Former Liverpool and Manchester City winger Albert Riera, 32, has been under fire in the past few days. Reason? Well, some claim that his contract with Serie A club Udinese was terminated last Thursday after he skipped a match against Chievo to play in a poker tournament in Slovenia, where he won €3,550 for finishing second.
Udinese announced that Riera was no longer part of the club on Thursday on their website: 'Udinese Calcio announces that the contract with the footballer Albert Ortega Riera has been terminated by mutual consent. Udinese Calcio wishes the footballer all the best for his future career.'
According to Daily Mail, Riera insisted that the termination of his contract had nothing to do with his choice of playing poker instead of football.
source: Daily Mail