Fenlon move likely

Soccer Digest : Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne said last night he hopes the future of Pat Fenlon will be resolved very…

Soccer Digest: Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne said last night he hopes the future of Pat Fenlon will be resolved very soon although he conceded that the attraction of Bohemians' new-found wealth might prove too much for the manager to resist, writes Emmet Malone.

Talks between Bohemians and Fenlon were said to be ongoing yesterday and it expected that the Shelbourne manager will move jobs over the course of the coming week.

"I still firmly believe that his heart is with Shelbourne," said Byrne, "but I appreciate that every man has the right to think of his career and his family when making a decision about his future. Whatever happens, though, I hope it is sorted out quickly and if he is to go then there are some issues that need to be addressed."

Headbutt reunion

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Fifa is considering South Africa's Robben Island as the stage for a reconciliation between Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi, the defender he headbutted during the World Cup final.

Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, said yesterday that plans were afoot for the two players to be reunited, and one possibility was using the site of the notorious prison, where former South African president Nelson Mandela was held.

"We are working on bringing together Materazzi and Zidane," Blatter said ahead of a meeting in Berlin to debrief national coaches after the recent World Cup.

"There are different possibilities and one of them is Robben Island in South Africa where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years."

In brief . . .

Luis Aragones made a U-turn and yesterday decided to stay on as Spain coach after having had his earlier offer to resign rejected by the Spanish Football Federation . . . Brian Kidd has joined Sheffield United, the former Manchester United assistant manager had been strongly linked with a position on Roy Keane's Sunderland coaching staff.