Football news

Belgian striker François Sterchele was killed yesterday morning in a car crash, local media reports said.

The 26-year-old, leading scorer in the Belgian top flight with Germinal Beerschot in the 2006-2007 season, was also leading scorer for Club Bruges this term with 11 goals.

Sterchele made his international debut in March 2007.

Keegan summoned for meeting with Newcastle boss

Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan will meet the club's billionaire owner Mike Ashley today to discuss the club's future prospects.

Keegan, holding his pre-match news briefing before Sunday's final Premier League game of the season against Everton a day earlier than usual, told reporters he was meeting Ashley in London.

"The reason we have held the press conference a day early is because I am going to London tomorrow to talk with Mike Ashley so that is a good thing. I'm looking forward to that," he said yesterday, refusing to be drawn any further on the subject.

Ashley has been widely reported to be angry following comments Keegan made after Newcastle's 2-0 league defeat by Chelsea on Monday.

Keegan said Newcastle were "a million miles" away from joining the top four clubs in the league and complained he had no proof yet that he would receive the financial backing required to break into the top four.

Benfica confirm talks with Eriksson

Benfica confirmed yesterday they had talked to Manchester City's Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson about a possible return to Portugal, the club said in a statement.

"The club confirms talks... with Eriksson but up till now no details of the contract have been discussed," the club said.

On Wednesday, Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira travelled to Manchester to talk to the former England manager about a possible return to the Lisbon club he coached for two spells in the 1980s and 1990s.

British media have suggested Eriksson will leave City at the end of the season because Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra is unhappy with the club's performance.

Eriksson won the Portuguese league three times and reached the final of the Champions League (1990) and UEFA Cup (1983), during his two stints with Benfica.

Kaka urges Galliani to go for Messi

Milan playmaker Kaka has said he would try to sign Barcelona forward Lionel Messi if he were Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani.

"At the moment he is a player I like to watch, a player who makes a difference in an incredible way. If I could sign one player, yes, I would sign Messi," he told Sky. "We could certainly play together."

Japan's Chiba target Liverpool coach Miller

Liverpool first-team coach Alex Miller could soon become the new manager of Japanese J-League club JEF United Chiba.

"We have drawn up a list and are hoping to make an announcement either tomorrow or the next day," JEF United's Kentaro Shiga told Reuters yesterday.

"Miller is one of our candidates."

Japanese media reported that the struggling J-League side, who sacked Croatian Josip Kuze in midweek, have offered Miller a salary of £500,000 ($975,000) a year.

Miller, 58, managed Scottish clubs Hibernian and Aberdeen before joining Liverpool's backroom staff in 1999 as chief scout under then manager Gerard Houllier.

The Scot was promoted to first-team coach after Spaniard Rafael Benitez's arrival as manager of the English Premier League side in 2004.

Euro 2008 fans can have their chips

The Swiss government has agreed to ease restrictions on the importation of potatoes following fears that Euro 2008 soccer fans could face a shortage of French fries next month.

A spokesman for the country's department of agriculture told national radio that the government would allow an additional 5,000 tonnes of potatoes to be brought in.

The decision follows a request by Swiss potato industry association Swisspatat who warned that supplies were already running low in the build-up to the June tournament.

The association has estimated that 3,000 additional tonnes will be needed to make chips for foreign supporters, with the remaining 2,000 used for other forms of potato.

The tournament runs from June 7 to 29 and will be co-hosted by Switzerland and neighbouring Austria.

Nedved hints at imminent retirement

Juventus midfield veteran Pavel Nedved has hinted that he will announce his retirement within the next few days, according to reports.

With his contract in Turin expiring at the end of the season, the 35-year-old's future has been unclear but it now seems that he is ready to hang up his boots.

"I will end the uncertainty very soon," the Czech international said.

"There comes a moment when it is right to say enough is enough because the head can't keep doing it, even if the body can."

Nedved quit international football after a friendly against Serbia in August 2006, but he has been urged to return to the Czech side for Euro 2008.

"Several of my Czech team-mates have called me to ask me to play and I can't just say no right now. So I am thinking about it," he said.