simply, instead of washing it in the wrong way you might as well give it to a lady because they are more capable.”

You know what they say, stop digging.

From Reuters: “There’s no intention to humiliate women. In contrast, (we want to tell the men) learn from women on how to take care of clothes because they pay attention to details. Not all men understand/know how to take care of their own clothes, women are more knowledgeable/experts on such matters. We apologise profusely for any misinterpretations.”

No word yet on whether their next batch of shirts will contain washing instructions along the lines of: “Give this jersey to your man – and rest your pretty little head.”

Tattoo of the week

The award goes to Ukrainian actress Nataliya Kozhenova who has had Lionel Messi etched on her chest.

According to the London Metro she’s only ever appeared in one film, 2013’s “Super Model”, so unless there are parts out there calling for an actress with a tattoo of the Argentinian maestro just above their bosom, you’d worry for her prospects.

Age no barrier

Cynical folk raised an eyebrow or two when 67-year-old millionaire Ricardo Teixeira, the former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, started stepping out with 36-year-old model Tatiane Cravinho, as if the 31-year gap was an odd thing.

Alas, the relationship has since ended, perhaps because Teixeira has other things on his mind (like accusations that he was a touch corrupt while president and took more than $41 million in bribes in connection with the award of World Cup marketing rights along with his former father-in-law Joao Havelange).

Happily, there seems to be no bad feelings and when asked last week, during a Playboy photo-shoot, what first attracted her to Teixeira, Cravinho, as quoted by yesterday’s Observer, said: “Just one look is all it took. That’s what drew us together: the animal magnetism in our eyes.”

Lovely. Like Cathy and Heathcliff.

Quote of the week

Emre Can’s gonna be one of the three in the back four

– Michael Owen sharing his mathematical expertise with BT Sport viewers.

Word of mouth

“Joey Barton punched him in the groin, right under the referee’s nose.”

– Kevin Kilbane on the BBC, as heard by a Private Eye reader. Anatomically, it kinda reminded us of that time

David O’Leary said Aston Villa’s inability to defend set-pieces was “the Achilles heel that has been stabbing us in the back”.

“In the street you have to be the most cunning one. In that environment, I didn’t control myself. I had no respect for the opposition. I thought I had to kill them.”

– Diego Costa on his rather competitive rearing as a young fella.

“My armband got nicked, someone tried to take my boot off. People tried to kiss me and were biting me. It was scary.”

– After that pitch invasion by Aston Villa fans after they beat West Brom in the FA Cup, captain Fabian Delph must be pining for their losing streak.

Number of the week

660m

That’s how many euros it cost to build Brazil’s World Cup Mane Garrincha stadium, making it the world’s second most expensive stadium behind Wembley. What’s it been used for now? A bus depot.

Word of mouth (II)

“If it happened to me and someone spat at my face or towards me, then I think he’d be eating his supper through a straw that night.”

– Jonny Evans should be relieved his, eh, spat wasn't with our own Jonathan Walters.

“You would not urinate, defecate, vomit or blow your nose on a fellow professional – so why should spitting be any different?”

– Well, you’d hope not, Robbie Savage.

“When Jonny Evans spat at Papiss Cisse on Wednesday night he may as well have insulted his mum.”

– Ian Wright. Eh?

“He spat on the floor and it was obviously near Cisse. Unfortunately, that’s just the way the camera angle saw it.”

– Jonny Evans’s wife Helen, as only a wife can.

“There are different ways of analysing things. Winning trophies is only one of them.”

– Best of luck to Manchester City gaffer Manuel Pellegrini when he tries that line with the club owners.

Fan of the week

Has to be that dog spotted by Tweeterers at the Wigan Athletic v Leeds United game in the away section. It’s excellent enough that he was there, but he even joined in on the singing with his buddy. And he got to see leads . . . sorry, Leeds . . . win 1-0. Take a bow-wow, Mister.

Revelation of the week

The one from Gonzalo Presa, the communications director at Madrid's wax museum which includes a waxy figure of Cristiano Ronaldo in its collection.

“Cristiano told us to be sure his figure was perfect. His hair is natural. It is not a wig and it comes from India. He sent his own hairstylist to brush his figure once a month.”

What?

“He sent his own hairstylist to brush his figure once a month.”

Heavens.