Today's other soccer news in brief

Sturridge fee set by tribunal

CHELSEA must pay Manchester City an initial fee of €3.95 million for Daniel Sturridge and the striker’s transfer could eventually cost the London club around €7.9 million.

The English Professional Football Compensation Committee hearing ruled a compensation payment of €3.95 million was due, with additional payments of €565,000 due after each of 10, 20, 30 and 40 first-team competitive appearances in all competitions.

A further payment of €1.25 million will be due if Sturridge makes a full international appearance, while City will be due a 15 per cent sell-on fee if the 19-year-old leaves Stamford Bridge in the future.

Sturridge joined Chelsea in July on a four-year deal after his contract expired at City.

The two clubs could not agree a fee and, because of his age, City were entitled to some recompense, which was determined by the tribunal.

Worthington commits to IFA

NIGEL Worthington is to continue as Northern Ireland manager after the Irish Football Association confirmed he had verbally agreed a new contract.

The deal is due to run for the length of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, the governing body said in a statement.

Worthington’s future was unclear after his contract finished at the end of 2009 and he was linked with Sheffield Wednesday.

- DUNFERMLINEwere yesterday kicked out of the Scottish Cup for "a number of breaches of the cup competition rules" in last Saturday's fourth-round win over Stenhousemuir.

Dunfermline’s expulsion came mainly as the result of fielding Calum Woods, who came off the bench in the second half of the 7-1 win at East End Park, despite the SFA’s official suspensions list declaring him banned for the match.

McCarthy to get as much as he needs

WOLVES chairman Steve Morgan has said that Mick McCarthy will have the money he needs to strengthen his squad before the end of the transfer window, reports Emmet Malone.

“Mick has whatever funds he wants,” he said yesterday. “But it’s not as easy as picking players off a shelf.”

Wolves have been repeatedly linked with Republic of Ireland winger Stephen Hunt and are believed to have made two bids for the player, the second one, of almost €4 million, over the last couple of days.

Despite wanting to reduce their wage bill by around €10 million, Hull City officials have suggested that it would take something approaching twice the figure offered by Wolves to secure Hunt.

Irish international striker Caleb Folan, meanwhile, has found himself training with the Hull City youth team this week after refusing a loan move to QPR.

Everton offload Neill to Galatasaray

EVERTON defender Lucas Neill is to join Turkish club Galatasaray after this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Manchester City.

The 31-year-old defender only agreed a one-year deal with Everton in September after becoming a free agent when his contract ended at West Ham in the summer, making 15 appearances.

The Australia international admitted he had not been expecting to leave Goodison Park.

- THE earringthat was confiscated from Diego Maradona as part payment of his tax arrears in Italy has been sold to an anonymous woman at auction for €25,000, a spokesman for the agency organising the sale said yesterday.

The Argentina coach owes the Italian inland revenue more than €30 million stemming from unpaid taxes when he played for Napoli and helped them to win the Serie A title in 1987 and 1990.

 Arsenal to host Ireland’s friendly against Brazil

THE Republic of Ireland’s friendly international against Brazil has been scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday, March 2nd, at the Emirates stadium in London although Kentaro, the sports agency organising the game, must obtain the permission of the English FA before formally confirming the match, reports Emmet Malone.

Kentaro, who have staged a number of Brazil matches at the north London venue previously, including matches against Italy, Argentina and Portugal, had been in talks with Arsenal football club for some time while the FAI had been negotiating with the GAA.

But sources in London confirmed yesterday that agreement has been reached for the match to go ahead there pending the near formality of approval while Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna said he had been notified in writing by the association here that the Emirates will stage the game.

“It’s disappointing because a game like this brings a great deal to the city but it was their decision to make,” he said. “The market and economy are a different place as compared to when Brazil came here in 2008 and our rate reflected that but unfortunately we still weren’t successful in attracting the game.”

Ireland’s recent games in London, against Colombia and Nigeria, have attracted rather modest crowds but Brazil have filled Arsenal’s 60,000 seat venue on each occasion that they have played there.

Details on ticket sales are not yet available.

Setanta Cup  kicks Derry out

DERRY City were last night thrown out of this year’s Setanta Sports Cup with a meeting of the competition’s organising committee held in Belfast deciding that the club should forfeit its place in light of the financial scandal that resulted in City being expelled from the League of Ireland Premier Division before Christmas, reports Emmet Malone.

Linfield officials had suggested that they would not take any further part in the competition this year with club chairman Jim Kerr, having insisted that they would not play City, describing the competition as “dead in the water”.

Relations between the two clubs have soured in recent times with the League of Ireland club failing to pay their counterparts for tickets sold in Derry for their meeting at Windsor Park earlier this season.

The indications yesterday were, however, that all of the Irish League clubs will continue to participate so Linfield and St Patrick’s Athletic are expected to play each other at the end of February.

Redknapp caught out   

TOTTENHAM Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was yesterday accused of a €45,000 tax evasion.

The 62-year-old Londoner voluntarily attended Bishopsgate police station in the capital to be charged by police, his solicitor said in an official statement.

The move comes at the end of an exhaustive 26-month police and tax inquiry into alleged corruption in English soccer by the Crown Prosecution Service.