Football player Albert Riera goes to poker tournament instead of match, gets fired from Udinese

Riera failed to show up for his championship match against Chievo, he has instead traveled to Slovenia to participate in a poker tournament, and as a result, had his contract terminated by the Italian club.

Albert Riera has previously played for teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Olympiakos and Galatasaray, and has also played 16 matches as a member of the Spanish national team, and was signed by Serie A club Udinese in July.

The 32-year old player has never felt home at Udinese however, in fact he has tweeted that the Italian club was "the worst club I've ever played for".

Things escalated and Riera has failed to show up for the championship game agaisnt Chievo this Saturday, as he was reportedly in Slovenia, participating in a poker tournament, where he finished in second place for more than €3,000.

Riera claims that he has split up wit the team as a "mutual decision" and that playing poker had nothing to do with his termination.