NY Coed Soccer

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ERIKSSON "IN TALKS" WITH NIGERIA [BBC]
Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has reportedly had discussions with officials with a view to taking over as Nigeria's national team coach. Tord Grip, assistant to the Swede during his time with England, said Eriksson had talks 10 days ago: "I don't know exactly what those discussions were about. I assume they were about the Nigerian national team," Grip told Swedish Radio. Eriksson was linked with West Ham and Newcastle but denied both reports. Meanwhile, there has also been speculation of a return to Benfica and a move to Inter Milan. And rumours persist of Eriksson being "in conversation" with one of NY Coed's Friday night teams...

MIJAILOVIC LOSES RACISM APPEAL [The Times]
Uefa have rejected an appeal from Nikola Mijailovic, the Wisla Krakow defender, against the five-match ban he received for racially abusing Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy. Mijailovic, 24, was handed the sanction after an investigation concluded the Serbian was guilty of making racist remarks towards the South African at the end of the Uefa Cup tie between the sides, which Rovers won 2-1, on October 19. Wisla challenged the decision but, after hearing evidence from both sides, an appeals body upheld the original ban.

MANDARIC IN LINE FOR FOXES TAKEOVER [The Times]
Milan Mandaric today confirmed he has made a bid to buy Leicester City. Mandaric walked away from Portsmouth in September after eight years in charge of the south-coast club and admits he would have preferred a longer break before taking control elsewhere. But he has been overwhelmed by offers from clubs who wanted to get him involved and felt under pressure to move quickly. Mandaric, 68, said: “I feel I have made a fair and generous offer to acquire Leicester City Football Club from the present shareholders. Under the circumstances and following a very emotional departure from Portsmouth Football Club after nearly eight years of ownership, I have given serious thought to the offer, the timing and the implications of such a bid. In an ideal world I would have preferred to have delayed my return to football. But under the circumstances and following other interest in the club I have had to accelerate takeover plans. My aim is to re-awaken Leicester City and aspire to the dreams of their passionate supporters and bring Premiership football back to the club at the earliest opportunity.”

The bid for Leicester has been reported to be in the region of £25million.

HIBS UNVEIL NEW MANAGER [The Telegraph]
Hibernian yesterday unveiled John Collins as their fifth manager in as many years, despite having no coaching or managerial experience. The former Scotland midfielder, who finished his playing career at Fulham, is confident he can succeed where the similarly untried Franck Sauzee failed in 2002.

Collins, 39, took a three-year sabbatical from the game after retiring as a player. The bulk of that time was devoted to his wife and three children, but he also earned his Uefa Pro coaching licence. It was a case of returning to his roots for the man who began his senior career at Easter Road 23 years ago, a feeling underlined by the appointment of Tommy Craig as his assistant, the same post he held when Collins first walked through those doors.

"Football is in my blood," claimed the SPL's youngest manager. "I lived it for 19 years and gave it everything I had. During my time out I was contacted by several clubs who wanted me to work for them but I stuck to my word. I enjoyed my time away from football, but I have a burning desire to succeed."

Collins, who became the first Scottish footballer to benefit from the Bosman ruling when he left Celtic for Monaco in 1996, revealed that he had initiated discussions with Hibs chairman Rod Petrie once he learnt that his former Celtic team-mate, Tony Mowbray, was leaving to become manager of West Brom.

"I made them aware that I would be interested and I am a proud man today," he said. "There will be no surprises in terms of the football I want the team to play: it will reflect the way I played the game."

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ERIKSSON LINK TO WEST HAM DENIED [BBC]
Sven-Goran Eriksson's agent has denied the Swede is being lined up as the next West Ham boss after he met two men who are seen as key to a possible buy-out. Eriksson dined with Eli Papoushado, who wants to finance Kia Joorabchian's bid, and agent Pini Zahavi in Israel. But Eriksson's agent Athole Still told BBC Five Live: "It is absolute rubbish. West Ham was not even mentioned in the time they were together."

Eriksson is ready to return to work after leaving his England post in July. Joorabchian is coming under pressure to announce whether he intends to pursue his takeover at Upton Park. The Iranian-born businessman declared his interest in buying out West Ham in September but so far a bid has failed to materialise. However, Joorabchian was seen as instrumental in bringing Argentine internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to the club this summer. He has also reportedly lined up financial backing from Israeli businessman Papoushado, who could supply a large share of the £100m he needs to try to acquire the club. Papoushado met Zahavi and Eriksson at the weekend before going on to meet Joorabchian in London. Zahavi, who set up a meeting between Roman Abramovich and Eriksson when the Russian took over at Chelsea, is understood to be coordinating Joorabchian's takeover plans. However, Eriksson's agent Still insisted the meeting between Eriksson and Papoushado was a private matter.

"It is ridiculous to make these assertions," Still said. "Sven was in Israel at the personal invitation of Eli. "It was a purely private visit to see Maccabi Haifa playing. It is purely coincidental that he was with someone, who may or may not be behind an offer for West Ham."

Although Still denied Eriksson is being lined up for a role at West Ham, Still said the former England manager is close to returning - although it is unlikely to be in the UK. The Swede has been linked with Benfica and Inter Milan but has been out of work since stepping down from his England post after the World Cup.

