'Humiliated' Savage quits Wales: Robbie Savage retired from international football yesterday in typically controversial circumstances that reflected the mutual antipathy between him and John Toshack, the new Wales manager.
The midfielder (30), who won 39 Welsh caps, accused Toshack of trying to humiliate him by leaving him out of the squad for the two World Cup qualifiers against Austria later this month. "He (Toshack) did ring me today, even if he didn't call me by my name," said Savage last night. "He just said, 'It's John Toshack.' He did say he was leaving me out of the next couple of squads and I did say in no uncertain terms, not that I would have retired anyway but that this had made my decision for me."
Savage's comments were at odds with his initial reaction to Toshack's call when he cited wanting to spend more time with his young family and prolonging his career with Blackburn Rovers as the reason for his retirement. Toshack's decision follows Savage's absence through injury from last month's friendly against Hungary, and the displays of Carl Robinson and Carl Fletcher in midfield. "I was happy with the way they played and want to see them in a competitive match," he said.
The row marks a parting of the ways that was always likely once Savage stated that he wanted Gary Speed to succeed Mark Hughes as manager rather than Toshack. Savage resented the criticisms that Toshack, in his role as a television pundit, had made of him and his team-mates. ...
Robson goes to tribunal: Bobby Robson intends to resolve his severance dispute with Newcastle by becoming the first manager to use a tribunal of arbitration established by the Premier League and the League Managers' Association in 1992.
"Everything is in place for the tribunal of arbitration to go ahead and be used for the first time," said John Barnwell, chief executive of the LMA, last night. "We are just waiting for Newcastle - (who have right of veto) - to approve the tribunal's independent chairman."
Robson has been at loggerheads with Newcastle, who sacked him last August, over the terms of the settlement on the outstanding year of his contract. Although his former club have continued paying his basic salary in monthly instalments of around £100,000, Robson insists he is entitled to further bonuses and should also have been given a lump sum.
In Brief: Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta has announced his retirement from the game. The 36-year-old, who is his country's record scorer with 56 goals in 78 internationals, quit following Friday's cancellation of his contract at Qatar outfit Al Arabi, for whom he has barely played this season because of injuries. AS Roma coach Luigi Del Neri has left the club by "mutual consent" following Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Cagliari.Ajax have named former Netherlands defender Danny Blind as manager in place of Ronald Koeman. Dundee United manager Ian McCall has left the club, who are bottom of the Scottish Premier League, by mutual consent. Former Celtic defender Johan Mjallby has agreed to terminate his contract with Levante from the end of March, after failing to recover from a knee injury he sustained in October.
