SOCCER DIGEST Cunningham contract: Kenny Cunningham is expecting Birmingham City to allow his current contract to expire before deciding whether to offer him a new deal.
City manager Steve Bruce has admitted it is club policy not to allow a player to enter the final year without starting negotiations but Cunningham, who has 15 months to go on his current deal, is not anticipating an early decision from his club over whether to extend his time at St Andrews.
"I've got just over a year left of my contract," said the 33-year-old Republic of Ireland captain. "I haven't spoken to the club and the situation for a 33 to 34-year-old is different from a 27 to 28-year-old.
"It wouldn't surprise me if the club are thinking 'the contract will run itself down and then we'll take things from there'.
"When you get to my age you accept that those two, three, four-year contracts are a thing of the past and you just take it from day to day.
"Things can change very quickly. Physically I'm very happy with my condition at this moment in time and my form is okay so we'll see."
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Monaco will hope to rediscover their attacking flair when they host PSV Eindhoven needing a win to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals tonight.
Beaten 1-0 in the first leg, the principality team, last season's Champions League runners-up, must score to reach the last eight.
Monaco have won just one match in the last six weeks when they laboured to a 1-0 success at Stade Rennes in the French Cup third round.
Strikers Javier Saviola and Mohamed Kallon have found the net only twice in their last four league games.
REFEREES: Fifa president Sepp Blatter yesterday stepped up his campaign for professional referees at the top level of soccer by claiming such a move would help prevent corruption involving match officials.
Blatter said: "If someone is not refereeing in professional football as an amateur but as a professional himself, he will think three times because of the possibility of losing his profession.
"Human beings are human beings and they will always be open to temptations. We just have to try and reduce these temptations."
MANCHESTER UNITED: Alex Ferguson has yet to discover whether he or any of his team will be charged for their conduct at Crystal Palace last weekend. The English FA are looking into events after the final whistle in Manchester United's goalless draw on Saturday.
Referee Mark Clattenburg was engulfed by United players at the end of the stalemate, a result which saw Ferguson's men fall further behind in the Premiership title race.
United were apparently incensed that they were denied a penalty in the closing stages as they pushed for a winner.