"Sven is very keen to get back into football," said Still. "If a club had the financial muscle to get into the Champions League then a deal could be done."

West Ham boss Alan Pardew is facing increasing pressure after he saw his team slide to an eighth straight defeat on Tuesday - against Chesterfield in the Carling Cup. Hammers chairman Terence Brown has publicly backed Pardew but is understood to be keen to end the uncertainty caused by the takeover speculation. Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson has also launched a £75m takeover but West Ham have yet to respond to his bid.

BEST TO APPEAR ON BANK NOTES [The Guardian]
Soccer hero George Best will feature on a million bank notes being issued in Northern Ireland next month to mark the first anniversary of his death. Ulster Bank said on Thursday it would issue the five pound limited edition note a year after the celebrated Northern Irishman and Manchester United star died from multiple organ failure. Best, soccer's first superstar, will feature on the notes in his Northern Ireland and Manchester United strips.

"At the outset of this project we wanted to ensure that, in celebrating the life of this legendary footballer, we paid fitting tribute to his contribution to football in Northern Ireland and beyond," Ulster Bank chief executive Cormac McCarthy said. "By selecting the most affordable note denomination, five pounds, we have tried to make the notes as widely accessible as possible," he said at the unveiling of the note's artwork where he was joined by members of Best's family.

Best, who underwent a liver transplant in 2002, died on Nov. 25, 2005, at the age of 59 after a lifetime of heavy drinking. He had suffered infection and internal bleeding and had problems with his liver and kidneys. He once summed up his turbulent life in one memorable phrase: "I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered", but he also once said, "forget about all the rest, just remember me for the football."

KNOWN HOOLIGAN CAUSES ABANDONMENT [Reuters]
A man suspected of knocking out a linesman with a hard plastic cup and causing Wednesday's German Cup second round match between Stuttgarter Kickers and Hertha Berlin to be abandoned is a known hooligan, police said on Thursday. Linesman Kai Voss was briefly knocked unconscious by the cup thrown from the Stuttgart fan area in the 86th minute of the tie and fell to the ground. He received treatment for several minutes before being led off to the dressing room. Referee Michael Weiner then ended the match four minutes early with Hertha leading 2-0 against their third division opponents. A Stuttgart police spokesman said a 38-year-old local man taken into custody was known to be a violent hooligan but that he had not been active for some 10 to 15 years. The man, who had already been released, was facing a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm, the spokesman added.

Stuttgarter Kickers have said they expect to be fined by the German soccer association (DFB) over the incident and would be seeking damages from the man as a result. A DFB spokesman said the referee's report would be handed to a special investigative committee on Thursday and further action would be considered after statements from both clubs. Hertha are almost certain to be awarded victory and a place in the last 16. The linesman appeared to have suffered no lasting ill effects from the attack, according to an official quoted by the SID sports news agency.

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SALES FIGURES ON FOOTBALLERS LIVES
According to the latest sales figures released by The Bookseller (as of October 15), here's low-down on the summer's 'big' autobiographical releases:

1) Gerrard by Steven Gerrard: 76,459 copies sold
2) My Story So Far by Wayne Rooney: 36,973
3) Totally Frank by Frank Lampard: 26,662
4) Rio: My Story by Rio Ferdinand: 7,651
5) My Defence by Ashley Cole: 3,128.

ENGLAND CHARGED OVER FAN INCIDENTS [BBC Online]
The Football Association has been charged by Uefa with improper behaviour over incidents involving England fans at the Euro 2008 qualifier in Croatia. The Croatian Federation also faces the same charge after police used batons on travelling fans in Zagreb, where England lost 2-0 on 11 October. Uefa will deal with the matter at a meeting on 9 November. But FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said: "We will contest this as strongly as we can possibly do so."

If found guilty the FA could face anything from a fine to being forced to play England matches behind closed doors, though Bevington is confident they have a strong case to present in their defence.

"We will be requesting a personal hearing," added Bevington. "And we'd like to call on as many witnesses as we require. It's worth noting we've had a vast amount of communication and correspondence from England supporters who were in Zagreb on the evening and experienced some very difficult situations in the build-up to the game. All of this should be factored into the account that we provide when we actually do speak to Uefa on this subject.

JAMES BACKED FOR ENGLAND RECALL [THE Times]
Sol Campbell, the Portsmouth defender, has joined the growing list of people calling for Steve McClaren, the England manager, to end David James' international exile. Campbell insists the Portsmouth goalkeeper deserves a recall after both players were axed from McClaren's squad as soon as he took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson. "Jamo is unbelievable at the moment, unbelievable," Campbell said. "I think he should be back in the England squad. He's solid, he's focused, his work-ethic is superb and he wants to do well. In fact, he's playing his best football for a long time, he really is. He's fighting to get back into the England side and you just can't keep on ignoring him."

