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Vidic dismisses rumours of a move from Old Trafford

MANCHESTER United defender Nemanja Vidic claims he has no intention of leaving Old Trafford. He has been angered by rumours claiming his relationship with manager Alex Ferguson has broken down.

Vidic has been struggling with a leg injury and sat out the 3-2 Champions League first-leg victory against AC Milan on Tuesday.

In an interview with Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti, he said: “I have never had a conflict of any kind with Alex Ferguson and speculation that I want to leave United is completely untrue.

“I have a contract until the summer of 2012 and intend to see it through to the very last day.

“United have made me the player I am today and there is no substance whatsoever in rumours that I have been looking for a move away to either Real Madrid or AC Milan.”

Vidic added: “I think I will return to action very quickly and hopefully I will be back to my best as soon as I am picked in the starting line-up again.”

Cas reject Togo's initial appeal

THE Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has rejected Togo’s appeal for a provisional reversal of their ban from the next two Africa Cup of Nations.

Its decision means Togo will not be in Saturdays draw for the 2012 qualifying matches which begin in September.

However, Cas has said if it eventually finds in Togo’s favour, the draw should be restaged at a later date.

Togo were banned by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) after pulling out of the recent CAN in Angola. They withdrew after a gun attack on their party killed two people and injured several others, on the insistence of the Togolese government.

When they announced the move, Caf said the Togolese players had wanted to stay, and therefore the decision to pull them out amounted to “government interference”.

New investor may save Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH could have a fifth owner this season after reports suggesting that Endeavor Plan, a Hong Kong-based investment company, has viewed documents relating to the club’s financial position and has informed Pompey’s chief executive, Peter Storrie, of its interest in buying out the current owner, Balram Chainrai.

Endeavor Plan, said to have interests in New Zealand, Hong Kong and the United States, received the documentation from Storrie, who has been conducting negotiations to seek a new buyer or fresh investment alone.

It is understood that Endeavor has said that, should any buy-out be successful, the company is confident of clearing all debts to the club’s creditors within a year.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth are seeking permission from Fifa, the Premier League and the English FA to sell their players outside of the transfer window in an effort to bring in some much-needed funds.

Cole's not a United target

CHELSEA are placing little credence in reports that their midfielder Joe Cole is a transfer target for Manchester United.

The London club, while not publicly commenting on the suggestion that Cole will head for Old Trafford in the summer, were bullish enough to privately dismiss the prospect as nothing more than speculation. However, the longer Cole does not resolve his contract impasse with Chelsea, the more feverish the transfer speculation will become.

McCarthy given a reprimand

WOLVES manager Mick McCarthy admits he will not be able to repeat his controversial team selection against Manchester United which resulted in the club being given a suspended fine.

McCarthy made 10 changes for the visit to Old Trafford in mid December – three days after the win at Tottenham – as Wolves were beaten 3-0 by Alex Ferguson’s side.

The tactic repeated dividends as Wolves triumphed against fellow strugglers Burnley at Molineux 2-0 four days later as McCarthy reverted back to nine of the team which won at White Hart Lane. But the move has been frowned upon by the Premier League, who have handed Wolves a suspended €375,000 fine.

McCarthy was reluctant to broach the subject at his press conference yesterday ahead of Saturday’s home meeting with leaders Chelsea. But he did concede the action of the league will mean he cannot make the same drastic move again when choosing his side.

He said: “I have accepted the fine. I will not be appealing against it.”