Football news

Didier Drogba has said that Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was the main reason behind his decision to stay at Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Ivory Coast international was upset by the departure of Jose Mourinho early last season and speculation suggested he could leave the club during the transfer window.

"Scolari is one of those coaches who is very close to the players. His style is similar to Mourinho's," Drogba said.

"I spoke with him and he showed he wanted me to stay and that is what finally convinced me. I have had a lot to think about throughout the summer. It is true that it was 50/50 as to whether I would stay but I still think I have something to prove."

Megson furious about penalty decision

Bolton manager Gary Megson described as "nonsense" the referee's decision to award a penalty to Manchester United that enabled them to open the scoring in Saturday's 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

"The decision is an absolute howler," said Megson after referee Rob Styles gave a penalty despite Jlloyd Samuel's tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo being fair.

"It was absolute nonsense. I don't think anyone in the ground thought it was an actual penalty. We thought that Ronaldo was going to get booked for diving, which would have been strong, but to give a penalty was a complete surprise.

"He's played the ball, it's not even close, and Cristiano's fallen over his leg."

Ancelotti confirms Abramovich talks

Carlo Ancelotti has admitted meeting Roman Abramovich in the summer but insists it was not to discuss the Chelsea job.

Milan coach Ancelotti was strongly linked with the Stamford Bridge post after Avram Grant was sacked by the London club at the end of last season.

"It's true, I met Abramovich," Ancelotti told Sky Italia. "He wanted to know what my philosophy was. But it was immediately made clear that I had a contract with Milan and that I wanted to stay there.

"It was an informal talk, and my club knew about the meeting because Galliani is aware of everything."

Nantes fans protest at training ground

Frustrated Nantes supporters painted graffiti at the club's training ground during the night after the Ligue 1 team suffered their fifth defeat of the season at Caen (0-3) on Saturday.

"They forced their way through the gates and painted graffiti on the walls and the floor of the building," administrative director Luc Delatour told Reuters.

The slogans 'Kita out' and 'Praud get lost' were directed at the club's chairman Waldemar Kita and director Pascal Praud, he added. Other graffiti referred to 'overpaid players' and said 'FC Nantes belongs to the supporters'.

Nantes lie 19th in the 20-team league with four points from seven games.

Kinnear serving touchline ban

New Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear did not lead his new team from the touchline on Saturday as he was serving a two-match ban he received during his time as manager of Nottingham Forest, the FA said.

Kinnear served his first match in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn and the 61-year-old will complete his punishment with next Sunday's Premier League trip to Everton.

An FA spokesman said: "It is a two-match suspension which is carried over from when he left his position at Nottingham Forest to when he started any further employment, in this case at Newcastle."

Kinnear received the ban for comments made to the referee after Nottingham Forest's clash with Gillingham in 2004, when he described the official as 'Coco the clown'.

Portsmouth not for sale but...

Portsmouth have issued a statement insisting that the club is not for sale, although a good offer would be given 'serious consideration'.

Recent speculation suggests that Pompey are £60 million in debt and may be forced to let some of their top players go in the January transfer window. Some reports have also claimed that owner Alexandre Gaydamak might be looking to sell the club.

"The press seem determined to speculate on the sale of a number of clubs in the Premier League and have now turned their attention to Portsmouth," a club statement said.

"The club's owner has already stated that the club is not for sale but, as with all businesses, should the right offer be forthcoming serious consideration would be given to the proposal."

Rossi upbeat about Lazio future

Delio Rossi believes Lazio can return to the glory days of the Sergio Cragnotti era by building a title-challenging side but this time on a sound budget.

Lazio won the scudetto in 2000 but were pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by former president Cragnotti while doing so.

"I hope that with this new squad we can get back to the heights of the Cragnotti era," Rossi said.

"Although there are markedly different economic approaches, I think it is an objective we can reach through a solid squad and hard work. We want to start a new era that can take Lazio where they have proved they belong, in other words in the top group."