A roundup of today's other soccer news in brief
Arsenal chief willing to back Wenger’s spending if needed
ARSENAL chief executive Ivan Gazidis maintains the board will continue to back manager Arsene Wenger in the transfer market.
The English Premier League club yesterday announced pre-tax profits for the six months ended November 30th, 2008, were €27,5 million, up from €22.5 million. However, the redevelopment of the club's old Highbury stadium could present some challenges ahead given the economic downturn, as Arsenal look to refinance the terms of their loan for the project.
Nevertheless, Gazidis insists the Gunners remain on a solid footing, with an increase of match-day turnover up €3.7 million to €50 million.
"If Arsene believes that there are players out there who can help the squad, the board is always behind him" he said.
Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas accepts it is "not realistic" for Arsenal to think about winning the Premier League this season.
"It is not realistic to look at the league title now," said the Spaniard .
Nedved definitely calling it a day
JUVENTUS playmaker Pavel Nedved (37) has announced he will retire at the end of the season.
The former Czech Republic international nearly quit before the current campaign but instead opted to sign a new 12-month deal with the Turin club. Now he says: “I will quit at the end of the season, no matter how well we do in the Champions League or Serie A.
“The decision is final and I don’t think I will change my mind – I don’t need to. It is the right time to quit.”
Quinn hails Short’s commitment
NIALL Quinn insists major investor Ellis Short has already demonstrated his commitment to Sunderland’s growth by refusing to cash in on Kenwyne Jones.
At a time when many clubs are having to cut back, Sunderland were offered the chance to make a huge profit on their €6.7 million investment in the former Southampton striker by selling him to Tottenham.
But backed by Irish-American Short, whose involvement was one of the topics of Roy Keane’s comments at the weekend, they instead handed Jones a new contract.
Quinn said: “He (Short) doesn’t want to be patted on the back or held up as some sort of hero.
“You look at the Kenwyne Jones saga this transfer window. The offers were well in excess of £15million (€16.8m) and we said no. That kind of says it all.”
Limiting foreign players back on cards
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has claimed a victory in his battle to limit the number of foreign players in matches.
A report by the Institute for European Affairs (INEA) claims the idea of restricting foreign players in league games through the “6+5” rule does not fall foul of EU rules on free movement of workers.
Blatter was yesterday delighted at the findings, saying: “This study confirms that we are not breaching European law in defending the 6+5 rule.
“On behalf of Fifa and its member associations, I would like to express my pleasure at this finding.
“Through 6+5 we wish to encourage the development of young players, protect national teams and maintain competitiveness and the unpredictability of results. This is why 6+5 is beneficial to football.”
The INEA’s findings will now form the basis of fresh talks between FIFA and the European Commission.
Bodnar reckons Celtic will be back
HUNGARY left back Laszlo Bodnar claims Celtic will try to sign him this summer after failing to land the 30-year-old last month. Capped 38 times by his country, the Red Bull Salzburg defender’s contract expires in the summer. “I know they (Celtic) will make contact again this summer.” said Bodnar.
PORTSMOUTH yesterday revealed they rejected a buy-out approach from former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega because of fears it could impact on the club’s long-term future. Vega made a move for the Premier League club earlier this month but Portsmouth claim he failed to prove he could fund the takeover.
STOCKPORT manager Jim Gannon has turned down the opportunity to take over at English League One rivals Brighton. The 40-year-old former Dundalk boss held talks with Brighton but has opted to stay at Edgeley Park.
NORWAY and Sweden said on Thursday they would notify Uefa of their interest in bidding to host the European championships in 2016.
