Cluj: Cash-strapped former Romanian league champions CFR Cluj have won an appeal against a 24-point deduction, the club said yesterday after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In February, Cluj were penalised because of their inability to deal with spiralling debts. The Railwaymen, one of the most successful clubs in the Black Sea country in the last decade, have fallen on hard times, owing huge sums to the state, former players and coaches.

Transfer window: FIFA have granted permission for the Danish summer transfer window to open earlier than planned, enabling clubs to strengthen their squads before registering for European competition in late June. The transfer window was due to open on June 28, six days after the UEFA deadline for the registering of players for the first qualification round for European tournaments. It will instead now open on June 15 in Denmark, giving the clubs a week to supplement their squads.

Licence denied: Cash-strapped CSKA Sofia, the most successful football club in Bulgaria with 31 league titles, and three other teams were denied licences to compete in next season’s Bulgarian championship and European competitions. The Bulgarian Football Union’s (BFU) licensing commission said in a statement that CSKA, Lokomotiv Sofia and already-relegated Marek Dupnitsa and Haskovo have had their initial submissions rejected.

WWII Bomb: The Football League play-offs this bank holiday weekend will go ahead as planned despite an unexploded Second World War bomb being discovered near Wembley, stadium officials have said. The 110lb bomb was discovered by builders near Wembley Arena and a number of local residents were evacuated from the area. The unexploded bomb is thought to have been dropped by a German bomber during the London blitz in the early 1940s.

Wollscheid: Stoke City have exercised their right to buy defender Philipp Wollscheid from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen after a successful loan deal. The 26-year-old has made 14 appearances for the English Premier League outfit since joining in January. Stoke announced Woll-scheid has signed a three-year deal after the club paid an undisclosed fee to Bayer Leverkusen.