Football news

League Two hopefuls Notts County are looking to add more firepower to their ranks with the signing of Michael Mifsud (picture), skysports.com reported yesterday.

Mifsud has been without a team after completing the season on loan with Barnsley in the Championship last season. He is a free agent and has been linked with various clubs this summer including Sheffield United and Leeds United. Charlton also failed to convince him.

Turkish club Ankaragucu offered Mifsud terms, as did Greek side Larissa - but he was unable to agree deals with them, Sky said.

Notts County, the world's oldest club, want to regain past glory and already signed experienced players like Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel to work their way back into the top flight.

Mifsud, 28, could be the Magpies' latest capture if agreement is reached with negotiations currently under way.

Capello in the clear after tax probe

Fabio Capello's lawyers have been told that the England head coach and his family will not face any criminal charges following a tax investigation in Italy.

Prosecutors in Turin spent 18 months looking into the finances of Capello and his family's trust, which includes his wife, Laura Ghisi, and two sons, Pierfilippo and Edoardo.

Reports in Italy say that a sum of €5m in owed taxes has been re-paid but it is understood that sum relates to a company that Capello was a director of in the 1990s and has not been associated with for 10 years.

FIFA rule out Chelsea loan recalls

FIFA have told Chelsea they cannot recall any players on season-long loans under the terms of their transfer ban.

It is another body blow for the English club who were banned from signing any new players during the next two transfer windows when FIFA found them guilty of inducing teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.

Although the Blues intend to appeal against the punishment, coach Carlo Ancelotti was hoping to minimise the damage by recalling U-21 defender Michael Mancienne from Wolves, forward Scott Sinclair from Wigan and Argentinian striker Franco di Santo from Blackburn.

"If it's a season-long loan, it cannot be terminated in order to bring players back," FIFA said.

Viduka quits Europe to return home

Former Australia captain Mark Viduka, 33, is planning to return home after deciding to call time on his European career, the striker's manager said.

Viduka left Australia in 1995 to play in Croatia and has spent the last decade in Britain but wants to return home after he was released by Newcastle United when they were relegated from the Premier League last season.

"I can confirm that Mark will not be seeking another contract in England or Europe and is coming home to Australia to live," his agent Steve Kutner said.

"He's about to enter a new phase in his life."

Former PSG bosses under suspect

Two former presidents of Paris SG are among 17 people that public prosecutors are demanding appear in court over suspect transfer dealings at the club.

Prosecutors requested that former presidents Francis Graille and Laurent Perpere along with 15 others, including players and agents, answer a case over transfers at the club between 1998 and 2003.

The club is being accused of "altering documents, failure to declare players' salaries and use of forgeries" and sportswear giant Nike France of "use of forgeries and aiding and abetting concealed work".

'Only Jesus can replace Maradona'

Diego Maradona's faltering reign as Argentina coach would only be ended by the arrival of Jesus Christ, team manager Carlos Bilardo said in a bizarre exchange with reporters.

"If Jesus Christ returned or the Virgin Mary, then I'd accept it. Otherwise, no," said Bilardo.

Maradona skippered Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title when Bilardo was coach.

But the 48-year-old has come under intense pressure with the team's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign threatening to fall apart.

"Diego deserves to be the coach," added Bilardo. "But at the moment, he needs to show that he is the man."

Tevez fee claims 'wide of mark'

Carlos Tevez's advisors have reacted furiously to claims the actual fee they received for the Argentina star to sign for Manchester City this summer was £47 million.

Only a handful of people involved in the deal, plus key Premier League employees in its administration, know the exact figure.

Estimates tended to range from £25-30 million, which went unchallenged at the time.

However, in defending themselves over the failure to keep Tevez, Manchester United cast doubt on such a sum, hinting the exact "transfer" which took the South American out of third party ownership into the sole charge of Man. City was significantly above that sum.

Tevez's long-time advisor Kia Joorabchian said: "This story is inaccurate and misleading. There appears to be the hand of mischief at work as the numbers quoted are fictitious and wide of the mark."