UEFA Cup draw

Novo pens two-year deal

The draw has been made for the last 16 of the Champions League. The tie of the round sees Arsenal paired with current holders AC Milan, Celtc face Barcelona and Liverpool take on Inter Milan. As this trio of British clubs qualified in second place from their respective groups they are all at home first in these two-legged ties. Manchester United and Chelsea will both have the benefit of playing their second-leg games at home after finishing top of their qualifying groups. Manchester United play Lyon while Chelsea are up against Olympiakos. The ties will be played on February 19/20 and March 4/5.

The draw has also been made for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup with Bolton Wanderers and Aberdeen handed particularly tricky ties against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. Everton play SK Brann of Norway while Tottenham Hotspur face Slavia Prague. Rangers, who were dumped in this competition following their Champions League elimination, play Panathinaikos. Aberdeen, Bolton and Rangers all play their first legs at home, while Everton and Tottenham have home advantage in the second. The ties will be played on February 13/14 and February 21. The draw for the last 16 has also been made. Should Bolton beat the Spaniards they will meet Sporting Lisbon or Basle while Aberdeen will face either Anderlecht or Bordeaux if they see off Bayern Munich. Rangers prize for beating Panathinaikos would be a contest between either Werder Bremen or Braga. Everton will be confident of setting up a last 16 clash with Rosenborg or Fiorentina and likewise Tottenham, who would play PSV Eindhoven or Helsingborg.

Fulham have sacked manager Lawrie Sanchez with immediate effect. First team coach Ray Lewington and reserve team manager Billy McKinlay will take joint charge of the team for tomorrow’s home clash against Wigan Athletic. Sanchez is the seventh managerial casualty in the Premier League this season.

Manchester United have agreed to sign 24-year-old Angolan forward Manucho Goncalves on a three-year deal.

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has signed a new one-year contract extension keeping him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2009 season.

Newcastle United midfielder Nicky Butt has signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of next season. The deal includes an option for a further year.

Stoke City have completed a £6m deal to purchase shares owned by the city council and Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration in the Britannia Stadium. The Potters now boast full ownership of the 10-year-old ground.

The Football Association has charged Gillingham, chairman Paul Scally and striker David Graham in relation to Graham’s move to the League One club from Sheffield Wednesday in August. The player and the club have both been charged with allegedly dealing with unlicensed agents Jon Kirtland and/or Chris McMenemy. Scally has been charged with failing to comply with FA requests to attend an interview over the matter. The parties have until January 9 to respond to the charges.

In League One, Northampton Town beat Bournemouth 4-1 at Sixfields. The contest between Brighton & Hove Albion and Gillingham at the Withdean Stadium was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

League Two leaders, Milton Keynes Dons were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brentford.

Rangers striker Nacho Novo has signed a new two-year deal at Ibrox.

Nathan Davies

Everton beat AZ Alkmaar

Chasetown granted home advantage

Aberdeen reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup after beating Copenhagen 4-0 at Pittodrie to qualify in third spot from Group B. All the goals came in the second half. Jamie Smith scored twice (47 & 55) while the Dons also profited from a Mikael Antonsson own goal (71) and a Ricky Foster effort (83).

Everton, who had already secured their passage to the knockout stages as winners of Group A, completed their group games with a 2-3 victory at AZ Alkmaar’s DSB Stadion. Andy Johnson opened the scoring after only 63 seconds before Graziano Pelle equalised for the hosts on 16 minutes. David Moyes’ men were back in front on the stroke of half-time through Phil Jagielka but Kew Jaliens restored parity with a 65th minute header. James Vaughan grabbed the winner eleven minutes from time and ended the Dutch sides 32-match unbeaten home record in European competition.

The Football Association of Wales have announced two international friendlies to be staged next year as John Toshack’s men prepare for their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. Wales will face Iceland away on May 28 and Holland away on June 1 in Rotterdam.

The Football Association have nominated Labour peer Lord Triesman as their first independent chairman. The nomination will be formally ratified on January 16. The 64-year-old - who supports Tottenham Hotspur - will stand down from his position as a government minister.

