Sports Diary

  • Back 4 was at Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre last week to hear Sir Alex Ferguson take questions from all and sundry on his life and career in a Q&A session with members of the public.

The real beauty of the event was that Fergie faced the kind of questions that he has spent the last three decades tearing strips off journalists for asking. What happened between you and David Beckham? ventured one interrogator. Fergie responded with a candour rarely seen at Friday press conferences, and delivered a damning verdict on Victoria Beckham's influence on the former Manchester United player.

"He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time, he was a fantastic young lad," said Fergie, who might have been regretting his decision to agree to the talk when someone asked him about his relationship with the BBC.

"Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing - from that moment his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part. The big part is his persona."

The comments echoed those made by Roy Keane, the Sunderland manager, last month in which he said too many Premiership footballers were allowing their wives to dictate their careers.

Not so Thierry Henry, however. The French international striker, recently of Arsenal and now with Barcelona was granted a quickie divorce last week following his estrangement from former model Claire Merry. Henry, 30, is reported to have started acting funnily towards his wife in the final months of their relationship - he would become moody and would regularly lock himself in his room for hours on end, even when the couple had visitors. Merry stands to receive a £12m pay-off from her former husband.

The lesson? At least Becks has an excuse for acting like a muppet. Henry has never needed any encouragement.

  • Alistair Devine, The Sun and DADA have begun an initiative to combat sectarianism by asking 200 Celtic and Rangers fans to pose nude for a one-off photograph to be taken at Hampden Park.

No doubt the thinking behind the exercise is to show that underneath their "football colours" lie "ordinary" people. The problem is we all know this already. Devine told one tabloid last week: "I am looking for Joe Regular to come along, people who see this as an art project."

Aren't there a couple of contradictions in there?

Anti-sectarianism? Art project? We're not suggesting that all bigots think Da Vinci's Last Supper is a special at the chipper but who are you trying to kid?

  • Back to sportsmen's ex-wives and Back 4 couldn't help but snigger upon hearing the news that Colin Montgomerie's old missus Eimear had her £12,000 engagement ring nicked while putting on hand cream at a Ralph Lauren shop at Goodwood Golf Course recently.

A source told Back 4 that ex-Mrs Monty was in floods of tears when police arrived. Ah, that will be because it reminded Eimear of all the good times she had with Monty when they were married won't it?

"Er, no. It was an expensive diamond ring, in platinum," said our source, who had hung up before we got the chance to say, "But didn't she get an £8m settlement from the old fella last year and anyway, surely getting rid of anything that reminds you of your supersized ex-husband should be a cause for celebration?"

At least Monty had the last laugh when he bought new bride-to-be Gaynor a discounted ring for their engagement a fortnight ago. The price? A snip at just under 10k. Bargain.

  • The British Medical Association have called for a ban on cage fighting and mixed martial arts events claiming that the sports can lead to brain damage or even death.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson said: "The days of gladiator fights are over. It is like human cockfighting."

Back 4 wonders if this will have implications for Alistair Devine's naked Old Firm painting.