Football News

The new national coach of Scotland will be named on Monday. The position has been vacant since Walter Smith resigned on January 10 and Alex McLeish, the former Rangers manager, is expected to be appointed.

McLeish, who turned 48 on Sunday, has already been interviewed by the Scottish FA. And it is thought that Andy Watson, his assistant at Motherwell, Hibernian and Ibrox, will join him as part of the new set-up.

Gary McAllister or Roy Aitken could also be part of the new regime.

Aitken, the former Aston Villa assistant, has been out of football since David O'Leary was axed by the Premiership club. Former Coventry manager McAllister has voiced his desire to return to football after time out of the game following the death of his wife.

Miccoli wants Italy return

Fabrizio Miccoli wants to quit Benfica after losing his place in the starting line-up. The striker, owned by Juventus, is currently in his second season on loan to the Portuguese side, but has struggled after suffering several injuries in the first part of the season and is not pleased with the criticism he received.

"I respect this club because they wanted me from Juventus, but I am not here to earn money without playing," the former Perugia and Fiorentina player said.

"This is the reason why I have spoken to the management - if someone doesn't like me I can leave. I am contracted to Juve until 2010 and there are several clubs interested in me."

Taylor quits England U-21

Peter Taylor is no longer coach of England U-21. The 54-year-old was dividing his time between the U-21s and managing Crystal Palace but said he wanted to concentrate on club football.

Taylor is stepping aside following his second spell with the U-21 squad that began in 2004. His first stint was between 1996 and 1999.

"I can't do it anymore and devote my time to helping the team ahead of June's European Under-21 Championship in Holland," Taylor told reporters.

"Anybody coming in would have to commit a lot to the job. I'm sad but I've had a great time with England."

Fiorentina interest in Ribery

Fiorentina are the latest club to show an interest in Marseille midfielder Franck Ribery. The French international has been linked with a move to a host of top European clubs since the summer.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus are all thought to be keen on Ribery.

Now Fiorentina have entered the fray, with chairman Andre Della Valle working on a huge offer in the summer.

Fiorentina are hoping a partnership of Ribery and Italy striker Luca Toni can ensure the club are challenging for major honours next season.

Another Marseille player linked with a move to Italy is starlet Samir Nasri, who is attracting the interest of Inter and Juventus.

Boro let veteran Parlour go

Ray Parlour has been released by Middlesbrough after almost three years. The 33-year-old midfielder played 60 games for Boro after arriving on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2004.

"Ray helped us in our first season of European football and helped us reach our highest league position," manager Gareth Southgate said.

Parlour is set to return to London in order to train with Arsenal and regain his fitness. He won 10 caps for England and was unlucky not to play a part in Euro 2000, with a knee injury forcing him to withdraw from the squad.

Zambrotta missing Juventus

Gianluca Zambrotta said yesterday he missed Italian football and former club Juventus in particular.

"I will always hold Juve in my heart. Just think I've had a satellite installed so I can watch their games from my home in Barcelona. I saw the 4-2 victory over Bari," he said.

"It was a strange effect to see my former team-mates in Serie B. It would've been so much better if it had all ended differently, but my choice and those of the others who left must be respected.

"In any case, I am and always will be a Juventus fan."

Chicago fail to lure Zidane

Chicago Fire general manager John Guppy has admitted they attempted to lure Zinedine Zidane out of retirement. But the ex-France star, who quit the game after last year's World Cup final, has no intention of joining David Beckham in the US.

"We reached out to Zidane," Guppy told the Chicago Tribune, "but so has every other MLS club. The feedback we've all got is that he's retired."

Chicago Fire said they also failed in a bid to bring Swede Henrik Larsson to MLS. Larsson is on loan at Manchester United from his hometown club Helsingborg.

Catania with one sole aim

Pasquale Marino, the Catania coach, yesterday told reporters that his club's main target this season remains Serie A survival, despite moving up to fourth place after Wednesday's 2-1 win over Empoli.

"My men played a good match, I am very happy, but we must keep our feet on the ground," said Marino.

"We must continue playing like we did against Empoli. There are great teams behind us.

"Lazio, Milan and Udinese are strong sides. We should be very careful when we talk about the Champions League. We mustn't lose sight of our main objective, which remains survival."