Football news

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani wants referees to use spray paint to show where a wall should stand on free-kicks.

Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf was booked in a row about players not retreating the 10 metres in Sunday's Serie A opener at Genoa, which the European champions won 3-0.

"In Brazil the referees use spray paint to fix the position of the wall on free-kicks," Galliani said.

"After a few minutes you can't see the line drawn with the spray. I hope that in Italy we can implement the same system which works very well in Brazil."

Lazaridis fails drugs test

Former Australia international Stan Lazaridis has been banned for 12 months after failing a drugs test, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) announced yesterday.

Lazaridis tested positive in November last year for the banned substance finasteride - a masking agent - which was present in medication he was taking to treat hair loss.

The former West Ham and Birmingham player's ban would be backdated to the day of the test, which means he would be available to play for his A-League club Perth Glory in December, the FFA said.

Kaka in contract talks

Kaka is in talks with Milan over a new contract. The Brazilian has become one of the world's hottest properties since moving to Serie A from his homeland.

Real Madrid have been desperately trying to secure his services ever since Ramon Calderon was elected president at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer.

But now it looks like Kaka will be staying with Milan, at least for the near future.

He said: "Neither I nor Milan are in a hurry. If I think about when I arrived, five years ago, it seems like a century has passed. And at Milan I met people like Maldini and Costacurta who transmitted to me the Milan mentality."

Kaka's current Milan deal runs out in 2011.

Red tape holds up Yakubu move

The £11.25 million transfer of Nigerian Yakubu Aiyegbeni from Middlesbrough cannot be completed because the striker has been refused a new work permit, buying club Everton said.

Although the 24-year-old has played in England since January 2003 when he joined Portsmouth from Maccabi Haifa, he quit playing for Nigeria in 2006 so now fails to meet the British Home Office requirement of involvement in 75 per cent of his country's internationals in the last two years.

Everton said they have appealed against the decision and expect to hear the result tomorrow.

Alves refuses to travel with squad

Sevilla's unsettled right-back Daniel Alves failed to join up with the rest of the squad for the flight to Greece yesterday for the Champions League third qualifying round clash with AEK Athens.

"Daniel Alves has shown a complete lack of respect towards his colleagues," Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido said.

The Brazil international had been included in Juande Ramos's squad for the second-leg match against AEK today, where they hold a 2-0 advantage, and for the Super Cup against Milan in Monaco on Friday.

Alves has said he still wants to leave Sevilla before the end of the transfer deadline, after a possible move to Chelsea appeared to have collapsed last week.

Adriano not considering move

Gilmar Rinaldi, Adriano's agent, said the unsettled Inter striker is not considering a move away from the Italian champions this week. Inter have opened the door for him to leave with Manchester City and Adriano's former club Parma both linked with a move for the Brazilian.

But Rinaldi said the player will wait until January.

"I have spoken with Adriano and we have decided that a loan is not a solution," Rinaldi said. "He wants to stay at Inter, otherwise he wants to be sold definitively."

Three clubs chase Nuno Gomes

Middlesbrough, Man. City and Wigan are reportedly chasing Benfica striker Nuno Gomes. All three clubs are in the market for a new striker and they have been alerted to Gomes's possible availability.

Benfica claim they do not want to lose Gomes but their stance could change if the Portuguese giants fail to qualify for the lucrative group stages of the Champions League this week.

Should they crash out to FC Copenhagen, Benfica could be forced to cash in on the former Fiorentina striker.

Barca dash Chelsea's hopes

Barcelona sport director Txiki Berguiristain has dismissed newspaper reports linking Ronaldinho with a move to Chelsea. According to the Daily Mail, Roman Abramovich has held two meetings with Ronaldinho's adviser in the hope of bringing the Barca star to England.

But Barca moved quickly to dispel the rumours.

Berguiristain said: "We do not want to sell him. Ronaldinho is our player and I am totally convinced that he will remain at the club."

Coppa Italia - 'an annoyance'

Aldo Spinelli, the Livorno supremo, does not fancy his team's chances at the Coppa Italia.

Livorno were thrashed 5-1 by Juventus in their opening game of the campaign and must now regroup to face Napoli away tomorrow.

"The Coppa Italia is nothing but an annoyance for us," Spinelli said.

"We've got three injured midfielders in Giannichedda, Vidigal and Dhorasoo and our thin squad is at risk of tiring itself out before our game against Palermo on Sunday."