‘Shut the f*** up or I’ll smash you’ – John Arne Riise recalls fuming row with Craig Bellamy before GOLF CLUB attack
JOHN ARNE RIISE has recalled the blazing row that led to Craig Bellamy attacking him with a golf club in 2007.
In the build-up to a crucial Champions League match in Barcelona, Liverpool travelled to the Algarve for a stay at Barringtons Golf and Spa hotel.
What was supposed to be a team bonding exercise turned into a nightmare experience for Riise, when Bellamy infamously entered his hotel room with a golf club.
The Norwegian described the events leading up to the incident in his autobiography, beginning at dinner.
In an excerpt in the , Riise wrote: "A couple of the lads started drinking before the food arrived.
"Among them was Craig Bellamy. Pretty soon a microphone appeared on the table and Bellamy bellowed into it: 'Riise’s gonna sing! Riise’s gonna sing!'
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"He started before the food was served and continued while we ate. He was already quite drunk, and I was already quite annoyed.
"Pretty soon Bellamy was over by the karaoke machine with the microphone in the hand: 'Riise’s gonna sing! Riise’s gonna sing!'
"Furious, I went over to him: 'I’m not singing. Shut the f*** up or else I’m gonna smash you!'
"He screamed back: 'I’m gonna f***ing kill you, you ginger c***!"
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Riise, who was sharing a room with Daniel Agger, soon went back to his room - only to later be joined by an unwanted visitor.
He continued: "I woke in the dark to hear someone opening the door. Obviously, I thought it was Agger. I turned, but my eyes were half-asleep, and I didn’t see anything in the sudden, bright glare.
"But something made me realise that it wasn’t Agger. And soon I could see him – Craig Bellamy at the foot of my bed with a golf club in his hands.
"Steve Finnan, who shared a room with Bellamy, was there too, but he just stood there.
"Bellamy raised the club over his head and swung as hard as he could. He tried to hit my shins, which would have ended my career, but I managed to pull my leg away in time.
"I jumped out of bed, pulled off the sheet and held it between us like I was some kind of half-awake matador. Bellamy sputtered: 'Nobody disrespects me like that in front of the lads!' He was completely gone.
"I don’t care if I go to jail! My kids have enough money for school and everything. I don’t care. I’ll f***ing do you!'
"He raised the club and swung again. This time he connected. Full force on my hip. I was so pumped with adrenaline that I didn’t feel the pain, but he hit me hard. It was an iron.
I tried to calm him down: 'Put down the club and let’s fight with our fists. Come on! A proper fight!'
John Arne Riise
"The next blow smashed into my thigh. I tried to hold up the sheet, but he continued to strike. He could seriously injure me. At the same time, I knew I could take Bellamy if I needed to. I was bigger and stronger.
"I tried to calm him down: 'Put down the club and let’s fight with our fists. Come on! A proper fight!' He just stood and glowered at me. Then he said: 'Tomorrow at nine o’clock we’ll meet and finish this.' Then he left."
Boss Rafael Benitez went on to fine Bellamy £80,000, before starting both the Welshman and Riise against Barcelona.
The pair would both go on to score on that famous night in Catalonia, with Bellamy performing a golf swing celebration after his equaliser before teeing Riise up for the winner.
Speaking to Tubes on , Bellamy also recounted the incident.
The former striker, now 43, said: "We were playing golf and like I say, I never really played then so it was me, Robbie Fowler, John Arne Riise and I don’t know if Steve Finnan was playing with us. I don’t know, it was hard work all-round.
Me being me, after the day as well, I wasn’t letting him get away with not singing
Craig Bellamy
";I see a ball splash in the water and then I found it outside the water. I haven’t found it, he (Riise) found it and it was difficult. You don’t want to say anything at the time and it just grated on me.
"We went out for the evening, there were songs. People had a song and he didn’t go on the Christmas do that year. He said he had to fly to Norway, then we found out there were no flights so he didn’t go and he was fined for it, but he had to sing a song as well.
"Me being me, after the day as well, I wasn’t letting him get away with not singing and I could see he didn’t want to do it.
"Then, he took offence to it, he told me in no uncertain terms he wasn’t singing and to stop mentioning it, but not that polite and the longer the evening went, the more it annoyed me."
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Describing what later happened in Riise's hotel room, he went on: "I knocked on his door, there’s no good way of it, certainly not proud, I don’t particularly like (it), it’s not a great moment for me at all.
"Honestly, I went in there, smacked him across the a**."