Birmingham City have informed the Stock Exchange that talks with Carson Yeung’s investment company, Grandtop International Holdings, regarding a possible takeover are over. Yeung’s company currently owns a 29.9% state in the club.

The son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who is reportedly the fifth richest man in the world, has bought a 20% stake in Queens Park Rangers and will join Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore on the club’s board.

John Collins has resigned as Hibernian manager with immediate effect.

Southern League side Chasetown have been granted permission to stage their third-round FA Cup tie with Cardiff City at their Scholars Park ground on January 5.

Nathan Davies

Chelsea ease pasts reds

Spurs launch appeal

The Carling Cup semi-final draw has been made and pairs Arsenal with Tottenham Hotspur while holders Chelsea face Everton. The two-legged semi-finals will be played in the weeks commencing 7 and 21 January 2008.

Chelsea progressed to the Carling Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard (59) and Andriy Shevchenko (90) were on the scoresheet for the home side while Peter Crouch was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Mikel John-Obi on the hour.

In the UEFA Cup, Bolton Wanderers reach the knockout stages without kicking a ball. Bayern Munich’s 6-0 win over Salonika coupled with Braga’s 2-0 win over Red Star Belgrade means Wanderers qualify from Group F in third place, which means they will now play a team which finished top of another Uefa Cup group when the draw is made on Friday. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur finish second in Group G as a result of Getafe’s 2-1 win over Anderlecht.

Police investigating the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman at the Great John Street Hotel in Manchester where Manchester United players and other guests were attending a party on Tuesday evening have arrested and questioned United’s Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans after he presented himself at a police station. The 19-year-old has been bailed until February 23. Manchester United have declined to comment on the case

UEFA have chosen Premier League referee Howard Webb as one of the 12 referees for Euro 2008. Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey will assist Webb. Craig Thomson, of Scotland, has been chosen as one of the eight fourth officials for the tournament.

Watford midfielder Al Bangura will not be deported from the UK for the time being, while he applies for a work permit and prepares for further hearings. The 19-year-old midfielder had last week been ordered back to Sierra Leone. Bangura had previously been granted asylum, but the Home Office said his status changed when he turned 18.

Arsenal will be recalling defender Johan Djourou when his loan deal at Birmingham City expires in January despite the attempts of new Blues boss Alex McLeish to extend his loan until the end of the season.

Manchester City have handed a trial to Saudi Arabia captain Yasser Al Qahtani. The 25-year-old is currently Asian player of the year.

Tottenham Hotspur have asked the Football Association to overturn the red card issue by referee Steve Bennett to Didier Zokora after 20 minutes of last night’s 0-2 Carling Cup win over Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium. FA officials are to consider the case on Thursday

Nathan Davies

Carling Cup round-up

Blues shelve takeover talks

A youthful Arsenal side - with an average age of 21 - beat Blackburn Rovers 2-3 at Ewood Park in this exciting Carling Cup quarter-final. Arsenal raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of Abou Diaby and Eduardo but Blackburn hauled themselves level after a Roque Santa Cruz brace. As normal time quickly evaporated, the visitors had Denilson sent-off and Arsenal faced the prospect of extra-time with ten men. However, Eduardo’s second goal of the night after 104 minutes put the Gunners through to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur also progress to the last four of the competition after beating Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium and thus ending City’s 100% home record. Jermain Defoe put Spurs into the lead after only five minutes but disaster struck for the visitors when they had Didier Zokora sent-off on 20 minutes. Sven Goran Eriksson’s men failed to take advantage though and Steed Marlbranque secured victory for Spurs after 83 minutes.

In the Scottish Third Division, Dumbarton beat East Stirlingshire 3-1 at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium.

Police investigating the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman at the Great John Street Hotel in Manchester where Manchester United players and other guests were attending a party last night have arrested a 19-year-old man. Detectives are refusing to confirm or deny the involvement of any players or club employees in the incident.