CECH TO RETURN TO LIGHT TRAINING [The Daily Telegraph]
Just 10 days after the collision that left him requiring metal plates in his head, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has returned home and is expected to be back at the club's training ground next week to begin light training. It marks an extraordinary recovery for Cech, who needed emergency surgery on his fractured skull following his clash with Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt at the Madejski Stadium. He has been told that it will be three months before he can hope to train again normally, but he has defied the predictions of many neurologists, who believed the injury could sideline him for six months or even jeopardise his career.

"He continues to make excellent progress from his injury and will continue his rehabilitation and return to light training at the Chelsea training ground next week," Chelsea confirmed yesterday. "It is standard medical practice to allow three months for a fracture to the skull to repair fully, and that is the time scale we are all working to for a return to full training."

DANES GIVEN OK TO SELL BEER [Reuters]
FC Copenhagen, who are sponsored by Carlsberg, have got the green light to sell Carlsberg beer at Parken Stadium at their next Champions League games. The Danish champions, who carry Carlsberg's name on their shirts, were told in a letter from UEFA on Wednesday they could sell light beer at their upcoming Group F matches against Manchester United and Celtic. Copenhagen were only allowed to sell non-alcoholic beer at their first Champions League match against Benfica, much to the dismay of their fans, who can buy beer at Danish League games. Copenhagen officials protested that local custom "required" beer consumption during games -- and UEFA have relented. Liverpool, who also carry Carlsberg's name on their shirts, do not sell beer to fans during their Champions League games in Group C. The situation was complicated because rival brewers Heineken are one of the six major Champions League sponsors.

ITALIAN CROWDS DROP FURTHER [Reuters]
Italians are turning their backs on Italy's Serie A, despite the country's World Cup success, with average attendances this season slumping to 19,511, the ninth successive season that crowds have fallen. A study by Gazzetta dello Sport showed that average attendances have fallen by 11,650 from the 1997-98 season when the figure was 31,161. This season's drop, which comes after Italy beat France to win the World Cup in July, can be partially explained by the demotion of the country's most successful club Juventus to the second division Serie B. Juve were stripped of their last two league titles and relegated to Serie B by a sports tribunal looking into allegations of match-fixing. The Turin club's first ever season in the second tier has resulted in a large rise in attendances in Serie B -- crowds are up 20.3 per cent on last season's figures.

While Juve's relegation can explain some of this season's drop in attendances in Serie A, Gazzetta said the negative trend over the past decade was due to other factors including crowd violence, expensive ticket prices, the impact of the match-fixing scandal, saturated television coverage and poor quality stadiums. The newspaper said that there was no sign of a similar fall in crowds in other major European leagues with attendances actually increasing in Spain and England. The fall in top flight crowds may also reflect the change in status of a number of clubs -- big city teams Genoa, Napoli, Verona and Bologna are all in Serie B while the top flight has several teams with a much smaller fan base. Empoli had an average crowds of 6,725 last season, Chievo Verona 8,589 and Siena 9,874.

OUTBURST RESULTS IN HEARTS FINE [Guardian]
Hearts have been fined £10,000 by the Scottish Football Association after owner Vladimir Romanov lambasted the country's referees. The club were also warned as to their future conduct after being found guilty of a disrepute charge for carrying the comments on the club's official website. An individual charge against Romanov was deferred by the SFA's general purposes committee because the Lithuanian was unable to attend yesterday's meeting. His case will be dealt with at the next meeting of the committee in December, even if he does not turn up.

The comments referred to the conduct of match officials during Hearts' successful Tennents' Scottish Cup run. "Last season, you didn't manage to protect the Scottish Cup and gave it to Hearts, despite all the referees' efforts and intrigues," Romanov said at the time. Hearts have not revealed whether they will appeal against the fine but a spokeswoman today confirmed that the club would comment at some stage. A spokesman for Romanov could not say whether the businessman would attend the next meeting because he was unaware of the date.

The SFA closed a loophole in May that had allowed Romanov to air his outspoken views with impunity because he has no official post at Tynecastle. The resolution means every person holding authority at a club or control over the board falls under the SFA's jurisdiction.

Romanov also faces a Uefa inquiry after criticising referee Yuri Baskakov's handling of his club's Champions League defeat to AEK Athens. Hearts had two players sent off in the 3-0 defeat.

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MONACO COACH SACKED [Reuters]
Monaco coach Laszlo Boloni has been relieved of his duties and replaced by his deputy Laurent Banide until further notice, the Ligue 1 strugglers' chairman Michel Pastor said on Monday. Boloni, who joined Monaco from Stade Rennes in the close season, was absent from the Monday's training session which was conducted by the 38-year-old Banide. "Mr Lazslo Boloni has been temporarily relieved from his duties and has been replaced by Laurent Banide until further notice," Pastor told a news conference at the club's training headquarters. Asked about the exact situation of his coach, Pastor did not clearly say that Boloni had been sacked over the team's poor results.

"We have to sort out several contractual matters in the next few days," Pastor said. "I don't want to put the blame on Boloni himself who is a man of strong convictions. But we are dealing with tough times at the moment and it's normal to try find out a solution as our 19th place (in the standings) is unacceptable."

Monaco, Champions League runners-up in 2004, made it clear they were aiming for a European berth when the season started but after 10 matches they are one from bottom in Ligue 1. Monaco have lost seven matches, three at home including Saturday's 3-1 loss to Toulouse at the principality's Stade Louis II which prompted the decision concerning Boloni.

