Football news

Robbers posing as police briefly locked up Lille striker Pierre-Alain Frau in the boot of his Mercedes car on Monday, before releasing him in another part of town and stealing the vehicle.

Local police said that as Frau was getting into his car, he was approached by hooded men in a car with flashing lights who presented themselves as police. He was on his way home from a late-night dinner after Lille's 2-1 defeat by Lorient on Sunday.

The attackers forced the Ligue 1 player to get into the boot of his car, which they then drove across town.

They released Frau on the street in a residential area before making off with his vehicle, credit card, mobile phone and hundreds of euros.

Zanetti sale a necessity - Secco

Juventus fans were taken by surprise with the transfer of midfielder Cristiano Zanetti to Fiorentina but Sporting Director Alessio Secco said the sale was a necessity.

Juve pocketed €2 million for the 32-year-old Zanetti and Secco said it was a good deal.

"Juve have perhaps worked harder than any other club in Italy," Secco said.

"At that point there was a need to release a midfielder and when the opportunity to sell Zanetti arrived we took it. It was also our last chance to make some money from his sale as he would have been available on a free next summer."

Zanetti signed a three-year deal with Fiorentina, terms which he had unsuccessfully asked Juventus for.

Everton reject Lescott request

Everton have rejected a formal transfer request from England defender Joleon Lescott, the Premier League club said yesterday.

"I have always said that we are not selling any players and that hasn't changed," Everton manager David Moyes told the club website.

The 26-year-old's written request follows Everton's decision to turn down two bids from league rivals Manchester City, the last coming on July 30 for £18 million.

Birmingham sign Ireland U-21 winger

Newly-promoted Birmingham City have captured Ireland U-21 winger James O'Shea on a two-year contract from Galway United for an undisclosed fee.

The 20-year-old can play either in midfield or up front and Birmingham manager Alex McLeish told bcfc.com: "James is a quick young winger with good feet. We had him over to take a look at him last season but it was at a stage where we'd already taken on players on loan and we couldn't do a deal.

"He came back on the radar quite recently and he's a good young prospect we hope can be a future star.

"James is not for going into the team right now. We felt he was worth a wee shout because he didn't cost the earth but is hopefully one we can turn into a top player."

Gerrard out of Dutch game

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has pulled out of the England squad for today's friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam because of a groin strain.

The midfielder trained on Monday but felt a slight soreness in the leg and it was decided to pull him out of the squad as a precaution.

The remainder of Fabio Capello's squad was able to make the trip to the Netherlands.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster has already been replaced by Joe Hart after hurting his knee in Manchester United's Community Shield defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.

Portsmouth rule out Kidd return

Portsmouth manager Paul Hart ruled out the return of experienced assistant coach Brian Kidd for the upcoming season. Kidd worked alongside Hart from February last season and helped keep Pompey in the top flight.

But Hart said: "He did a great job for me after turning down a number of other jobs. But he's a family man and Manchester is a long way."

Kidd spent the bulk of his coaching career with Manchester United, working under Alex Ferguson after moving to Old Trafford from Preston in 1991.

After a short time in charge at Blackburn, he later became an assistant to Sven-Goran Eriksson in the England set-up before a spell at Sheffield United.

Vieira not likely to leave Inter

Patrick Vieira is not likely to leave Inter this summer despite reports linking him with a sensational return to Arsenal.

The 33-year-old France midfielder has been strongly linked with a switch back to England, with Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur also said to be interested in Vieira.

Arsene Wenger, who signed Vieira from Milan in 1996, dropped a hint he could make a move for the former Arsenal captain, but did not give any other details.

Reports said Vieira wanted to leave Italy champions Inter in a bid to secure regular first-team football ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

But it is understood Vieira has now decided to stay put.