Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has replaced Clarence Seedorf as manager of Chinese second division side Shenzhen FC.
Eriksson was sacked by Shanghai SIPG last month despite finishing third in the Chinese Super League and qualifying for the Asian Champions League.
The 68-year-old, who has also managed Guangzhou R&F, has decided to stay in China with Shenzhen, a club which finished ninth in the second tier last season.
Weidenfeller hopes to keep playing
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller says he has no intention of ending his career in the summer.
The long-serving 36-year-old will be out of contract next July but he hopes to be offered a new deal by the Westphalians.
He has recently returned to the side after regular no.1 Roman Burki picked up an injury.
“I still love my job,” Weidenfeller said.
“There is no reason for me to retire. I don’t feel any minor niggles at all, but I’m not going to make it (to 40) and still be playing.”
Gudjohnsen wants to help Chapecoense
Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen is the latest player to offer his services to Chapecoense as the Brazilian club rebuild following the devastating plane crash in Colombia.
Former Brazil forward Ronaldinho and ex-Argentina international Juan Roman Riquelme have reportedly offered to play for the club, which could also enlist the help of another Barcelona old boy.
“Out of respect I would play for @ChapecoenseReal if they have a place for me,” the 38-year-old Gudjohnsen, whose last club was FC Pune City, posted on Twitter.
Chapecoense’s acting president Ivan Tozzo has stated the club is determined to build again, but that can only be done with the support of the wider football community.
Optimistic Wagner
Hoffenheim forward Sandro Wagner believes it is about time he was given a chance to represent Germany after scoring two more goals at the weekend.
The 29-year-old’s double in Saturday’s 4-0 win against Cologne took his tally for the season to seven and helped Hoffenheim remain unbeaten after 13 games of the Bundesliga campaign.
Wagner hopes his exploits have caught the attention of Germany coach Joachim Loew.
“In my eyes, I have been by far and away the best German forward for a while now,” said the ex-Bayern Munich forward.
Wagner, who was a part of the Germany Under-21 team that won the 2009 Euro Champion-ship, has never made the step up to the senior team.
Lazio apologise for Lulic comments
Lazio have apologised for comments made by left-back Senad Lulic after he said Roma defender Antonio Ruediger was selling socks and belts two years ago.
Lulic’s remarks were interpreted as racist by the Italian media as they seemed to imply the Germany player, who is black, used to be a street vendor.
“I apologise in the name of the club and in the name of Senad Lulic,” said Lazio spokesman Arturo Diaconale after his side lost 2-0 to Roma on Sunday.
“His comments were made in the heat of the moment after losing a derby. The important thing is to recognise the error. We want competition to be in an atmosphere of fair play.”
Torres set to return for Bayern clash
Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres has recovered from a hip problem and been given the all-clear to play in today’s Champions League game at Bayern Munich, the Spanish club have announced.
The 32-year-old has been sidelined since getting hurt in training on Nov. 25 but has been included in the 20-man squad that will travel to the Allianz Arena.
Torres, who has scored two goals and set up two more in 15 appearances in all competitions for Atletico, completed Sunday’s training session with the rest of the squad.
Atletico Madrid have already qualified for the round of 16 as Group D leaders.
Standard Liege bar travelling fans
Belgian club Standard Liege will seek to bar their supporters from travelling to away matches after their match with Charleroi was abandoned on Sunday due to crowd trouble.
Both sets of fans threw objects at opposition goalkeepers, forcing the referee to stop the match and then abandon it 10 minutes after it had restarted.
Standard, one of Belgium’s most popular teams, have decided to end sales of tickets for away matches at least until the end of the regular season in mid-March when the league is split between championship and rele-gation play-offs.
Standard, who led 3-1, also said points for the match in question should still be awarded.
It was not clear if and when the match will be replayed.