STURM GRAZ FILE FOR INSOLVENCY [Reuters]
Troubled Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz said on Monday they had filed for insolvency but are appealing for permission to continue fulfilling their fixtures. "We filed for insolvency this morning as well as for partial discharge of our debts and for a permit to continue playing," said a club employee, declining to be named. The club, which spent heavily on players when it took part in the Champions League in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01, said last November it had debts of 5.7 million euros and needed to plug a 2.0 million euro hole this year.

In a news conference on Sunday, Sturm Graz President Hannes Kartnig announced the step and admitted the club had spent a lot of money, mentioning the transfer of Ghanaian Charles Amoah. The midfielder became Graz's record signing when the club paid around 3.9 million euros to secure his move from St Gallen in Switzerland in 2001. State broadcaster ORF reported that a decision on whether the club, due to celebrate its centenary in 2009, could continue to play would be made in eight to ten days time, citing the bankruptcy court. Graz, who have been Austrian champions twice, in 1998 and 1999 and also won the Austrian Cup three times in the last decade, are currently sixth in the 10-team Austrian premier league. They drew 0-0 with Mattersburg on Saturday and their next scheduled league match is at Ried next Saturday. Kartnig told a news conference on Sunday that the decision had not been an easy one to take. "This must be the toughest step I have had to take in my entire career," he said. Kartnig said he would not step down for now, but that he would be ready to leave once the club's future was secured. "I am not going to leave a sinking ship," he said. "I hope we will get out of that cul-de-sac."

LEEDS TO HAVE WISE WORDS [Daily Telegraph]
Leeds United have been given permission to ask Dennis Wise, the Swindon Town manager, and his assistant Gustavo Poyet to take over at Elland Road. The Yorkshire club, beaten 5-1 by Luton Town at the weekend, have been under the control of caretaker manager John Carver since Kevin Blackwell was sacked last month. Wise and Poyet signed three-year contracts at Swindon in May but release clauses allow them to talk to clubs from the Premiership and the Championship.the times

LEADING BIDDERS FOR LIVERPOOL [The Independent]
Dubai Holdings, the Middle Eastern state's investment arm, has emerged as a leading bidder for Liverpool, according to reports yesterday. The company, which has concerns in the health, communications, real estate, tourism and energy sectors, has renewed its interest in the club after walking away from negotiations earlier in the year. The Liverpool Chairman, David Moores, who has a 51 per cent stake in the club, values the parent company at £300m. Other interested parties include the Belfast property millionaire, John Miskelly, and an unnamed American company.

AMELIA DISMISSES CHELSEA LINK [The Times]
Marco Amelia, the Livorno goalkeeper, has dismissed reports linking him with a move to Chelsea, insisting he wants to stay where he is. The Italy international has been mooted as a replacement for injured custodian Petr Cech, who suffered a serious skull fracture earlier this month. The 24-year-old has been a target of top clubs this summer, including AC Milan, Barcelona and Roma and is keen to stay in his home country. "It would seem disrespectful to talk about this," Amelia said. "There is a colleague who is out injured and doesn't know if he will return to play again.

"My thoughts are with Cech. In any case, the last decision is taken by our president [Aldo] Spinelli and I believe we will reach an agreement to extend my contract. My aim is to continue to play in Italy."

HEARTS CONFIRM MANAGER TALKS [The Times]
Heart of Midlothian have confirmed head coach Valdas Ivanauskas is in Lithuania for discussions with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov. The Jambos slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock at the weekend - their second home Bank of Scotland Premier League loss of the campaign after St Mirren won at Tynecastle on September 9. The defeat by Killie leaves the Edinburgh side eight points behind SPL leaders Celtic and after the game, Romanov summoned the Hearts boss to Lithuania for talks on the situation...

ROMANIAN FAN DIES [Reuters]
A Romanian teenager supporting Real Madrid died after being hit by another student three days after the Spanish team crushed Steaua Bucharest 4-1 in last week's Champions League match, police said on Monday. "The tragic incident occurred last Friday on the sport field of a school in the (eastern) village of Plopu (in Braila county)," Braila city police spokesman Ionel Sogor told Reuters. "The aggressor became furious when his opponent made malicious remarks after Steaua's disaster," police officer Viorel Cruceru said. "The 16-year-old Costel Dinu hit Ionut Chioreanu, 17, once in his temple, making him fall. He died minutes later despite emergency aid given to him at the scene," Cruceru said. Prosecutors said they were considering filing manslaughter charges against Dinu but were waiting for a psycholgical evaluation. If there were psychological issues another legal solution would be sought, they said without elaborating. (reuters)

SPL SIGNS NEW SPONSORSHIP DEAL The Scottish Premier League has signed a new £8m sponsorship deal with the Clydesdale Bank. The four-year agreement will begin in July 2007, when the current contract with the Bank of Scotland ends. BoS announced in March it was ending its nine-year sponsorship of Scotland's top flight in order to invest in grassroots football. SPL chairman Lex Gold said the Clydesdale deal would provide a "sound platform" for the league's top clubs.