Mexico striker Nery Castillo will join Manchester City on a year-long loan from Shakhtar Donetsk. The 23-year-old will join the City squad on January 1 but was introduced to supporters at the City of Manchester Stadium before this evening’s Carling Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur. City’s chief executive Alistair Mackintosh said:

“Nery’s desire to make this deal happen was extraordinary - he has paid most of the loan fee himself. This proves how much he wants to play for Manchester City in the Premier League. We are excited and delighted that another young established international has joined the club.”

Everton midfielder Leon Osman could be out for six weeks after breaking his toe during the 1-2 Carling Cup win at West Ham United. The 26-year-old played through the pain barrier as Everton beat the Hammers for the second time in four days in the weekend Premier League win at Upton Park but a scan revealed the full extent of his problem.

There will be no takeover of Birmingham City before the end of the season, according to Blues chairman David Gold. Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung has made no apparent progress towards meeting the December 20 deadline to raise the £35m needed to buy out Gold and City co-owner David Sullivan. Gold said:

“The process would have had to have started by now. The deal’s dead in the water. We will focus 100% from now until the end of the season on Birmingham staying in the Premier League. We won’t entertain anything until the summer. It is still technically plausible that Mr Yeung could walk into the football club and put a cheque on the table but, according to takeover rules, there is a time factor - and that time factor has expired. They can’t just walk in and give us a cheque. They have to go through the whole process and that takes at least a week. It is December 18 today. It can’t be done.”

Gold also played down reports of interest in the club from Russian billionaire Vagit Alekperov.

Nathan Davies

Barwick happy with appoitment

Luton plead not guilty

Fabio Capello has been officially unveiled as the new England coach and faced a barrage of questions from hungry journalists at a media conference this morning when he claimed he was capable of taking the national team “right to the top”. The Italian will officially begin work in his new role on January 7 but in the meantime he will work on his mastery of the English language. Speaking through a translator, Capello said:

“I believe that it is very important to communicate to the players and I will undergo a strict routine with myself and I will apply myself everyday to communicate with the players. I am convinced that in one month when the national team meets, I will be able to talk English. Like I said earlier it is an honour and it is a dream come true, a job that everyone wants and as everyone knows, there are great expectations and I will work with the FA to achieve these. I unofficially started yesterday watching Super Sunday, from now on my main objective is to meet the players and the coaches. I am convinced this is a great team and I can achieve great things.”

Capello claimed that it was his idea to have an Englishman involved in the coaching set-up.

“Since the first day I spoke with Sir Trevor Brooking I have asked for an England coach to be integrated into the staff, I think it is vital we have someone who understands the league and is from the environment. The staff I have brought in have worked with me in Rome, Turin and Madrid and with them I will bring in English staff and when you manage, you need to be surrounded by people who understand you.”

The 61-year-old is also confident that he will avoid clashes with club managers when picking future squads:

“I have always had an excellent relationship with Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, as with the two big Spanish coaches Rafa Benitez and Juande Ramos and there will be no problem working with them. I believe there is a parallel between English and Spanish football, although it is important you should look at the club - we need a philosophy in the international team so we can get the results.”

Meanwhile, Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick seemed pretty satisfied with the appointment. He said:

“We are delighted to welcome Fabio Capello as the new England manager. I think we have an outstanding man, with an outstanding record and I look forward to working with him from the 7th January next year. After the Croatia game I was given a mandate by the FA board to identify the next England manager. Whilst I was at the World Cup draw in South Africa I took time out to think about the attributes needed to do one of the toughest jobs in football. It is well known that I met and spoke with a number of leading figures in the game both from here and abroad. I wasn’t just seeking a name, I was seeking their views on the England team and the England set-up from a number of different directions. Whilst the information was invaluable, there should be no doubt that Sir Trevor Brooking and I were always clear on the calibre of man we were looking for. For us, we saw the next appointment as having to be somebody of world-class status. A strong personality, a vastly experienced coach, a person used to handling big players, big matches, and big in-match situations. A man who is tactically astute, tactically adaptable, with a proven pedigree, a mature individual who can handle a big job and the pressures that go with it. A winner with a capital ‘W’. That was the template, this is the man. Fabio Capello. He has coached and won titles at AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. He has won the Champions League and man-managed some of the world’s best players. But he was also an international player of high repute himself. This for the FA is a significant appointment and I’m delighted with the response from the public and media that he is coming on board. We know we owe the fans and we believe that Fabio Capello will restore our pride.”

