Quotes of the week

n Playing against the French is like facing 15 Eric Cantonas. Brian Moore, the England hooker on the eve of the Five Nations match at Twickenham.

n Yes, I swear a lot. But the advantage is that having played abroad I can choose a different language from the referee's. Jrgen Klinsmann, Tottenham's German international striker.

n I understand Mike Tyson. I could have been where he is. I got away with murder. George Foreman, world heavyweight boxing champion.

n The three cheers from the Aussies were very nice. It meant a lot to me. Graham Gooch on his last Test innings for England.

n For me, I don't think I had quite the same amount of empathy with this year's touring squad as with the last in West Indies. I don't think we were as united and focused on the job in hand and therefore it affected our performance considerably. Mike Atherton, England captain, on the tour to Australia.

n I'm not too downcast because I feel we have some very good young players, but we came here with a short-term ambition, which failed, and I don't think we have made any progress at all in Australia. Atherton summing up the tour.

n I could have been a bank robber if it hadn't been for football. Denis Wise, the Chelsea footballer facing a possible jail sentence after being found guilty of assault.

n What happened on Sunday was an ordinary story of hate among teenage brats. Jean-Claude Bras, the president of Red Star, the French Second Division side, on the murder of a football fan in Paris.

n The Asian community has never regarded sports activity as being a career in the same way as other professions in public life. Keith Vaz, the Labour MP for Leicester East, on the general lack of Asian representation at the highest level of British sport.

n I will never be happy until I have that trophy. I can't accept that it'll never be mine. It tortures me. Jimmy White, snooker player, on his ambition to win the World Championship.

Rob Mclean