Sporting briefs

McBride: Fulham striker Brian McBride has signed a new deal at Craven Cottage. The American international has inked a one-year extension to prolong his stay in west London. The 34-year-old has established himself as a key member of Fulham's side since arriving from Columbus Crew in 2004. Fulham boss Chris Coleman was delighted to keep the influential forward at the club. "I'm delighted, as I'm sure everybody associated with Fulham football club will be," Coleman said.

Henry: Arsenal striker Thierry Henry said he was unsure if he would be selected for the League Cup final against Chelsea in Cardiff on Feb. 25. "You have to ask the boss, he picks the team," he said. "The so-called kids have been doing tremendously in the League Cup. Whatever is the decision of the boss, I have to accept it." Henry was left out of the squad for the semi-final against bitter rivals Tottenham, which Arsenal won 5-3 on aggregate following a 3-1 extra-time home win last Wednesday.

Chivu: Romanian football must crack down on its own violent supporters to avoid a repeat of the scenes which shocked Italian soccer last week, national team captain Cristian Chivu said. His side were due to play Italy in a friendly in Siena on Wednesday but the game has been cancelled . Romania will now meet Moldova in a hastily-arranged friendly in Bucharest on Wednesday. "Romanian authorities must not wait for similar events, like the death of an Italian policeman in Catania, to happen in local soccer," Chivu, who plays for Italian side Roma, told reporters.

Luhukay: Dutchman Jos Luhukay will remain Borussia Moenchengladbach coach until the end of the season after breaking the side's long winless streak at the first attempt, the club said yesterday. Luhukay was given the job on a caretaker basis when Jupp Heynckes stepped down on Wednesday after a run of 13 matches without a victory. The team gained a morale-boosting 2-0 win away at Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday - Luhukay's first match in charge - and the club said yesterday they were appointing him as head coach until the end of the season.

Al Ahli coach: Manual Jose, the Portuguese coach of Egyptian and African champions Al Ahli, apologised yesterday for starting to undress in public in protest against a referee's decision. Jose took off his jacket and started to unbutton his shirt after referee Nasser Abbas booked Al Ahli's Tunisian midfielder Anis Boujelbene during the team's 4-0 win over Haras el-Hodoud on Friday. The referee expelled Jose after the incident, which sparked a hostile media campaign against the 60-year-old coach.