Bookmakers pay out

Soccer Shorts: Chelsea's 100 per cent start to their Premiership defence has prompted bookmakers Paddy Power pay out on bets for Jose Mourinho's men to retain their title. Mourinho's men have won their first seven matches of the campaign, with only Aston Villa striker Luke Moore finding the back of the net against the Stamford Bridge outfit.

A spokesman for Paddy Power said: "We know and the punters know the Premiership race is already over so the winnings are better off back in people's pockets."

The bookmakers could suffer a huge loss if Chelsea are beaten, which happened when they paid out early on Arsenal winning the 2003 title only for Manchester United to win.

Manchester bookmaker Fred Done, of Betfred, famously paid out early on United to win the 1998 title, and they were beaten by Arsenal.

Swiss drop Yakin

Switzerland coach Koebi Kuhn omitted midfield playmaker Hakan Yakin yesterday from the national squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against France and the Republic of Ireland. The 28-year-old Young Boys Bern player was left out of a 17-man squad named by Kuhn yesterday although the coach has said he may yet add an extra two or three players on Sunday. Yakin has been struggling with a thigh injury which has prevented him from playing for his club for almost three weeks.

According to reports in several Swiss newspapers, Kuhn is still considering an unlikely call-up for 24-year-old striker Marco Streller who has recently returned to training with German top division side Stuttgart after missing more than a month with a knee injury. Switzerland are currently ahead of France on goal difference at the top of World Cup qualifying group four with both teams three points clear of fourth-placed the Republic of Ireland. Third-placed Israel still have an outside chance of qualifying from the tightly-contested group but have played a match more than their three rivals.

SWITZERLAND (squad): Goalkeepers: P Zuberbhler (FC Basel), F Coltorti (Grasshoppers Zurich) Defenders: P Degen (Borussia Dortmund), L Magnin (Stuttgart), P Mueller (FC Basel), P Senderos (Arsenal), B Smiljanic (FC Basel), C Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt); Midfielders: T Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), R Cabanas (Grasshoppers Zurich), D Gygax (Lille), B Huggel (Eintracht Frankfurt), J Vogel (AC Milan), R Wicky (Hamburg) Forwards: A Frei (Rennes), M Lustrinelli (FC Thun), J Vonlanthen (Breda).

Zidane in squad

France yesterday named captain Zinedine Zidane in their squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers despite the Real Madrid midfielder struggling with a groin injury sustained during the 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last month. Striker David Trezeguet is eligible again after suspension.

Coach Raymond Domenech is hoping Zidane will be fit in time for the matches in Switzerland on October 8th and at home to Cyprus four days later.

FRANCE (Squad): Goalkeepers: G Coupet (Olympique Lyon), M Landreau (Nantes); Defenders: J-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle United), W Gallas (Chelsea), G Givet (Monaco), A Reveillere (Olympique Lyon), W Sagnol (Bayern Munich), S Squillaci (Monaco), L Thuram (Juventus), J Zebina (Juventus); Midfielders: V Dhorasoo (Paris St Germain), A Diarra (Racing Lens), C Makelele (Chelsea), F Malouda (Olympique Lyon), P Vieira (Juventus), Z Zidane (Real Madrid); Forwards: D Cisse (Liverpool), L Giuly (Barcelona), S Govou (Olympique Lyon), P Luyindula (Auxerre), D Trezeguet (Juventus), S Wiltord (Olympique Lyon)

Thatcher furious

Ben Thatcher has almost certainly consigned himself to Wales history following a row with manager John Toshack that has seen him pull out of the squad for the final two World Cup group six qualifiers next month.

The Manchester City defender is believed to be furious after a mobile phone row with Toshack following a dispute over fitness and his failure to turn up for the games against England and Poland last month.

But while Thatcher has "made himself unavailable" for Toshack but without officially retiring, the chances of him being picked again while the Welsh chief is in command surely are now remote.

Nielsen gets job

Wayne Rooney is set to face another major test of his fragile temperament in England's final World Cup group tie against Poland, with Kim Milton Nielsen having been appointed to referee the clash.

Rooney was sent off by the Danish referee for sarcastically clapping him on being shown a yellow card during Manchester United's Champions League game against Villarreal.

Giggs denies rift

Ryan Giggs has rejected reports of a rift with Carlos Queiroz and insisted he still has plenty to offer Manchester United.

The long-serving Welshman made only his second senior start of the season when he skippered United to their much-needed 2-1 victory over Benfica on Tuesday.

Major question marks have been raised over his absence, especially as he only signed a two-year contract extension in May, with Queiroz's influence being cited as one of the major reasons why Giggs has been overlooked.

His had a debilitating chest infection which kept him in bed for a week at the start of the season and ruled him out of action for almost three weeks. While the 31-year-old admitted he was frustrated at not making the team, he denied allegations of a showdown with Queiroz. "It has been a frustrating time because I have not been able to get into the team and I want to play but no, stories about a discussion with Carlos are not true," he said.