Football news

Bert van Marwijk is in no hurry to return to football management following his resignation as Holland coach. The 60-year-old stepped down last month after a dismal Euro 2012 campaign.

Since then, Van Marwijk has been linked with several jobs in Holland and overseas but admits he is not ready to return just yet.

“There have been interesting offers, both financially and on a sporting level. I have total free-dom and no obligations, and right now I have no appetite,” Van Mar-wijk said.

“Who knows? Maybe in a month I’ll go to work somewhere or maybe I’ll stop altogether.”

Bebe is back

Bebe was back in the Manchester United fold yesterday as he was named in the squad for the club’s tour of South Africa and China.

The 22-year-old failed to make an impact in his first season at Old Trafford, then spent last term on loan at Besiktas for a campaign blighted by injury troubles.

Injured defenders Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are out, but new signing Shinji Kagawa will get the chance to impress.

Rio Ferdinand will captain a squad which includes senior players Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Javier Hernandez.

Minister slams swearing in soccer

Swearing on the football pitch has “gone too far” and the authorities should do more to tackle it, according to a Cabinet minister.

Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s comments came after John Terry was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence on Friday. The trial revealed foul-mouthed exchanges are a norm during matches.

Hunt said: “I do know a little bit about this because I’m a qualified referee. I’ve been at the receiving end of it and I do think that it has gone too far.

“I would like to see authorities do more because I think we just have to recognise that soccer has huge influence on young people and we do need footballers to set an example.”

Frimpong tweet

Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong, who is recovering from a serious knee injury, left himself open for criticism following a potentially offensive tweet.

After posting a message which read “if you going church today Pray For me Giving today A Miss”, the 20-year-old retweeted a res-ponse from one Tottenham fan which read: “I prayed you break your arms and legs”, to which Frimpong replied “S*** Yid”.

The post soon sparked great debate on the social network site among fans from both Arsenal and Tottenham. The term “Yid” has been used for decades to identify Spurs fans because of the proportion of Jewish supporters at the north London club.

Roma switch delights Bradley

New signing Michael Bradley has described his move to Roma as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. The 24-year-old midfielder completed his transfer from Chievo on Sunday and has signed a four-year contract with the Giallorossi.

“I am very happy to be able to play at Roma,” Bradley said.

“This chance only comes once in a lifetime. This club believes in me and I have proved that I am worthy of wearing this shirt.

“Now I want to show that I can earn a starting place at Roma. I am really enthusiastic and looking forward to working with Zeman, who is one of the best coaches in Italy.”

Havelange facing FIFA dismissal

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has confirmed his intention to rally for the removal of the organisation’s disgraced honorary president Joao Havelange.

Havelange, the 96-year-old former FIFA president, was named in court documents last week as having received millions of pounds in bribes during the 1990s.

And despite initially claiming he was powerless to act, Blatter will now look to strip Havelange of the title.

He said: “Havelange is a multi-millionaire. That he re-ceived bribes beggars belief for me. He does not need it.

“I will suggest to the exco that the issue be dealt with at our next congress. He has got to go. He cannot remain honorary president after these events.”

Pay talks delay Ibrahimovic move

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to PSG is still not sealed, according to club sporting director Leonardo.

The Milan striker is in talks with the Ligue 1 club over a possible move to the Parc des Princes this summer.

“We continue to hold talks with Zlatan. Negotiations are going forward but I can assure you that we have no meetings scheduled today,” he told repor-ters yesterday.

Milan have accepted PSG’s reported offer of €65m for Ibrahimovic and Brazil defender Thiago Silva.

Reports claim Paris SG have offered Ibrahimovic a four-year deal that would see him earn €9m per season but the Swede wants a three-year deal worth €15m annually.