GLAZER TELLS MAN UTD NOT TO WORRY The Glazer family have told Manchester United fans to stop worrying about the Premiership club's future. The Glazers have come under fire this week after two of the club's three remaining non-Glazer directors quit. But a Glazer spokesman told BBC Sport they are committed to making the club a success, adding: "They are very private people but they have the passion. United is a very stable, solid brand and what the Glazers have demonstrated is that they still add value."

United directors Nick Humby and Andy Anson resigned this week, leaving chief executive David Gill as the only non-Glazer on the board. Finance director Humby and commercial director Anson both tendered their resignations on Tuesday, but will remain in post until the new year. Their exit will mean Malcolm Glazer's five sons and one daughter will fill six of the seven seats in the boardroom, with Gill the only exception

WEMBLEY TO OPEN The Football Association has ended the dispute with the builders of the new Wembley Stadium, paving the way for the venue to open early next year. But the FA is not yet prepared to say the 2007 FA Cup final will definitely be staged at the near-£800m stadium. The FA wants to avoid a repeat of last season's fiasco when it had to move the Cup final to Cardiff after more delays. However, BBC Sport understands that the 2007 final will almost certainly be played at the new Wembley next May

FABREGAS SIGNS 8-YEAR DEAL Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has signed a new eight-year contract. Gunners manager Arsene Wenger revealed last month that the 19-year-old had agreed a long-term deal and he has now committed to Arsenal until 2014. "I am so happy here and I am delighted to have signed this new contract," the Spanish international told the Arsenal club website. "I wanted to pay back the club, especially Arsene Wenger for the support and faith he has shown in me... What is important now is for the team to realise its potential and win trophies. That is our main aim, that is my aim as well."

RUUD AIMS FOR OLYMPICS Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed an interest in representing the Dutch under-23 side in Beijing if they qualify for the 2008 Olympics. "Ruud (van Nistelrooy) told me he really wants to go to the Olympics with the under-23 team," Charles Van Commenee, technical director of the Dutch Olympic committee, told reporters. "Playing at the Olympic Games has always been Ruud's dream."

Van Nistelrooy, 30, was dropped from the Dutch senior squad after the World Cup finals in Germany and the disaffected striker declined a call-up when asked to replace the injured Klaas-Jan Huntelaar earlier this month. The Dutch under-23 team still has to qualify for Beijing. Teams are allowed to field three over-age players at the Games.

SERB POLICE ARREST ANTI-MUSLIM CHANTERS Serbian police arrested 152 people Wednesday for chanting anti-Muslim slogans at a soccer match. The fans of Belgrade's second division club Rad were rounded up after a game against Novi Pazar, a predominantly Muslim club. Belgrade police official Slobodan Vukolic said the fans were detained for chants including "Serbia for the Serbs only," and "Out with the Muslims." Vukolic said the detainees, including 47 minors, are accused of "inciting racial and ethnic hatred." Rad fans are notorious for nationalist and violent behavior. Serbia is faced with a surge of racism among soccer fans. Last week, police arrested 37 fans of a club in central Serbia after they insulted a Zimbabwean player.

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BARDSLEY MISSING FROM RANGERS FLIGHT
Rangers were remaining tight-lipped on reports that Phil Bardsley has been axed from the squad for the Uefa Cup trip to Livorno after a row with manager Paul Le Guen. The on-loan Manchester United full-back did not check in with the rest of the players as they headed out to Italy for tomorrow's group stage tie. Reports claimed the 21-year-old had been unhappy to be dropped from the side before being told to leave the Murray Park training ground yesterday after a heavy tackle on Thomas Buffel.

FA CHARGE EVERTON OVER MELEE Everton have been charged by the Football Association with failing to control their players in the reserve derby with Liverpool last week. The charge arises from a melee involving players from both sides after the Jerzy Dudek, the Liverpool goalkeeper, was dismissed for violent conduct following his reaction to a challenge from Everton's Victor Anichebe. David Harrison, the Everton club secretary, said: "We have been charged with a breach of FA rule E20, which is failure to control our players. We have until the first of November to reply and we also have the opportunity to request a personal hearing before the commission, should we wish."

NORTHERN IRELAND MOVE ABOUT THE REPUBLIC Northern Ireland have overtaken the Republic of Ireland in the Fifa world rankings and, for the first time in more than ten years, moved into the top 50. Impressive victories over Spain and Latvia, plus a draw away to Denmark, in their European Championship qualifying campaign have lifted Lawrie Sanchez's side to 45th. They are now four places above the Republic, who have slipped six places to 49th following a difficult start to Steve Staunton's reign as manager.

England, who have also endured mixed fortunes under Steve McClaren, their new manager, have dropped one place since last month's rankings to fifth (!). Scotland have risen nine places to 25th, while Brazil still lead the rankings.

BECKS HONOURED David Beckham, the Real Madrid midfield player, has become only the third player to make 100 appearances in the Champions League. The former England captain came on as a second-half substitute in Real Madrid's 4-1 defeat of Steaua Bucharest in Romania last night. Beckham, who has matched the feat achieved by Real team-mates Roberto Carlos and Raul, said: "To be on the list with Roberto Carlos and Raul is an honour. They are two great players who have done everything in the game. The Champions League is the biggest club competition in the world, and to reach 100 appearances with Real Madrid after playing so many games with Manchester United is an honour.

