Romario caught short

It's been quite a week for Brazilian star Romario, who managed to suffer humiliation in both his professional and private lives over the past eight days. Off the field, the international striker's finances have again attracted official interest with his ex-wife chasing an estimated £70,000 in alimony payments and the taxman looking to track down quite a bit more than that.

Lawyers for the footballer, who has made millions of dollars during his career, claim that he does not have the money to settle up with his the mother of his two children and that allegations about the handling of his finances during his six years in Spain are without foundation. . . well, sort of.

"If his accountant creates an illegal company, as it seems was the case, it is his (the accountant's that is) problem. Romario had nothing to do with that," said a legal representative who could well have a bright future on the tribunal circuit in this country.

On the pitch, meanwhile, the difficulties between Romario and his striking partner Edmundo continue. The pair's latest clash came last week during Vasco da Gama's game against Bangu when their team was awarded a penalty.

Edmundo is the club's first-choice penalty taker, but having placed the ball, he made the mistake of pausing before his run-up. Opportunist that he is, Romario was in there to take the kick ahead of him. Sadly, he missed.