By Andy Cole 28 May 2010 England’s phoney war of pre-World Cup friendlies has just one more skirmish left – this weekend’s match against Japan – but there are still questions to answer all over the pitch. The most problematic of those in my view is not a new dilemma but one of the oldest: […]

By Nick Harris 28 May 2010 Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, have released a statement this morning via the club board – a statement that coincides with the publication of United’s quarterly accounts – that expresses in the clearest terms yet that they do not want to sell the club. “The Board notes recent […]

By Nick Harris 27 May 2010 Scotland’s manager Craig Levein today became the second high-profile Scottish manager in recent weeks to pass his apparently sincere good wishes to England for this summer’s World Cup. As sportingintelligence reported last month, Birmingham’s manager, Alex McLeish, a former Scotland manager, said he would “love it” if England lifted […]

By Keira Daley 27 May 2010 Two rowing teams – an all-male crew of four and an all-female crew of four – will set off next Tuesday from Tower Bridge in London in an attempt to row non-stop, without assistance, on a 2,010-mile course around mainland Great Britain. The event, sponsored by Virgin, is a precursor […]

By Pete Wilson 27 May 2010 Jose Mourinho is likely to make summer bids to take Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Chelsea’s Ashley Cole to Real Madrid, where he is about to start work after winning the Champions League with Internazionale. Cole has endured recent upheaval in his personal life and is going through a divorce […]

By Nick Harris 27 May 2010 Under proposals for ‘Financial Fair Play’ in European football, approved by Uefa’s executive committee today, clubs aspiring to play in European club events will apparently need to start balancing their books from next year, the 2011-12 season. The word “apparently” is appropriate because it is not yet clear when […]

26 May 2010 Tim Howard of Everton, Brad Guzan of Aston Villa and Marcus Hahnemann of Wolverhampton Wanderers are the three goalkeepers named today in the USA’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup. All ply their trade in the English Premier League, and English clubs contribute eight players altogether. The full story is on […]

26 May 2010 A global poll of 74 economists by Reuters has found Spain are the favourites to win the World Cup, followed by Brazil. Of those taking part, 24 tipped Spain and 23 Brazil, says the news agency. Reuters acknowledge that economists are not very good at predicting World Cup winners; a similar poll in […]

By Nick Harris 26 May 2010 A leading law firm that has advised a number of potential buyers of Premier League clubs this season has called for the scrapping of the nine-point penalty for entering administration, arguing that it encourages bad business practice. Points penalties are now the norm in English football for clubs entering […]

By Pete Wilson 26 May 2010 Rafael Benitez has been installed as the 7-2 bookmakers’ favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his job, in a market priced by William Hill as “the sack race”. “There is already speculation about the long-term future of a number of Prem bosses, but we think […]