Chelsea captain John Terry may be sidelined for up to six weeks after breaking three bones in his foot following a challenge with Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue during yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez met up with the club’s American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, after yesterday’s 0-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield and the clear-the-air talks obviously went well as George Gillett has pledged his full support to Benitez through the pages of the Liverpool Echo. Meanwhile, chief executive Rick Parry admits Liverpool have had to scale down plans for their new stadium though it will sill boast a capacity of 70,000.

AC Milan’s Kaka has been voted as FIFA world player of the year to complete a clean sweep of the top individual player awards. This latest prize completes a remarkable year for the talented Brazilian who also won the Ballon d’Or award for the European footballer of the year, FIFPro’s world player of the year voted by fellow professionals and World Soccer’s player of the year.

Wales will visit Denmark on Wednesday 19th November 2008. Venue and kick off time yet to be confirmed.

Watford assistant manager Keith Burkinshaw has parted company with the club to spend more time at home following a serious family illness.

Marcus Evans has completed his takeover of Ipswich Town after shareholders approved his purchase of the club. Evans now owns an 87.5% stake in the Portman Road club and has appointed Martin Pitcher, Ian Milne and Jonathan Symonds to the board of directors.

Luton Town have pleaded not guilty to Football Association charges alleging breach of regulations regarding payments to agents.

Nathan Davies

United win at Anfield

FIFA ruling causes confusion

William Gallas scored the only goal of the game against his former club as Arsenal beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. The result ended Chelsea’s 16 game unbeaten run in all competitions and means they trail Arsenal by six points at the top of the league. In addition, this was the first time Arsenal have beaten Chelsea since February 2004.

Meanwhile, Manchester United beat Liverpool 0-1 at Anfield, courtesy of a first-half strike from Carlos Tevez. As a result Liverpool remain fifth and are ten points behind league leaders Arsenal and nine points behind arch rivals United.

In League One, Yeovil Town beat Doncaster Rovers 1-2 at Keepmoat Stadium.

Celtic suffered an embarrassing defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Caledonian Stadium. Gordon Strachan’s men marched into a two-goal lead through a brace from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink but a John Rankin penalty and second-half efforts from David Proctor and Don Cowie completed a remarkable turnaround. Goalscorer Proctor was sent off after 67 minutes but Celtic could not find an equaliser.

Liverpool claim talks between manager Rafael Benitez and the club’s American owners following the 0-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield were “amicable” and “constructive”. Benitez met Tom Hicks and George Gillett after disagreements over club policies.

Chelsea captain John Terry limped of in the first half of this afternoon’s encounter with Arsenal after a challenge with Emmanuel Eboue and may have suffered ligament damage.

Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue was stretchered off with a knee ligament injury after a clash with Joe Cole in the 69th minute of the 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium and could be out for several weeks.

AC Milan have won the Club World Cup after beating Boca Juniors 4-2 in Japan. Filippo Inzaghi opened the scoring on 21 minutes but Boca equalised a minute later through Rodrigo Palacio. Milan took control in the second-half thanks to strikes from Alessandro Nesta (50), Kaka (62) and Filippo Inzaghi (71). Both teams were reduced to 10 men as Kakha Kaladze saw red on 78 minutes for the Italians while Boca lost Pablo Ledesma two minutes from time. Milan’s Massimo Ambrosini scored an own goal on 85 minutes.

