Football news

China captain Zheng Zhi was given the green light to start his career with Scottish giants Celtic after being granted a work permit.

The 29-year-old midfielder arrived in Glasgow on Friday to sign a reported two-year deal.

However, Zheng will not be able to play in Celtic's Europa League games after UEFA confirmed he was not registered in time.

Zheng has already played in Britain having spent three years at Charlton Athletic before leaving the club at the end of last season.

Abramovich scaling Mount Kilimanjaro

Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of under-fire English Premiership giants Chelsea has begun scaling Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, at the start of a 10-day visit to Tanzania, officials said.

The head of the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority, Mapinduzi Mdessa said Abramovich was accompanied by 113 local porters when he started trekking up the 5,900m Kilimanjaro on Thursday night with six other foreign nationals.

"He landed here by a chopper in the morning from Dar es Salaam and registered ready for the exercise. It will take them six to seven days to reach the summit," said Mdessa.

Milan deny Libyan take-over reports

Milan have dismissed speculation that the club is looking for a buyer following a report in a national newspaper on Friday.

La Repubblica claimed that club president Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the Italy Prime Minister, looked into the possibility of finding investors on a trip to Libya.

However, Fininvest, a financial holding company owned by the Berlusconi family and composed of various other entities, such as Milan and Berlusconi's Mediaset company, denied the club president is looking to sell.

"In relation to the latest press indiscretions, Fininvest repeats once again that there is no plan to sell AC Milan," said a company statement.

Riise's ex-agent cleared of fraud

The former agent of Roma's Norwegian defender John Arne Riise, Einar Baardsen, has been cleared of charges of defrauding the player, media in Norway reported.

The court in Stavanger threw out an argument by prosecutors that Baardsen duped 22 million kroner (2.5 million euros) out of the former Liverpool player and should be found guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

It was claimed that Baardsen, who represented the player between 2001 and 2005, broke an agreement to make investments on Riise's behalf, instead pumping 12 million kroner into his own companies and stashing away another 10 million in his personal bank account.

Pires has no plans to retire

Villarreal playmaker Robert Pires has revealed he has no current plans to retire from football. The 35-year-old is currently contracted to the Primera Liga club until 2010 having penned a new deal in April this year.

Pires is still enjoying his time at Villarreal and explained he could take up an ambassador role when he eventually calls an end to his playing days.

He told Le 10 Sport: "I consider myself a survivor. I feel fine both physically and mentally. I am in no rush to stop my career.

"The chairman has a project. After my career, I could represent the club abroad or during draws for competitions. I could embody its image notably to meet the players."

Le Havre report United to FIFA

Le Havre president Jean-Pierre Louvel has contacted FIFA about Manchester United's signing of Paul Pogba.

Chelsea were hit with an 18-month transfer embargo last week following their illegal purchase of Gael Kakuta from Lens in 2007.

Le Havre threatened to report United for the way they approached teenage star Pogba. FIFA announced on Friday they had yet to receive an official complaint from Le Havre but Louvel claims he has now submitted the case.

"I hope we will get the same result (as the Gael Kakuta case), which could justify to those clubs they can't do anything and they have rules to respect."

Asamoah could leave Schalke

Schalke striker Gerald Asamoah admits he will be considering his future at the club if he is not involved in the first-team. The Germany international appears to be on the fringes of the first-team under Felix Magath.

The 30-year-old now admits that he will be looking to move on if he does not get his wish of playing regularly.

"I'm doing my best to return to full match fitness and convince the coach of my qualities," he told Bild.

"I feel like I still have a future at Schalke but I could leave the club in the winter if I don't get regular first-team football."