Annan Athletic off to dream start in Scottish League

Blackburn sign Villanueva to replace Bentley

French Trophee des Champions goes to Bordeaux

Italian’s set to strike

Ferenczi set to return home

Nigeria threaten Marseille

Annan Athletic got off a dream start in their first league match in senior football by sending Cowdenbeath to a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Central Park.

The league newcomers, who took the place of Gretna, turned in an inspired display to take all three points with a devastating second-half performance.

Blackburn Rovers have moved to fill the gap left by David Bentley’s departure by signing Chile midfielder Carlos Villanueva.

The Chilean player of the year has been capped 12 times by his country and has joined Rovers on an initial one-year loan deal from Audax Italiano.

Bordeaux denied Lyon a seventh consecutive Trophee des Champions success by defeating them in a penalty shootout at the Stade Chaban-Delmas on Saturday.

The Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) on Sunday proposed a strike for the first day of the lower league season and said the opening matches in Serie A and B would start 30 minutes late. Authorities have set a limit on the number of players allowed in squads in Lega Pro, the new name for Italy’s Serie C1 and C2, and the AIC has said hundreds of players are therefore at risk of being made unemployed.

Barnsley striker Istvan Ferenczi will return to his homeland after agreeing to join Hungarian club Ferencvaros.

The Nigeria Football Federation has threatened action against French club Marseille if they do not release defender Taye Taiwo for the Olympic Games in China.