Siena’s bid for a quick return to the Serie A this season were slightly derailed yesterday when the Italian football federation’s disci-plinary commissioner handed them another one-point penalty for financial irregularities.
Siena had already started the season from -2 points due to previous delays in paying salaries and for overdue tax payments.
However, two victories from their opening three matches put the team back in order in the early standings.
The latest disciplinary mea-sure against Siena was taken following a late deposit of a financial guarantee.
O’Neill: No contact for Ireland job
Former Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill says he has not been contacted over the vacant management role with Ireland.
The 61-year-old Northern Irishman, who represented his country 64 times as a midfielder, has been out of work since leaving the Black Cats in March and became the overwhelming bookmakers’ favourite to replace Giovanni Trapattoni as Republic boss when the Italian was sacked on Wednesday.
“I have had no contact what-soever from anyone at the Irish FA at this moment and there’s not much more I can say about it,” O’Neill said yesterday.
FARE submits racism report
Anti-racism group FARE Network has handed FIFA a report on alleged incidents during Scot-land’s victory over Macedonia in Skopje on Tuesday night.
Some observers felt Scotland winger Ikechi Anya had been subjected to possible racist abuse from the home fans in the Philip II National Arena.
The campaigning group – Football Against Racism in Europe – announced the move on its Twitter account.
Anya’s first few touches were jeered by the home fans.
He went on to score the first goal in Scotland’s 2-1 win and the visiting players were applauded off the park by many of the remaining home fans after cele-brating with the away support.
Eto’o and Willian will gel – Terry
New signings Samuel Eto’o and Willian will need time before they are up to speed with the rest of the Chelsea squad, captain John Terry said.
Eto’o and Willian left Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for London last month and are hoping to make their debuts in today’s Premier League game at Everton.
“You speak to them and they talk about how the intensity of their training (in Russia) is a lot different to how it is here so for sure it will take them a few weeks to gel,” Terry said.
“But once they do they’ll both look very good. I said to him (Eto’o), ‘Thank God you’re here’, because I’ve had so many battles against him.”
Vucetich is new Mexico coach
Victor Vucetich, sacked as coach of club side Monterrey last month, was put in charge of Mexico this week.
Jose Manuel ‘Chepo’ de la Torre was sacked last Saturday, one day after a 2-1 home defeat by Honduras in the 2014 World Cup qualifying.
Replacement Luis Fernando Tena then stepped down after Mexico lost their next qualifier, 2-0 to the United States, in Columbus on Tuesday.
“It’s the most important challenge of my career... hopefully the hot potato turns into gold,” Vucetich told reporters.
Mexico are in deep trouble in fifth place in the group, level on points with fourth-placed Pa-nama and with only a slim chance of making the top three automatic qualifying spots.
Chinese investors show Inter interest
Reports in the Italian media said yesterday that Inter are mulling over an offer from Chinese busi-nessmen to invest in the Serie A club.
Inter supremo Massimo Moratti had been conducting talks with prospective Indonesia investor Erick Thohir for most of the summer and a deal seemed to be in the offing before this latest development.
Sky Sport Italia said this is not the same Chinese group that made a previous proposal last year, but rather a different com-pany eager to help build a new stadium in Milan or the city’s vicinities.
Els applauds Sheva’s golf debut
Former European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko struggled on his professional golf debut in Ukraine but Ernie Els gave him 10 out of 10 for effort in what was always going to be a tough task.
Former Ukraine striker Shevchenko who has a handicap of two, plunged to a 12-over-par 84 in the opening round of the Kharkov Superior Cup in his native Ukraine on Thursday.
“He must have had a lot of pressure going in there but he loves the game,” golfing great Els said.
“He’s a great student of the game, he asks a lot of questions and he wants to get better and better. Golf is his passion... good for him.”