Soccer shorts

Today's other stories in brief

Ireland now key to Milner deal

STEPHEN Ireland is emerging as the key figure in Manchester City's pursuit of James Milner after Aston Villa asked if he could form part of a player-plus-cash exchange. Ireland is available as City look to trim an oversized squad and Martin O'Neill wants the midfielder to bring more creativity to his team as they prepare to lose Milner.

The talks have accelerated in the past few days and there were strong indications yesterday that there has been a significant breakthrough, with Milner withdrawn from Villa’s squad for the friendly against Valencia.

It has been made clear to Ireland that he is unlikely to be included in City’s 25-man squad for this season and it’s believed the Cork man is coming around to the idea of leaving Eastlands.

Ferguson considers ending his six-year boycott of BBC

ALEX Ferguson is considering abandoning his boycott of the BBC, thus ending one of the oldest grudges of his career, amid growing pressure from the Premier League and the League Managers Association (LMA).

The Premier League has written to Manchester United explaining that Ferguson will face a sliding scale of punishments if he continues to ignore Match of the Day and 5 Live. Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the LMA, has had conversations with the Old Trafford manager to try to persuade him to put his grievances to one side.

The talks have been described as delicate, with Ferguson dismayed by the idea that he may have to speak to the institution for the first time since a Panorama documentary in 2004, entitled Father and Son, about the business activities of his son Jason, then working as a football agent.

The Premier League has brought in a new rule saying that managers must speak to the broadcasting rights-holders, including the BBC.

Five called over French mutiny

FRANCE captain Patrice Evra and Nicolas Anelka were among five players summoned yesterday for a disciplinary hearing for their part in Les Bleus’ mutiny during the World Cup, the French Football Federation (FFF) said.

Eric Abidal, Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan were the other three players ordered to appear for the hearing along with Evra and Anelka, who was sent home from South Africa during the tournament for insulting coach Raymond Domenech.

France’s Word Cup ended in shame with the players boycotting a training session in support of Anelka and the team were subsequently eliminated in the first round without a win.

The five have been branded by French media as “the ring leaders of the mutiny of Knysna” – the South African town were the squad refused to train two days before their last group game against South Africa.

The date of the hearing has not been announced.

Bellamy returns to Wales squad

CRAIG Bellamy is poised to make his first Wales appearance in 10 months after being named in John Toshack’s squad to face Luxembourg next week.

The Manchester City striker has missed Wales’ last four outings but was included in a 23-man party for the friendly next Wednesday.

Bellamy’s international future became the subject of speculation when Toshack overlooked him for a friendly against Sweden in March.

Poulsen's Liverpool move all set

JUVENTUS midfielder Christian Poulsen could join Liverpool next week, according to his representative.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is keen to sign the 30-year-old Denmark international, having taken him to FC Copenhagen in 2000 and winning the Superliga in his first season.

“It won’t take more than a week before this is sorted out,” Poulsen’s representative Jorn Bonnesen, who held talks with Liverpool earlier this week, said. “It might be already in the beginning of next week. Christian Poulsen is Roy’s man.

“He will be playing as a defensive midfielder at Liverpool. I returned home with a good and positive impression.”

John Bostock yesterday completed his season-long loan move to Hull after signing a contract extension with Tottenham until 2013.The 18-year-old midfielder has been unable to hold down a place in the first-team squad.

City look to solve Robinho riddle

MANCHESTER City will try to sort out Robinho’s future, conclude the signings of Mario Balotelli and James Milner and probably see half a dozen players leave in the next few weeks, said manager Roberto Mancini yesterday.

Robinho, the club’s record €38 million purchase from Real Madrid, has endured an unhappy spell at City since he arrived in 2008 and said this week he would rather stay with Santos in Brazil, where he has been on loan since January.

The situation is complicated because Santos do not have the sort of money needed to buy Robinho, and a possible scenario is that he will return to City and be used as a bargaining tool to smooth the transfer of forward Balotelli from Inter Milan.

“There was no pressure from me but now I must speak with him because it is very difficult for him to stay at Santos,” said Mancini.