Soccer Shorts

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Hutton 'didn't set out to hurt Long'

ASTON VILLA full back Alan Hutton has ended his silence over the tackle which ruled West Brom striker Shane Long out of the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 play-off earlier this month and insists he would never deliberately hurt any player.

Hutton came in for strong criticism over the Villa Park challenge from Baggies head coach Roy Hodgson, who described the tackle as “vicious” during last month’s Premier League clash.

It sidelined Long for a month and forced him to miss Ireland’s play-off with Estonia.

But, although sorry for causing the injury, Hutton has brushed aside Hodgson’s criticism and says injuries are a part of football.

When asked about Hodgson’s response, Hutton said: “To be honest, I don’t even listen to it. Things happen in football but I would never go out and mean to hurt somebody.

“I went to win the ball. The follow-through wasn’t great but I would never go on to a pitch to hurt someone.

“It has happened to me before (getting injured) and I have just got on with it. Nobody means to go out and hurt anyone.”

Hutton added: “Injuries happen every week. In football, decisions are made in split seconds. I broke my leg in a tackle.

“I’m sorry that (Long) was hurt and he was out for the length of time he was.

“Hodgson chose to say what he said and that’s fine. He’s a great player for them and I understand why (Hodgson) was angry.”

Martinez meets refs chief over Pedersen incident

WIGAN MANAGER Roberto Martinez has revealed he has been in contact with referees chief Mike Riley following Saturday’s controversial 3-3 draw with Blackburn at the DW Stadium.

Rovers’ second goal came when Morten Gamst Pedersen appeared to dribble the ball straight from a corner before crossing for Junior Hoilett to score.

Referee Andre Marriner, who allowed the effort to stand, is not taking charge of a match this weekend. The incident left Martinez fuming and the Spaniard has since discussed the matter with Riley, manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board.

“I spoke with Mike Riley and he faced the situation,” Martinez said.

“I think he was a real credit to the association and to the referees in general. Obviously, it is a very difficult action to explain, but I just want to move on.”

Dalglish warns trio not to sulk

KENNY DALGLISH has warned his out-of-favour Liverpool players that he will not be afraid to buy replacements if their attitude to being dropped alters. Dalglish began last Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Chelsea with three of his biggest signings – Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson – on the bench. Although the Liverpool manager said he was delighted with the spirit they have demonstrated, he added it would be “their problem” if they were to show any inclination to sulk.

“At the end of the day it is hard for those who don’t play,” he said. “It is hard to keep them motivated and keep them going. That is understandable. If they come in with really good attitudes and not with petty lips when they are left out, it is helpful to everyone.

"If they are not committed to playing, it is not going to be my problem, it is going to be their problem because we will go and get people who are determined to play." Guardian Service

Calderwood Hughton's No 2

COLIN CALDERWOOD has been appointed assistant manager at Birmingham, the Championship club confirmed.

Calderwood (46) is reunited with manager Chris Hughton for a third time and joins a backroom team which also includes first-team coach Paul Trollope. The news comes as no surprise after Calderwood was in the stands to watch City’s last-gasp 2-1 victory at home to Burnley on Tuesday night.

Zenit face sanctions over fans' flares

ZENIT ST Petersburg are set to face Uefa sanctions following crowd trouble during Wednesday’s Champions League game against APOEL Nicosia.

German referee Felix Brych twice halted the Group G match for several minutes – first late in the first half and again shortly after the interval – after home fans lit flares and the pitch became enveloped with heavy smoke.

On Thursday Zenit issued a harshly-worded statement to explain the situation.

“Zenit consider unacceptable a situation when actions of some individual supporters have a negative effect on the course of a game and could lead to heavy disciplinary sanctions including a forfeit,” the Russian champions said on their website (www.fc-zenit.ru).

Zenit said, following an agreement between the club and police, searches on fans entering the stadium were less thorough than usual because of cold weather.

Milan may offer Tevez escape route

CARLOS TEVEZ could be offered the chance to resurrect his career at AC Milan after initial talks about offering him a potential escape route from Manchester City.

Kia Joorabchian, Tevez's adviser, flew to Italy yesterday and spoke at length to the Milan vice-president, Adriano Galliani, and the sporting director, Ariedo Braida, in a prearranged meeting at the club's head office. The Serie A side will almost certainly fail if their intention is to propose a loan. One report in Italy has Milan offering €5 million to take Tevez until the end of the season, followed by a €20 million deal in June. City, however, want a straight sale as they seek to offload a player who has become a pariah in Manchester. Guardian Service