Following the game, AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

A ruling made by FIFA yesterday has caused mass confusion between the Republic of Ireland Football governing body (FAI) and their Northern Irish counterparts (IFA). The initial issue that needed clarification was whether or not the Republic could pick players who had been born in Northern Ireland. FIFA’s decision that the current rules remain ‘unchanged’ has resulted in confusion as both the FAI and the IFA believe FIFA have ruled in their favour. An FAI spokesman said: “Senior FIFA sources have confirmed to us that the status quo remains and the FAI may continue to select players born in Northern Ireland. In October 2006, FIFA’s Legal Department ruled that players born in Northern Ireland are entitled to play for the Republic of Ireland if they choose.” Meanwhile, the Irish FA said that it was interpreting that as FIFA abandoning a proposal to allow Northern Ireland-born players to play the Republic of Ireland.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

Capello ready for final challenge

The game of the day in the Premier League saw Wigan Athletic beat Blackburn Rovers 5-3 at the JJB Stadium. The home side raced into a 3-0 half-time lead, courtesy of goals from Denny Landzaat (10), Marcus Bent (12) and Paul Scharner (37). Rovers striker Benni McCarthy had seen his penalty saved by Latics goalkeeper Chris Kirkland on 22 minutes but the visitors gave themselves a glimmer of a chance with a Roque Santa Cruz goal in first-half injury-time. Santa Cruz made it 3-2 five minutes after the restart but a comeback looked unlikely when Brett Emerton was sent off for his second yellow card on 57 minutes. Just four minutes later though it was 3-3 after Santa Cruz completed his first hat-trick in English football. The excitement was far from over though as Marcus Bent found time to add another two goals, claim his own hat-trick and give Steve Bruce his first victory as Wigan boss. The result also arrested a run of 13 games without a victory for the Latics.

Elsewhere, Manchester City beat Bolton Wanderers 4-2 at Eastlands to preserve their 100% record. The ninth successive home win moves City up to fourth. Everton beat West Ham United at Upton Park for the second time in three days. After Wednesday’s Carling Cup quarter-final triumph, David Moyes’ men repeated the trick in the Premier League as Yakubu and Andy Johnson gave the visitors a 0-2 win.

There were 0-1 away wins for Middlesborough at Derby County, Tottenham Hotspur at Portsmouth and Newcastle United at Fulham while both Sunderland and Birmingham City were held to 1-1 draw at home by Aston Villa and Reading respectively.

West Bromwich Albion are the new leaders of the Championship after a Zoltan Gera brace helped them to a 4-2 victory over Charlton Athletic at the Hawthorns in the day’s early kick-off. Watford missed an opportunity to reclaim top spot after slumping to a 0-1 defeat against Plymouth Argyle at Vicarage Road. David Norris scored the only goal of the game late on but the afternoon will be best remembered for a half-time protest in support of Al Bangura - the 19-year-old Watford star who is facing deportation back to Sierra Leone after he lost his case to stay in the UK on Tuesday. Both sets of fans held up posters showing Bangura’s face under the words “He’s family”.

Swansea City remain top of League One with a 3-0 victory over Southend United at the Liberty Stadium but Carlisle United are only a point behind in second place after a home win against Leyton Orient. Joe Garner scored the only goal of the game after 50 minutes.

In League Two, Milton Keynes Dons extended their lead at the top of the league with a 1-2 victory at Peterborough United. Kevin Gallen and Keith Andrews put Paul Ince’s men in control before Aaron Mclean pulled one back for Posh on 75 minutes. Visiting defender Drissa Diallo was sent off three minutes later but the Dons held on. Meanwhile the games between Bradford City and Rotherham United, Darlington and Chester City as well as Rochdale and Notts County were all postponed due to frozen pitches.

In the Scottish Premier League, Rangers moved to within two points of Celtic with a game in hand after beating Heart of Midlothian 2-1 at Ibrox. Motherwell remain third after a resounding 3-0 home victory over Aberdeen - their fourth successive win. Bottom-placed Gretna shared six goals with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park for their sixth point of the season.

New England boss Fabio Capello says the job will be his last in football. Speaking on Rai television, where he has been working as a commentator since being sacked by Real Madrid in June, Capello said:

“This is the final crowning of my career. It would be very nice to finish in the best way. This is another challenge which is part of (a manager’s) job but this challenge will be slower and more complicated because I must study more than if I was a league manager. We want to do very well and there is a big expectation around and I think that with my team we will achieve great objectives.”

