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West Ham fan gets players in trouble for ‘drinking’ with a Twitter hoax
Don’t do this.


If you’re thinking about starting an internet rumor about some soccer players being unprofessional, please rethink that. West Ham players Andy Carroll and Darren Randolph almost got in trouble even though a rumor spread about them drinking in the middle of the week was an admitted hoax.
“The club will be looking into these allegations and we will deal with the players as we see fit,” said a West Ham spokesperson, even though all of this was made up. Use Twitter responsibly, kids.
Goal of the day
In the news
Sam Allardyce and England mutually agreed to part ways after he got caught explaining how to circumvent the FA’s third party ownership rules.
Eight other managers are accused of shady transfer dealings, though they haven’t been named yet. (Telegraph)
Clint Dempsey is out for the season due to an irregular heartbeat. (Sounder at Heart)
La Liga’s director of marketing admitted it’s been challenging to get Barcelona and Real Madrid to commit to the Spanish league instead of looking into a super league. (ESPN FC)
Cesare Prandelli is likely to take over at Valencia. (AS)
Another Spanish team has already made a coaching change, with Granada firing Paco Jémez. (Sport)
Miralem Pjanic and Andrea Barzagli are fine after picking up knocks on Tuesday, while Claudio Marchisio’s timetable for return is now a month. (Gazzetta)
You should be reading
Angela Roemelt on Mainz’s commitment to their fans and players. (Unusual Efforts)
Bill Gerrard on “Moneyball” misconceptions and how analytics are actually used in soccer. (The Set Pieces)
James Nickels on the club and stadium that were destroyed by the Chernobyl disaster. (These Football Times)
What happened on Tuesday
Dortmund and Madrid played a fun 2-2 draw, featuring Christian Pulisic setting up the equalizer.
What to watch on Wednesday (click for listings, all times ET)
Champions League: Eight games (2:45 p.m.) -- A lot of big teams are in action, but we recommend Napoli-Benfica.











