Soccer Shorts

Jol 'will stay': Tottenham's sporting director Frank Arnesen is certain Martin Jol will spurn Ajax's advances to remain as head coach at White Hart Lane, reports Jon Brodkin.

The Dutch champions have privately let it be known that they were due to meet the 49-year-old yesterday. Ajax sources said the meeting was cancelled because bad weather affected flights but the club hopes to reschedule it quickly.Tottenham will trust that any talks Jol has with Ajax are out of courtesy rather than because he is ready to leave the club after four months in charge. He has said that he is "very happy" at Spurs and does not want to go anywhere else. Arnesen acknowledged Ajax's attraction to a Dutchman, but is convinced Jol will stay.

"He is a human being and will take his own decisions," Arnesen said, "but I am very comfortable and we speak on a daily basis about everything. It is between me and him. The only thing you can say is that I am very comfortable and I am sure that he will stay."

Jol seems certain to be offered a pay rise. "We have to make sure that our people are happy here and make sure that we are progressing," Arnesen said. "That is what we are doing and that is what made me confident that he will be here next year as well." Guardian Service

Richardson for Cork

Damien Richardson has been confirmed as Pat Dolan's replacement at Cork City and the former Shelbourne boss signed a two-year deal with the Turner's Cross club last night, reports Emmet Malone.

With the deadline for new signings falling today, the new man said that he is unlikely to add anybody to the squad he has inherited for the moment.

"You only sign players if they are going to improve the team and to do that they have to be better than what you have got already," said Richardson. "Given that I'd be looking to get everything done from start to finish in a day it's probably not going to be possible. It's a pity because Shelbourne and Drogheda United have shown you have to add to your squad if you want to progress but, to be fair, there is a good group of players in place and I'm very much looking forward to working with them."

Dolan, meanwhile, issued a statement yesterday thanking City's supporters for their backing during his time at the club. He said that he would comment on the circumstances of his departure, "at the appropriate time".

Eriksson gets break

Sven-Goran Eriksson has won his battle to secure a four-week break before the World Cup finals next year after it was announced yesterday the English FA Cup final will be held on Saturday, May 13th, 2006, at the new Wembley Stadium.

The FA board have agreed to bring forward the date of the final by a week - and as a knock-on effect the end of the Premier League season will also be brought forward a week - but in return have had to scrap replays in the FA Cup fifth and sixth rounds for clubs still involved in Europe. Sides in the UEFA Cup will not be required to play replays in the fifth round or quarter-finals, while those in the Champions League will not have quarter-final replays and any ties affected will go to extra-time and penalties if necessary.

Fans to defy ban

Manchester United fans are preparing to defy Crystal Palace's ban on wearing Eric Cantona masks tomorrow to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his kung-fu assault on a fan.

United fanzine Red Issue has designated March 5th as Cantona Day and called on travelling supporters to dig out their old Cantona masks despite the ban. Palace's stadium manager Kevin Corner has said anyone wearing such a mask will be refused entry and those who don them inside Selhurst Park "will be immediately ejected on safety grounds".

One Red Issue contributor warned that many United fans would ignore the order. He said: "It is an absolute joke. It is not against the law so who are they to say what we can and cannot do."

Maradona to decide

Former Argentina World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona may have his stomach stapled to reduce his ballooning waistline, a Colombian doctor said yesterday.

Maradona (44) is deciding whether to have surgery in Cartagena on Colombia's Caribbean coast. "I think he'll decide whether to do it or not within a couple of days," Francisco Holguin, head of Cartagena's Medihelp clinic, said.

Maradona stopped playing professionally in 1997 but has grown almost unrecognisably fat in recent years despite spending much of his time in a Cuban clinic fighting cocaine addition.

In brief . . .

Leicester yesterday signed Republic of Ireland defender Patrick McCarthy for £100,000 from Manchester City . . . Celtic's Shaun Maloney who feared the worst after he twisted an ankle in his comeback game, the 5-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final victory against Clyde at the weekend, will only miss two weeks after scans showed the injury was not as serious as first thought . . . Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up an ankle injury and is ruled out of tomorrow's clash against Middlesbrough at Villa Park . . . David Beckham last night vowed to end his playing days in Spain and told Real Madrid: "You've yet to see the best of me." . . . English players' chief Gordon Taylor yesterday criticised David Dein for not publicly backing Uefa's plan to ensure the use of more homegrown talent at club level. Taylor, who is fully behind the Uefa moves, has been disappointed with the lack of reaction from the Arsenal vice-chairman in his role as a member of the English FA's international committee.