Nathan Davies

Scotland announce fixture list

Farsley appoint Deacey

Fabio Capello has been confirmed as the new England manager. The 61-year-old signed a four-and-a-half year deal believed to be worth £6m a year, with an opt out after 2010. The Italian will be officially unveiled at a press conference on Monday before taking up the role on January 7. Capello’s backroom staff is all-Italian and includes Franco Baldini as his assistant, Italo Galbiati, goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi and fitness coach Massimo Neri. An English presence will eventually be worked into the set-up. FA chief executive Brian Barwick said:

“I am delighted that Fabio Capello has agreed to become England manager. When we set out to recruit the new manager, we said we were committed to appointing a world-class candidate. In Fabio Capello we have that man. Fabio is a winner. His record over the last two decades speaks for itself. At every club he has managed Fabio has won the league title and Sir Trevor Brooking and I were left in no doubt of his passion and commitment to bring that success to the England team.”

Scotland have announced their fixture list for their 2010 World Cup Group 9 qualification campaign, which begins on September 6 2008 with a trip to Macedonia followed by a clash in Iceland four days later. The first home game will take place against Norway on October 11 followed by Holland away on March 28 2009. Scotland will be hoping Iceland don’t make April fools of them when they visit Hampden on April 1 while they face their last away trip in Norway on August 19. The Scotland campaign ends with two home games on September 5 and 9 2009 against Macedonia and Holland.

In League One this evening, Cheltenham Town beat Luton Town 1-0 at Whaddon Road, courtesy of Andy Lindegaard’s second-minute goal while Wycombe Wanderers beat visitors Morecambe 2-0 in a League Two clash. Scott McGleish and John Sutton were on target for the home side.

Anderlecht have been fined almost £13,000 by UEFA due to the conduct of their fans during their UEFA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur on December 6. Fans of the Belgian side threw missiles on to the pitch during the 1-1 draw while Spurs’ Didier Zokora appeared to be hit by objects thrown from the crowd. In addition, goalkeeper Paul Robinson found a metal bar lying on the pitch.

The Football Association has banned Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson from the touchline for two matches after he admitted using abusive and/or insulting words towards referee Mark Clattenburg during his side’s 1-0 defeat against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium on November 24. Ferguson, who did not attend the hearing, was also fined £5,000. The ban starts on December 28 and includes the trip to West Ham United and the home clash with Birmingham City on New Year’s day.

Derby County are in discussions with an American sports company that is interested in investing in the club. The deal, which could wipe out the club’s estimated £25m debt, will be discussed at a board meeting on Monday.

Ray Ranson’s group Sisu Capital have completed a takeover of Coventry City and subsequently saved the club from entering administration and incurring a 10-point penalty. The takeover has allowed Ranson to become the Sky Blues’ new chairman. Retiring chairman Joe Elliott said:

“This is a very exciting day in the long, proud history of Coventry City Football Club and I am positive that will be reflected in the attendance for the game against Southampton. I am sure that Ray Ranson and SISU Capital will help drive Coventry City forward into a brand new era for the club. I’d like to thank the Board and Associate Directors for their magnificent support and ask that remaining shareholders return their signed forms or attend the special office at the Ricoh Arena, as per the instructions within the shareholder’s document, by Monday evening. I’d like to pay special thanks to Iain Dowie, his management team, the players and all of the staff at Coventry City who have loyally supported the club through such a difficult time.”

Farsley Celtic have appointed caretaker boss John Deacey as their new manager on a permanent basis.

Nathan Davies

Grant signs extension

Brentford chief executive resigns

The Football Association are poised to name Fabio Capello as the new England coach. FA Director of Communications Adrian Bevington said:

“Discussions have continued throughout the day between The FA and Fabio Capello’s advisors. The FA Board has also today approved Capello’s appointment as England Manager subject to the successful conclusion of these contract negotiations. These will continue tomorrow. I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion. Understandably, at this time, we are unable to confirm any media activity that may take place. We will provide an update tomorrow.”

It is thought that Capello’s four-and-a-half year deal could be worth £6.5m a year.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Eggert Magnusson has stepped down as chairman of West Ham United after selling his 5% shareholding in the club to current owner, and new chairman, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

Aston Villa striker Luke Moore has turned down a fresh contract offer from the club but manager Martin O’Neill has triggered a one-year option in Moore’s current contract, meaning the 21-year-old will stay at Villa Park until June 2009.

