Forest to sell first team due to huge debts

Nottingham Forest have put their entire first team squad up for sale to fight against mounting debts, club manager Paul Hart said yesterday.

Forest, European champions in 1979 and 1980 but now mired in the English first division, are reportedly £6 million sterling in debt and are said to be losing more than £100,000 a week. The decision will cause concern to Ireland under-21 international Keith Foy.

The current situation is in stark contrast to their glory days when, in 1979, then-manager Brian Clough became the first English boss to spend £1 million for a player when he bought England striker Trevor Francis from Birmingham City.

Hart, who succeeded former manager David Platt only two weeks ago, says he has no option but to cut the wage bill.

"There are people you wouldn't like to sell but the fact is we have got to reduce the wage bill. I think the fans will understand," he said. "They realise an awful lot of money has been spent in the last two years - £27 million in transfer fees and salaries."

Forest expect to receive bids for midfielders Andy Johnson, Chris Bart-Williams and Alan Rogers who are out of contract at the end of the new season and are jointly valued at £9 million.

Meanwhile, All home UEFA Cup ties played by Chelsea and Leeds this season are to be shown exclusively on BSkyB's digital channel, Sky Sports Extra.

BSkyB, who own stakes in both clubs, beat off competitors such as the BBC, who showed Liverpool's UEFA Cup ties last season, and Channel 5 to win the right to show European action from Stamford Bridge and Elland Road.

The games will be shown on Sky Sports Extra, which is available only on Sky digital, on Thursday evenings.

If both clubs are playing at home on the same evening, both games will be broadcast.

The deal does not include the away ties, which are still on offer, and the BBC may bid for these as well as considering a deal with the other English UEFA Cup entrants, Ipswich, or Aston Villa and Newcastle if they make it through the InterToto Cup.

Former Aston Villa striker Parma striker Savo Milosevic is fortunate to be alive after being held at gunpoint. The Yugoslavian international, now at Parma, had just returned to his home last night from the club's training camp in France when he was confronted by four men in his garden.

The striker, who was told to hand over his house keys, at first resisted and kicked a burglar in the mouth but another man brandished a gun and Milosevic agreed to turn over his keys.

Real Madrid's finances have once again been brought under scrutiny after an independent financial audit revealed 350 million pesetas (&€8364;1.29 million) are unaccounted for.

The audit was promised by the incoming president Florentino Perez after widespread speculation into the alleged dire state of the Spanish champions' accounts under the former president Lorenzo Sanz.

This latest financial discovery comes hot on the heels of the controversial sale of their training ground to the Madrid city council and the world record signing of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for &€8364;46.5 million.

Brazil have recalled midfielder Leonardo, who walked out on the team two years ago vowing not to return, and have left out striker Romario for next month's World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

Leonardo (31), who played for Brazil in the last two World Cups finals, had not played for his country since the 1999 Copa America when he abandoned the team due to differences with then coach Wanderley Luxemburgo.