Football news

Federico Macheda's debut goal for Manchester United is the result of a cattle market where young players are snapped up by rich foreign clubs, Lazio president Claudio Lotito said.

"It's unthinkable that a lad of 15 can be bought as if it was a cattle market," Lotito said.

"Normally these boys are not from wealthy families and they look for alternatives in foreign countries for economic reasons.

"We knew that he was a great player, we did everything to keep him but we cannot allow ourselves to behave in a way which I feel is immoral."

Adriano has something personal

Inter's Brazilian striker Adriano had not returned to Italy because of a personal matter his agent said.

Adriano was due to fly back to Italy on Thursday after Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Peru.

The Brazilian media has been rife with speculation about what has happened to the player but Inter coach Jose Mourinho has already said he did not consider it to be a case of indiscipline.

"It's not a family problem," Gilmar Rinaldi told reporters.

"It's something very personal, which could happen to anyone, but it's a private thing and that's why I can't say what it is."

Bayern must bounce back

Bayern Munich must atone for their humiliating 5-1 league defeat by Wolfsburg at the weekend when they face Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Rummenigge said the Bayern players, who were heavily criticised by coach Juergen Klinsmann for lacking commitment in Saturday's defeat, knew exactly what they had to do today.

"We clearly expect that the team bends over backwards now," Rummenigge said.

"It is now up to the team."

Bayern have yet to lose in this season's Champions League but have been erratic in the Bundesliga. They have so far also failed to top the standings this season.

Donati sees no future at Celtic

Celtic's Italian midfielder Massimo Donati says he is eyeing a return home after a major falling out with manager Gordon Strachan.

Donati made the announcement yesterday in what was a repeat of his claim in February that Strachan was treating him like an outcast.

"Since I had the argument with the manager, I am not being considered, so things are not going well," said the 28-year-old who joined the club from Milan in 2007.

Donati, who has made just one first team appearance since November, added: "I will have to stay until the championship is finished. We will see what happens in the summer."

Friedrich could miss all season

Hertha Berlin captain Arne Friedrich could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury he sustained in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

Defender Friedrich, a key player in Hertha's bid for a first Bundesliga title since 1931, will have an operation today and will be out for between four and six weeks.

"This is extremely bitter because I wanted to help the team in this crucial phase," the Germany defender told the club's website.

"I hope to play again during this season and that is my goal."

Hertha are third in the league on 49 points with eight matches left.

Officials banned for poor show

The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) suspended four referees this week for alleged poor officiating at domestic league matches.

Angel Angelov, Tsvetan Georgiev, Ahmed Ahmed and Nikolay Hristov have been taken off the referee list for an unspecified period.

"We're running into difficulties because we don't have enough qualified referees but as we've said there would be no compromise," a spokesman said.

In the past two years, nearly two dozen top Bulgarian referees have been banned for making mistakes.

Two former officials said last year there was widespread pressure on match officials to manipulate games in the Balkan country.

Complaint over Podolski's slap

An anonymous complaint of assault has been made against Germany striker Lukas Podolski for striking Michael Ballack in the face during last week's World Cup qualifier against Wales.

"We received an anonymous complaint on Monday," Guenther Feld, a senior prosecutor for Cologne, confirmed.

Podolski admitted he was "an idiot" for the slap and the German Football Federation announced he would pay €5,000 towards a fair play initiative.

But after Monday's formal complaint by an anonymous party, the incident has become a legal matter and will now be handed to the Munich public prosecutor's office to be dealt with within the jurisdiction where Podolski lives.