Okore: Jores Okore has refused to give up on his Aston Villa career, but has not ruled out a January move. The defender is yet to play this term after returning from a serious knee injury. “I came to Villa to play and I am going to fight to make that happen,” he said. “At the same time I need to play, so I don’t want to exclude anything when it comes to the coming transfer window.”

Leon: Getafe midfielder Pedro Leon was given the green light yesterday to resume playing after winning a court ruling ahead of a final decision that could limit the powers of the Spanish league (LFP) to stop clubs getting into debt. Leon was not registered at the start of the season by Getafe as his salary would push the La Liga club over the new wage cap imposed by the LFP and he refused to accept a wage cut. He is challenging the decision and a judge in a Madrid court allowed him to play pending a hearing.

Kuban: Russian Premier League side Kuban Krasnodar have reappointed Leonid Kuchuk as their head coach. The 55-year-old from Belarus has signed a two-year contract, the club said. Kuchuk was previously in charge of the team in the first half of 2013, guiding them to fifth place in the table and European qualification for the first time in their history. Kuchuk then joined Lokomotiv Moscow as head coach, but was sacked by the Railwaymen in September.

Charged: Four men have appeared in court charged with fraudulent activity linked to the sale of Rangers Football Club three years ago. Gary Withey, 50, David Whitehouse, 49, Paul Clark, 50, and David Grier, 53, were granted bail following a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court. All four are accused of involvement in an alleged fraudulent scheme to acquire Rangers in 2011.