Albert Riera dismisses attending any Poker Match

Albert Riera has denied suggestions that he participated in a poker tournament by missing a match for Italian club Udinese.

The former Liverpool winger is believed to have missed a match in order to attend this tournament. This has resulted in Udinese ripping out his contract without delay. Riera has denied those allegations and says that he is innocent. Rumours suggest that the former Manchester City man finished second in the tournament and pocketed winnings of around £ 3000. The 32-year-old has been playing with Udinese since March, but he will not be involved with the Italian club any longer.

Despite having been at Udinese for almost a year, Riera did not make a single appearance for the club. He was not in the matchday squad announced by manager Andrea Stramaccionifor the match against Chievo back in November. The club announced the mutual termination of the contract on its official website. After joining Udinese last season, the Spaniard was immediately loaned to Watford. Both clubs share a common owner and this has resulted in the clubs loaning out players in order to benefit all parties. Riera featured in only eight matches for Watford and scored a goal. Even though he returned at Udinese, he was not expected to be a first team player at the club.

“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,” read a statement on the official website of Udinese.“To clarify, the termination of the contract (is) by mutual agreement, not due to reasons outside the football,” read a response from the player on his official Twitter account. Riera is no stranger to having been linked with poker after having posted pictures of him playing poker with his friends.