Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has reportedly been cleared of the tax charges that led to his 223-day disqualification by the English Football League.
Sardinian newspaper L’Unione Sarda reported that Cellino has been acquitted by the Italian Court of Appeal over the non-payment of VAT on an imported Range Rover.
The court’s verdict would appear to change the nature of his dispute with the English Football League.
In October he was informed of the disqualification period as the VAT case contravened the owners’ and directors’ test, but has been in arbitration following an appeal.
Bale out of Wales training camp
Gareth Bale has been confirmed as an absentee for Wales’s pre-Euro 2016 training camp in Portugal this month.
Wales fans might have been alarmed when the name of their star player was missing from Chris Coleman’s 29-man squad, which will visit the Algarve from May 24-29.
But Bale’s absence is down to his participation in the UEFA Champions League final for Real Madrid on May 28.
Bale did pick up a knee injury in Real’s Champions League victory over Manchester City last week. But the Spanish giants expect him to be fit for the final clash against Atletico Madrid.
Wilshere warning
Midfielder Jack Wilshere has warned Arsenal to be prepared for a tough fight against a side playing for pride when they host already relegated Aston Villa in the league finale on Sunday.
Arsenal need just one point to seal automatic qualification for the Champions League.
“I don’t know what happened to Villa this season but I don’t expect them to come and just let us beat them,” Wilshere said.
“We said a few weeks back that we don’t want to get fourth and face a qualifier. We want to be straight in there and enjoy the season without having to play a big game beforehand.”
Gudjohnsen makes Iceland squad
Iceland coach Lars Lagerback named 37-year-old striker Eidur Gudjohnsen in his 23-man squad for Euro 2016.
Having narrowly missed out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, 67-year-old Lagerback led Iceland to the finals of a major tournament for the first time.
Lagerback included Iceland’s record goalscorer Gudjohnsen in his squad for France on the back of the striker’s strong performances for Norwegian side Molde.
The former Chelsea and Barca forward has only scored one goal in seven games for Molde but has been praised by coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his work rate and experience.
Allardyce backs Defoe for England
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has backed Jermain Defoe to make a late bid for a place in the England squad for Euro 2016 based on the striker’s recent scoring form, which has given the Premier League strugglers hope of avoiding the drop.
Defoe scored his 15th league goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Chelsea and Allar-dyce says the 33-year-old would be an ideal replacement for Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck, who picked up a knee injury against Manchester City on Sunday.
“I just think that if Roy Hodgson needed any striker to go along, Jermain Defoe would be his man,” Allardyce said.
“Jermain’s had a big run of games of the sort he hasn’t had for a few years, and he’s been a consistent performer at the highest level.
“To score 18 goals (in all competitions) for a team that’s been sat in the bottom three or four all season is pretty miraculous.”
Liverpool venture
Liverpool launched an online store in China yesterday in partnership with JD.com , the country’s No.2 e-commerce company.
The tie-up will allow Liverpool to use the company’s online sales platform, JD Worldwide, to sell its merchandise across China.
Liverpool are one of the most popular international football clubs in China, with more than 1.7 million followers on Chinese social media website Weibo, JD.com said in a statement.
Indonesia wants ‘Special One’
Indonesia wants former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho to train its beleaguered national football team, the country’s sports minister said yesterday.
Minister Imam Nahrawi said he had discussed the idea with President Joko Widodo, who is trying to revive Indonesian football after years of underperformance.
“This idea has been discussed... even though it’s not easy,” Nahrawi said, according to state news agency Antara.
He added the government had also discussed hiring interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink.
FIFA last year banned Indonesia from international football, citing government interference in the sport.