Following the violence that broke out ahead of last night’s Champions League clash between Roma and Manchester United in Rome, six Britons were arrested. Four were formally charged with obstructing police officers in their duty while two others were released without charge. Five United fans were hospitalised after skirmishes between a group of 50 rival fans on Wednesday evening at the notorious Pont Duca d’Aosta bridge.

Blackburn Rovers defender Andre Ooijer is out for five weeks with a hamstring injury picked up during last weekend’s 0-1 defeat by West Ham United at Ewood Park.

After Steven Gerrard became the sixth Liverpool player to be targeted by thieves while playing an away game, the club is looking for private security firms to protect the homes of its players.

Football pundit Steve Claridge has denied a charge of dangerous driving after being accused of driving a Peugeot 307 dangerously on the M42 in the West Midlands in December 2006. Claridge appeared at Coventry Crown Court where his trial was set for May 12.

The sale of Luton Town should be finalised by March next year according to a timetable set by administrators. Prospective purchasers have until December 31 to sign agreements that they will honour the confidentiality of information given in the sale packs. After buyers provide proof of funds they will then get access to more detailed information about the club’s finances. The final bid deadline is 3pm on January 3 and a day later talks begin with a preferred bidder. Creditors will be advised of the offer by January 14. In February there will be a creditors meeting to approve any offer.

Brentford chief executive Keith Dickens has resigned with immediate effect.

Nathan Davies

Champions League round-up

Chester in talks with marketing group

Rangers crashed out of the Champions League and into the UEFA Cup after a 0-3 defeat against Lyon at Ibrox. Sidney Govou and a brace from Karim Benzema sealed victory for the French side before Jean-Claude Darcheville was sent-off for Rangers. Arsenal rounded off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 home win against Steaua Bucharest - although they still had to settle for second place in Group H behind Sevilla who beat Slavia Prague 0-3. Manchester United rounded off their Group F campaign with a 1-1 draw at Roma.

Everton are through to the Carling Cup semi-final after beating West Ham United 1-2 at Upton Park. Carlton Cole gave the home side a 12th minute lead but Leon Osman equalised before the break and Yakubu’s 88th minute strike sealed victory for David Moyes’ men.

In the Blue Square Premier, Torquay United beat Farsley Celtic 1-2 at Throstle Nest.

Five Manchester United fans were hospitalised as violence flared ahead of the club’s Champions League tie against Roma. A Foreign Office spokesman said:

“It appears there was trouble outside the stadium. A number of British fans were injured and two British nationals have been arrested. Our consular officials are on the way to the hospital to check on conditions, the numbers involved and whether anyone needs assistance. The situation is now said to be calm both outside and inside the stadium.”

Fabio Capello has met with Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick and director of development Sir Trevor Brooking for talks about becoming the next England coach. FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said:

” I’m pleased to say that these discussions were extremely positive and without any problems. Fabio has tonight returned to Italy to honour a prior commitment. Understandably, further talks are now taking place between Fabio’s advisors and ourselves. We will update you with any further developments.”

Steven Gerrard has become the sixth Liverpool player to be burgled since June 2006. Detectives are linking the burglaries, which have all taken place over the last 18 months when the footballers were playing at away games. The England star’s wife Alex Curran and two children were asleep in their Formby home at the time of the robbery. Police said thieves escaped with a woman’s Rolex watch and two sets of car keys. The five other victims include Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger, Peter Crouch, Pepe Reina and Jerzy Dudek.

Chelsea have admitted a Football Association charge of failing to control their players after referee Andre Marriner sent off Michael Essien for pushing Kenny Miller in the face during the 0-2 win at Derby County’s Pride Park on November 24. Chelsea have requested a personal hearing over the matter. The Blues believe the Ghana midfielder has been harshly treated.

Chester City are in talks with sports marketing group Sport-6 about the sale of former chairman Stephen Vaughan’s majority shareholding. Vaughan resigned as chairman on Saturday.

Nathan Davies