Controversy has erupted at Elland Road as Leeds keeper Paddy Kenny has been axed by Massimo Cellino, theguardian reports. Leeds’ new chairman reportedly has a plethora superstitions and has implemented his first change at the club due to one of his many fears.
Goalkeeper Kenny who’s birthday is on the 17th of May has now been axed from the squad due to his birthday as owner, Cellino has a fear of the number 17. When previously owning Cagliari he had a suspicion of the number 17, a number he considers to be incredibly unlucky. At Cagliari’s stadium, Stadio Is Arenas, Cellino had the number 17 removed from seats and replaced with 16b as he believed that the number 17 was seen as bad fortune for the Italian club.
Cellino has a number of suspicions besides the number 17, some being that the colour purple is also unlucky. When Cagliari played Novara in 2011 he wanted the fans to wear the “unlucky” colour purple to the game. He saw this as cancelling out the fact that the game was scheduled to be on the 17th of the month . Once they won the game against Novara on the 17th after all fans wore purple. Cellino quoted “bad luck is like algebra: minus and minus is positive. Purple and 17 … they became positive and we won.”
Leeds’ goalkeeper, Kenny reportedly came back to Leeds’ pre-season training looking unfit and reportedly overweight. This however was dismissed as a minor factor of Kenny’s dismissal but once Cellino found out about his link with the number 17 then his decision was final.
Kenny, the ex QPR and Sheffield Utd keeper is now expected to miss Leeds’ trip to Italy and looks set to be on his way out of the West Yorkshire club due to Cellino’s antics. The goalkeeper was reportedly Leeds’ second highest paid player and now is set to leave the club.
Since taking over at Leeds, Cellino has already had a massive impact as he has ensured the players now must bring a packed lunch as well as Cellino himself declaring that he will ensure that he looks at transfers and not David Hockaday, the new first team coach, who he gave the job to after sacking previous manager Brian McDermott.
UPDATE 13:24
The Yorkshire post reports that the stories about Cellino wanting to axe Kenny because of his birthday is untrue. Although he hasn’t travelled to Italy with the rest of the Leeds squad for the training camp, the paper denies the fact that Kenny was to be axed due to his date of birth. Leeds and the Yorkshire post have also dismissed Kenny being kicked out for him being massively overweight. Footage on the Yorkshire Post’s website shows him at Leeds’ training ground Thorp Arch in which he does not appear to be massively overweight at all.
See more here: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united
UPDATE 18:50
Kenny’s agent has denied claims that Cellino was prepared to kick out the goalkeeper for his date of birth. His agent also denies claims of him being massively overweight as a picture appeared to show earlier in the week.
His agent quoted to the Yorkshire Post “We’re more bothered about the picture to be honest. It’s been massively doctored. Paddy is the same weight now as he was five years ago.
“I was playing golf with him last week and unless he’s put four stones on since then somebody somewhere is being mischievous to say the least.”
