Soccer Shorts

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

FA condemns Hodgson tabloid headline as unacceptable

The English Football Association has condemned as “unacceptable” a newspaper headline poking fun at new England manager Roy Hodgson’s manner of speech.

The Sun’s headline “Bwing on the Euwos!” has led to numerous complaints to the FA and the Press Complaints Commission, an FA statement said.

FA chairman David Bernstein said they had been delighted with the media coverage generally but that the headline was “disrespectful”.

The statement said: “The FA and the Press Complaints Commission have today received a large number of objections relating to the front page headline in the Sun newspaper, regarding Roy Hodgson’s manner of speech.

“On this occasion, we will not be making an official complaint to the PCC but we have raised it with the newspaper and made it clear that their front page is unacceptable to us.”

A spokesman for the PCC said: “I can confirm we have had over a hundred complaints.”

News International has yet to make any comment on the headline.

Quinn not interested in role at Man City

Former Manchester City striker Niall Quinn is not interested in becoming the club’s new chief executive. The important role at the Etihad Stadium has been vacant since Garry Cook resigned in September. Quinn spent more than five years as chairman of Sunderland. But the 45-year-old told BBC Radio Manchester: “What they need is someone who can travel the world and make Manchester City as big as, or certainly challenging with, the big clubs.”

The former Republic of Ireland international left Sunderland in February, having spent his last four months at the club as director of international development. Quinn added it is unlikely he will take a similar position to those he held at the Stadium of Light with any club.

Elsewhere, former Arsenal, Tottenham and England defender Sol Campbell has announced his retirement. The 37-year-old was released by Newcastle at the end of last season and has not been able to secure a deal with another club. The centre-back won 73 caps for England and represented his country at six consecutive major tournaments.

Pennant arrested for alleged assault on woman

Stoke winger Jermaine Pennant has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in a nightclub, sources said.

The 29-year-old, of Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, has been bailed pending further inquiries into the incident in Manchester on Sunday.

Two hours after the alleged attack, the player was involved in a car crash and charged with drink-driving, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said: “At approximately 3.30am on Sunday April 29th a woman was assaulted at a nightclub on Barton Arcade, Manchester city centre. A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of Section 47 assault.”

At 5.20am on Sunday, police were called to Cross Street in Sale, Greater Manchester, to reports Pennant’s white BMW had been involved in a collision with a silver Audi. The driver of the Audi was taken to hospital and treated for a minor back injury. Pennant is due to appear at Trafford Magistrates’ Court on May 9th to answer the driving charges.

No change to Uefa yellow-card rules

Uefa has ruled out changing its Champions League suspension rules regarding yellow cards for at least three years and has no intention of bringing them in line with the rules used in the European Championship, officials have told players’ representatives.

FIFpro, the international players’ union, said in a statement yesterday Uefa had rejected their plea for clemency for the six Chelsea and Bayern Munich players who picked up a third yellow card in last week’s Champions League semi-finals.

The decision means Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles of Chelsea and Luiz Gustavo, David Alaba and Holger Badstuber of Bayern will miss the final in Munich on May 19th.Michael van Praag, the chairman of Uefa’s Champions League competition workshop, told them: “We have had three sessions with representatives of the European Club Association and others, in which we confirmed the rule for the coming three years.”

Chelsea’s captain John Terry will also miss the final as he was shown a red card in the semi-final second leg in Barcelona.

Real Madrid clinch their first title in four years

Real Madrid clinched their 32nd La Liga title and their first in four years when they won 3-0 at

Athletic Bilbao last night. Jose Mourinhos side have 94 points with two games left, seven ahead of their arch rivals Barcelona, who have won the title in the past three years.

Barca won 4-1 at home to Malaga earlier yesterday.

Earlier, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi reached another milestone at the Nou Camp when he broke Gerd Mueller’s 39-year-old record of 67 goals in a season for a European top-flight club.

The world player of the year netted twice from the penalty spot and once from open play to help Barca to a 4-1 win at home to Malaga, his 44th, 45th and 46th La Liga goals of the campaign taking his total in all competitions to 68.