On-loan Werder Bremen midfielder Kevin de Bruyne remains keen to return to Chelsea but admits he is in the dark over whether his future lies at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues bought the Belgium international from Genk last January but he spent the remainder of last term with his old club before being sent out to Werder Bremen on loan.
Asked if he still wanted to ply his trade at Stamford Bridge, De Bruyne said: “That’s the reason that I signed there last year.
“I want to show everyone at Chelsea that I can play there. But at the moment I don’t know what Chelsea want to do with me, so it’s difficult to say what’s going to happen.”
‘Snowy’ problem
The Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefutbol) has asked FIFA to sanction a replay of their World Cup qualifying match against the United States.
Fedefutbol are unhappy that the Denver clash, which the United States won 1-0, was played in thick snow.
As a result of the loss, Costa Rica are bottom of the final-round standings. Fedefutbol president, Eduardo Li, announced his governing body had already asked FIFA for this match to be replayed as soon as possible.
He said: “It was terrible. While the match was being played, at the same time, machines and people came onto the field to clean the lines.”
Vilanova back in Spain this week
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova will return to Spain this week after two months of cancer treatment in New York.
“Tito Vilanova will this week leave the city of skyscrapers to return to the Catalan capital,” Barca said in a statement.
The 44-year-old former Barca player needed a second round of surgery in December following an initial operation to remove a tumour from his saliva glands in November 2011.
His assistant Jordi Roura took charge while he relocated to New York for a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Veh extends deal
Eintracht Frankfurt coach Armin Veh has agreed to extended his contract with the Bundesliga club for another season to 2014, it was revealed said yesterday.
Veh, who joined in 2011, led Frankfurt back into the top flight last season and the team is challenging for a Champions League spot in the current campaign.
“I am happy that we have managed to secure continuity in our sports department,” club boss Heribert Bruchhagen said in a statement.
Frankfurt’s run this season has been nothing short of sensational with the team in fourth place but Veh had recently demanded assurances of reinforcements in order to stay on.
Watford’s Vydra –player of year
Watford striker Matej Vydra has been named Championship player of the year.
The 20-year-old Czech, one of Watford’s loan stars from Udinese, beat off competition from Crystal Palace forward Glenn Murray and Blackpool winger Tom Ince.
Vydra has scored 20 goals this season to spearhead the Hornets’ bid for promotion under Gianfranco Zola.
Murray missed out on the award despite notching 29 goals so far this term, a return which put him second only to Lionel Messi in Europe’s top leagues.
A bizarre red card for Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf was bizarrely sent off in Botafogo’s 2-1 win over Madureira on Sunday for arguing with the referee over where he should leave the pitch after being substituted.
His stoppage-time dismissal capped an afternoon in which Botafogo were also awarded a penalty, only for the referee to change his mind as Seedorf was about to take the kick.
On being substituted at the end, Seedorf, who scored the winning goal in the 68th minute, walked towards the Botafogo bench but was ordered by the referee to go off on the other side of the pitch to save time,
Seedorf protested, was booked, turned his back on the referee and was given another yellow card.
Gago pulls out of WCup qualifier
Midfielder Fernando Gago, a key player in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Venezuela, will miss today’s World Cup qualifier away to Bolivia with muscle fatigue.
Gago, who helped engineer Friday’s victory, was released by coach Alejandro Sabella, joining injured striker Sergio Aguero and the suspended Gonzalo Higuain on the sidelines.
Argentina face Bolivia at high altitude in La Paz, where former coach Diego Maradona’s team were crushed 6-1 in a qualifier four years ago.
Sabella is keeping his cards close to his chest for the daunting trip to the Hernando Siles, 4,000 metres above sea level, where he is expected to play five men across midfield.