Football news

Luiz Felipe Scolari said Arsenal had shown interest in Salomon Kalou but Chelsea were not letting their player go.

With Didier Drogba sidelined and Andriy Shevchenko at Milan, Chelsea played Nicolas Anelka as a lone striker against Tottenham on Sunday, with Kalou coming off the bench. Scolari said Kalou will play a key role for Chelsea this season.

He said: "I have Kalou. If you ask Arsene Wenger, he wants Kalou as a centre-forward and Arsene is an intelligent man. He wanted Kalou two or three months ago when we started negotiations for some players. I said no, he has a role to play here.

"If Arsene loves Kalou as a number nine, I may try it sometimes as well."

Sheva impressed by fans' welcome

Andriy Shevchenko said he was impressed with the way Milan fans welcomed him at the San Siro last Sunday even though the home side were beaten by Bologna in the opening match of the Seriea A.

The former Chelsea player said he was afraid some would jeer him after demanding a transfer move two years ago to the English Premiership.

"I really must thank the supporters for the fantastic welcome. It really moved me and I wish to thank them from the bottom of my heart," Shevchenko said.

"I honestly did not expect this type of match. Milan created so many chances and played well. We had the opportunities to go in front."

President Silvio Berlusconi was in the stands at the San Siro.

"The president was happy with the type of football we played and said it can happen to lose a game," Shevchenko said.

"I'm sorry, but next time we will be better."

Celtic's Lennon assaulted

Neil Lennon, the former Celtic captain and now a coach at the club, was in hospital yesterday after being assaulted in an entertainment area in Glasgow's west end.

Police were called to Ashton Lane, well known for trendy pubs and restaurants, at around 12.25 a.m. The former midfielder from Northern Ireland was taken to hospital and released later on after treatment.

The incident came hours after Lennon was in the Celtic dugout during his club's 4-2 home defeat to Rangers.

Frings breaks nose

Midfielder Torsten Frings will miss Germany's World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Finland after breaking his nose in a basketball game organised by Werder Bremen sponsors.

The German Football Association (DFB) said in a statement Frings had pulled out of the squad for the two matches in Vaduz on Saturday and Helsinki on September 10.

Germany coach Joachim Loew is awaiting news on the fitness of captain Michael Ballack, who did not play in Chelsea's game on Sunday because of injury.

Napoli face ban

Napoli are facing sanctions and could be forced to play home fixtures away from the San Paolo stadium after violent clashes involving their fans on Sunday.

Napoli did well at Rome's Olympic Stadium to preserve a one-all draw but scenes off the pitch have once more tarnished the image of Italian football.

A Napoli fan was arrested for possessing a knife in the ground and a number of similar weapons were confiscated by police around the stadium. After the game, there were worrying scenes at Naples' main train station as fans went on the rampage and damaged one of the trains.

"There is bitterness and regret about what happened," Italian Football Federation Giancarlo Abete stated. "These hooligans don't represent football."

Motherwell in mourning again

Jamie Dolan, a former Motherwell midfielder, has died aged 39. His death is the latest shock to hit the club following the passing away of captain Phil O'Donnell who died from a cardiac arrest on December 29 last year during a game against Dundee United at Fir Park.

Dolan started his career at Motherwell in the 1980s and soon found himself promoted to the senior squad. He was a mainstay in the heart of the Motherwell midfield in the early to mid-1990s.

Dolan retained strong links with Motherwell, playing an active role in the former players' club and assisting the club with charity and sponsors' events.

Juve chief locked

Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, the Juventus chairman, admitted that Tiago Mendes, the unsettled Portuguese, had locked him inside the bathroom.

"The story of me being locked in the toilet by Tiago is true," Cobolli Gigli told Sky Italia.

"It's a shame it got out, as this was something I told a friend in confidence. In any case, Alessandro Del Piero responded to the noise of me punching the door and offered to break it down."

Tiago has refused transfers elsewhere this summer. The story had emerged last weekend but the report only stated that Del Piero had rescued Cobolli Gigli when he was accidentally locked in the bathroom at the club's training ground.

But, it seems that Tiago was behind the 'accident'. Reports said Cobolli Gigli was locked in for an hour before Del Piero happened to walk past and heard his chief calling for help.