Soccer Shorts /EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Football Association of Ireland are supporting a bid proposed by their Scottish counterparts to expand the European Championships from 16 to 24 teams.
In an effort to secure more places in the finals of a major championship for smaller nations, the SFA have submitted a proposal for next month's Uefa's Congress to consider the expansion.
They are also backed by the FA's of Sweden and Latvia.
A Uefa spokesman said: "There has been a request from Scottish FA backed by three other national associations to have the proposal put on the agenda for the Congress in January. The next stage would be for the Congress to ask for a feasibility study on it or to reject the proposal."
The expansion would mean almost half of Uefa's 52 member countries getting to the finals, but Uefa chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said that if there was support, the changes could even affect Euro 2012.
Meanwhile, Uefa have been forced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to accept Gibraltar as a provisional member of European football despite fierce opposition from Spain.
Mourinho wants second option
ENGLISH B TEAMS: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has called for Chelsea to be allowed to field a B team in the lower leagues of the professional game in England, just as Real Madrid do in Spain.
"I would love to see it," said Mourinho. "I can tell you for sure that if that happened, players like (Lassana) Diarra, Mikel (John Obi), (Salomon) Kalou, when they are not selected for the first team, they have a competition to play in at a different level.
"Like in Spain, they would not be allowed promotion. They don't even play in the cup to stop the possibility of Real Madrid A against Real Madrid B."
Mourinho's proposal has been backed by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger but the chairman of Championship leaders Birmingham City, David Gold, said the idea was disrespectful to Football League clubs.
West Ham devise tactics for big drop
RELEGATION PLANS: Eggert Magnusson, chairman of West Ham, has drawn up contingency plans to be used should the club be relegated from the Premiership.
The Icelander, whose consortium completed an £85 million takeover of the club last month, has not ruled out the possibility of player sales but the principal savings will be made in the £42 million wage bill.
West Ham's manager Alan Pardew confirmed yesterday that all his players have a clause in their contracts stipulating significant salary reductions in the event of relegation.
Tottenham's profits take a tumble
FINANCE: Tottenham have announced a drop in pre-tax profits in the year ending June 30th, compared with the previous year. Spurs revealed a profit of £600,000 before tax, down from £4.9 million in the year ending June 30th, 2005.
Turnover increased by £3.5 million to £74.1 million while operating profits before football trading and depreciation dropped by £10 million to £4.6 million.
Eriksson ready to make a return
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT: Sven-Goran Eriksson insists he is serious about seeking a return to management - despite continuing to receive a substantial income from the English FA.
The former England manager is reportedly being paid £13,000 a day more than four months after officially leaving his job at Soho Square. That arrangement follows the deal which saw Eriksson agree to cancel the final two years of his contract with the FA.
The Swede claims he is becoming restless the longer he remains out of work, and said: "I have had time to do what I want.
"That was good for one month, but I look forward to sitting on the bench again. It will happen, but I don't know when."
In brief . . .
Steve Coppellhas been voted the manager of the month for overseeing Reading's run into the top half of the table in November, while Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was voted player of the month. German defender Moritz Volz(23) has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Fulham until 2009. Bob Bradleywas named interim coach of the US national soccer team yesterday after negotiations to hire Jurgen Klinsmann collapsed.