SINGAPORE SAYING NOTHING ON ASIAN CUP Singaporean soccer chiefs were tight-lipped on Wednesday about whether the city-state would be willing to co-host next year's Asian Cup finals if Thailand failed to meet a 90-day deadline to upgrade its facilities. John Koh, general secretary of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), said he was not willing to comment as no approach had been made by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to discuss replacing the Kingdom one of the tournament hosts.

"We have not been officially informed of any change, so we are not able to respond," Koh told Reuters.
AFC secretary-general Peter Velappan visited Bangkok on Monday and Tuesday to inspect its Supachalasai and Rajamangala stadiums and expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress in upgrading facilities and marketing the tournament. Thailand is due to co-host the event with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia from July 7-29. Velappan threatened to dump Thailand on Monday and replace it with Singapore, whose stadiums he said were already up to the required standard. But after hearing that the Kingdom's new interim Prime Minister, Surayud Chulanont, had agreed to support the tournament, the AFC granted Thailand a 90-day reprieve. Thailand's government was toppled in a military coup on Sept. 19, which followed months of political stalemate that left the country without a parliament and a caretaker administration unable to make budgetary decisions.

A FAS official, who asked not to be named, said Singapore had already stated that it could host the tournament, and if an approach was made for it to take over as last-minute hosts, it would consider the request. The FAS would need to know soon, however, as its main stadium is due to be demolished next year, the official added.

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FURTHER ICELANDIC BID FOR WEST HAM
Eggert Magnusson is preparing to increase his offer for West Ham United this week. The Icelandic businessman held meetings in London yesterday and could make a revised bid as early as tomorrow after his first offer of about £60 million was dismissed by the Barclays Premiership club several weeks ago. Terence Brown, the West Ham chairman, values the club at closer to £80 million. Magnusson, the president of the Icelandic FA, is also likely to restructure the new offer because West Ham were unhappy about the way the first bid was financed, which was based on mortgaging the ground. The club are expected to meet Magnusson and Kia Joorabchian, who is also considering a takeover of the club, this week in an attempt to thrash out a deal to end the saga, which began in the summer.

GATTUSO DENIES RANGERS REPORT
Former Rangers player Rino Gattuso has moved to rule out reports he is planning to return to Ibrox. The AC Milan midfielder was quoted in the press on Sunday as saying he would return to Rangers before he retired. But, speaking on the Italian club's website on Tuesday, he assured fans he would end his career in Italy.

"I want to end my career at Milan and (president) Galliani knows it. For me, the only possibility is to end with the Rossoneri," the 28-year-old said.

Gattuso signed for Rangers in 1997 before being sold to Salernitana 18 months later. The midfielder was quoted at the weekend as saying he met Rangers chairman David Murray in August and told him he would be happy to return to Ibrox. However, the combative midfielder, who is married to a Scot and contracted to AC Milan until 2011, said on Milan's website he did not want to follow Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko's example and leave the club.

"I want to relax all the tifosi - there will not be another Shevchenko case," Gattuso said. "I do not have any problems being at Milan and will fight for this shirt. All I know is Scottish football appeals to me. But, after eight years at Milan, I do not see any other way but to finish my career at this club. In conclusion, I want to say that it would be difficult for me to leave a club like Milan, all the tifosi and the San Siro. I cannot forget what Milan has given me in my career."

DOPING TESTS WORK, SAY UEFA
Doping tests are acting as a successful deterrent in European soccer, UEFA said Tuesday. Of 1,348 tests carried out last season, none came back positive in out-of-competition controls and only seven were positive during competition, European soccer's governing body said. The chairman of UEFA's anti-doping panel, Dr. Jacques Lienard, said the large number of controls had deterred drug cheats. But he lamented that "social drugs" are present in soccer. The positive tests involved two for cannabis at the under-19 level, two for cocaine at under-17 level, two for drugs found in asthma medications in women's competitions, and one for anabolic steroids in the UEFA Cup

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CECH FACING LONG LAY-OFF
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech may be out of action until next year after surgery on a depressed fracture of his skull. The 24-year-old sustained the injury in a collision with Reading's Stephen Hunt in Chelsea's 1-0 win on Saturday. Cech underwent a successful operation at the Radcliffe Infirmary's specialist neuro-surgical unit in Oxford.

Fellow keeper Carlo Cudicini was also carried off during the match and Chelsea have not commented on how long either player will be sidelined.

"I would think Cech is likely to be out for at least six months," Peter Hamlyn, consultant neuro-surgeon and director for the centre of sports and exercise medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital told the Daily Telegraph. "That is about the length of time it takes for stout bone healing to take place. If the brain underlying the fracture has been greatly injured, his time out may be even longer."

Hamlyn anticipates Cech making a full recovery but warned against an early return: "If Petr Cech returns too soon from his head injury, the result could be fatal," he said. "He risks what is known as 'second impact syndrome'. This happens when a second blow causes swelling to the brain before it has recovered fully from an earlier injury.

"It is a situation that could prove fatal, even if the first blow is deemed not to be serious."

RIBERY TO ARSENAL?
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants to bring French World Cup star Franck Ribery to the Emirates Stadium, according to the winger's agent. Ribery, 23, was linked with a £10m move to the Gunners in the summer but stayed at Marseille. His agent Bruno Heidersheid told the News of the World: "Wenger likes Ribery a lot. He wanted to take him this summer but Marseille refused to sell. Arsene has made it clear he wants to take him next year."

Ribery moved to Marseille from Metz last summer and still has four years left on his contract. Heiderscheid insists the France international is keen to join up with Wenger in the Premiership. However, he has not yet had any official contact with the club.

"Franck would very much like to join Arsenal because of Arsene, the style of football they play and because his very close friend from the France team, Thierry Henry, plays for them," said Heiderscheid.
"I can categorically deny there is any agreement with Arsenal at this stage or even negotiations.

RED BULLS QUALIFY FOR PLAY-OFFS
Amado Guevara scored his third career hat trick to lead New York to a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night, putting the Red Bulls into the Major League Soccer playoffs. The Red Bulls (9-11-12) — who needed a win to reach the postseason — secured the fourth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, while the loss ended the season for the Wizards (10-14-8).

New York will face regular-season conference champion D.C. United in the first round of the playoffs in a two-match, total-goals series that starts Saturday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford. The second match will be played Oct. 29 in Washington.

EIGHT-YEAR SAGA NEARLY OVER FOR WEMBLEY
After eight years of delays, rising costs and legal wrangles, the new Wembley Stadium will finally be completed within a few months - and will definitely host next year's FA Cup Final. An announcement confirming the news will be made by the Football Association, which owns the venue, and by Multiplex, the Australian construction company which has spent the last four years rebuilding English football's spiritual home.

The development is a major surprise, as Multiplex recently warned that the ground might not be ready until 2010. Both sides had been preparing for a long and bitter High Court battle over hundreds of millions of pounds in disputed costs :  Wembley

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West Brom Set To Appoint New Manager
West Bromwich Albion are expected to confirm today that Tony Mowbray has been appointed as their new manager, replacing Bryan Robson who departed by mutual consent last month. Mowbray was given permission to talk to Albion yesterday after the Championship club agreed a compensation package worth around £120,000 with thew SPL's Hibernian. Albion remained tight-lipped on any possible announcement last night but Hibernian have already conceded defeat in their attempts to hold on to Mowbray...

Roony Wins Cybersquat Case
England international striker Wayne Rooney, among 30 players on a shortlist for FIFA's World Player of the Year Award, has won ownership of a Web site in his name, a United Nations agency said on Friday. Rooney won exclusive rights to domain name waynerooney.com after proving his name was a registered trademark, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) said.

The ruling in the cybersquatting case, decided by an arbitrator named by WIPO, found that Huw Marshall had registered the site in bad faith in April 2002 and had "no rights or legitimate interests" in it. Marshall, a Welsh actor and fan of Rooney's first club Everton, claimed he had recognised the young striker's "star properties" early on. He had wanted to set up a non-commercial fan site but lost interest when Rooney moved to Manchester.

Arbitrator Tony Willoughby wrote he was "unable to accept that Marshall had no eye to the potential commercial benefit" and ordered the contested site transferred to Rooney. Rooney's teammate Joe Cole, Brazilian superstars Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, Dutchman Jaap Stam, Italy's Francesco Totti and Ghanaian-born prodigy Freddy Adu are among soccer players who have won cybersquatting cases at the Geneva-based agency. Under WIPO's low-cost, fast-track arbitration procedure, ownership of a domain name is transferred within 10 days unless the loser launches a court case challenging the decision.

Petrov Quits Bulgaria
Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov quit international soccer on Thursday, saying he did not want to play under national coach Hristo Stoichkov.

"I don't want to play under the guidance of Hristo Stoichkov," the Aston Villa midfielder said in a statement. "My decision comes as a result of many events since Stoichkov took over."

The skilful Petrov, who scored seven goals in 66 appearances for his country, joined Premier League side Villa from Scottish champions Celtic in August for eight million pounds ($14.86 million). Stoichkov is hoping Petrov will reassess his decision.

"There's a lot of time until our next match and I think we don't have to say anything rashly," said Bulgaria's coach. "It's possible this was made out of emotion. I have no idea why he made this step but he has always been a tough guy and we'll have to respect his decision."

"It was like a bolt from the blue," said striker Dimitar Berbatov. "He shared his intention with all of us last night after the match and we stayed late trying to persuade him to change his mind.

"We still hope he'll change his decision. We are all very surprised but as you know time heals and we hope he'll be with us in our next game," added the Tottenham Hotspur forward.

"It's a very unpleasant situation because he's one of our key players," said Bulgarian Football Union president Borislav Mihailov.

"It's astonishing. No one expected such news. It came in a moment when we have a very good atmosphere in the team and we're achieving positive results in our group."

Bulgaria have won two and drawn two in Group G and lie two points behind leaders the Netherlands.

Dhorasoo To Sue PGS
French midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo plans to sue Paris Saint-Germain in a labour tribunal after being sacked by his club following a row with the manager. Dhorasoo was dismissed on Wednesday for alleged insubordination and disobedience after querying the tactics of coach Guy Lacombe and calling him a liar in an interview with sports daily L'Equipe last month.

Responding to the club's move, Dhorasoo told Friday's L'Equipe: "I don't accept the charges. Money is not the issue, I'm suing them on principle. I want people to know that I didn't commit a serious offence."

Dhorasoo is the first player made redundant by a French club club since a charter regulating professional soccer was introduced in France in 1973. He was initially suspended by PSG's chairman Alain Cayzac after his spat with Lacombe, who had dropped him from the main squad and sent him to play for the club's amateur team for four weekends in a row.

"I've paid a high price for my freedom," Dhorasoo told the paper on Friday. "To accept my dismissal would mean accepting the message they are sending to the players: 'shut up or you will be sacked.'"

Dhorasoo, 33, joined PSG from AC Milan in 2005. After starting his career at Le Havre, he joined Olympique Lyon in 1998, winning two French titles in 2003 and 2004. A gifted but erratic midfielder, he has won 18 caps for France. He was a member of the France squad that reached the World Cup final in July but played fewer than 10 minutes during their campaign in Germany. He said after the World Cup that he no longer wanted to play for France and has not been called up since.

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BALLACK TO SEE OUT CAREER IN LONDON... MAYBE
He may not yet be established in the Chelsea first team, but Michael Ballack suggested yesterday that he could see out his career in London. Ballack, 30, has so far made only three Premiership appearances for Jose Mourinho's side, but the Germany captain insists he relishes the challenge ahead and has adapted well to life in the capital following his switch from Bayern Munich: "My family and I really want to feel at home here. I like the atmosphere, the speed of the game and the fact it seems like there is real competition to win the Premier League every year."

Ballack admitted that the passion of English football fans had been a motivating factor in his move: "English football fans live for football - they identify themselves most with football. For a player, that's great to see - and I think that's why they give absolutely everything in a game in this country. In Germany we follow the English game very closely and now I am here, I am just like the fans. I live for football."

Ballack, accustomed to being the star attraction for both club and country, added that he was not worried by his slow start in England: "In this environment I know I can show my qualities," he said. "As a team we are getting better but we need time too. Excellent individuals have to learn how to play well as a team like any other players."

BELLAMY COURT CASE ADJOURNED
Craig Bellamy's next public appearance will come as he leads out Wales against Cyprus in tomorrow's Euro 2008 qualifier, rather than in Cardiff magistrates court today, after the case against him alleging common assault was unexpectedly adjourned yesterday.

KUYT INJURY BLOW FOR LIVERPOOL
Dirk Kuyt will miss Liverpool’s next two games with an ankle injury sustained playing for Holland at the weekend. Although a scan has revealed the injury is not as serious as first thought, strained ankle ligaments will keep him out of the home game with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and the Champions League trip to Bordeaux the following Wednesday. Liverpool hope Kuyt will recover in time to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 22.

KING OUT OF ENGLAND PLANS
Ledley King has been withdrawn from the England squad to face Croatia in tomorrow's European Championship qualifier in Zagreb. The Tottenham defender has a knee injury was pulled out as a precaution.

IRISH BOSS GIVEN VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
Steve Staunton has been told his job is safe as the head coach of the Republic of Ireland even if they lose to the Czech Republic in a European Championship qualifying match tomorrow. Staunton has faced heavy criticism following Saturday’s 5-2 defeat to Cyprus but David Blood, the president of the Football Association of Ireland, said: “There has been a lot of speculation in relation to our manager and our chief executive [John Delaney], and I want to allay fears their positions are under threat. On the contrary, they are consolidating their positions.” Meanwhile, Lee Carsley, the Everton midfield player, has been called up to the squad...

O'CONNOR HAPPY IN RUSSIA
Lokomotiv Moscow insist Garry O’Connor is happy and settled in Russia, despite claims that he failed to turn up for training with the Scotland squad to sort out his personal life. Alexander Udaltsov, a Lokomotiv spokesman, said: “Several times before we have seen interviews in the Scottish press where he says something about leaving Russia. Each time we ask him whether things are all right with him and his family or if there are some issues to resolve, and each time his answer is that everything is fine. The club have been working hard to organise a comfortable life for Garry and his girlfriend. We found an apartment close to the kindergarten for their child. In fact, Garry and his partner have said how much they are enjoying Moscow and how interesting it is for them.”

SORENSEN BLOW FOR VILLA
Aston Villa are anxiously awaiting the results of further tests to determine the extent of Thomas Sorensen’s shoulder problem. The goalkeeper returned early from international duty with Denmark after suffering the setback during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland in a European Championship qualifier. Scans in Copenhagen appeared to indicate Sorensen had not broken his collarbone, as was first feared, but the full nature of the injury is still not known. The former Sunderland player has flown back to Birmingham after being ruled out of Wednesday’s European Championship game with Liechtenstein.