Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has denied that Mario Balotelli could leave the club in January.
The striker has been linked in the Italian media with a possible move abroad after being constantly in the spotlight for his actions on and off the pitch.
The 23-year-old Italy international joined Milan from Manchester City in January and is contracted to the Rossoneri through to June 2017.
“He will not leave in January,” Allegri said.
“Absolutely not. I think Mario should be left in peace. It’s not difficult to manage him.
“There’s far too much discussion of the man’s private life. I think that Balotelli should be judged for what he does on the pitch like all other players.”
Blatter apology
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has apologised to Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid after “light-hearted” comments he made about the player prompted a furious attack by the club.
Real president Florentino Perez branded Blatter’s remarks “unacceptable” and even claimed they could influence the voting for the Ballon d’Or.
Blatter described Messi as a “good boy” before going on to say, in apparent reference to Ronaldo, that “one has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other”.
Blatter said sorry personally on his official Twitter account, saying: “Dear @Cristiano. I apologise if you were upset by my light-hearted answer at private event on Friday.
“I never meant to offend you.”
Caceres back for WCup play-off
Juventus defender Martin Caceres has been recalled to the Uruguay squad for their intercontinental World Cup play-off against Jordan next month.
Caceres, who missed Uruguay’s last South American group qualifiers through injury, was included in a 29-man squad named by coach Oscar Tabarez, yesterday.
Uruguay, semi-finalists at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2010, visit Jordan in Amman in the first leg on November 13 before hosting the second leg at the Centenario in Montevideo a week later.
No killer touch says Mazzarri
Inter coach Walter Mazzarri rued his team’s missed chances as the Nerazzurri were held to a 1-1 draw at Atalanta on Tuesday.
Mazzarri had targeted victory in Bergamo on Tuesday, but his players failed to make the most of their goalscoring opportunities and had to settle for a point.
“I’m not sure the draw was a fair result,” Mazzarri said.
“Atalanta are a good side but I believe we should have won. We were naive in certain situations and we lacked the killer instinct. We should have done better.”
Inter have won just one of their last five games.
Klopp agrees new Dortmund deal
Borussia Dortmund have extended the contract of coach Jurgen Klopp (picture) until 2018.
Klopp negotiated a new deal with the club until 2016 only a year ago, but he has reaffirmed his commitment to the Bundesliga outfit by signing a new two-year extension, along with his assistant Zeljko Buvac.
Klopp said: “We’re all still just a little bit in love with this club and the way in which things are progressing here.”
Klopp, who has reportedly been a target for a number of high-profile European clubs, took charge of Dortmund in 2008 and led them to the Bundesliga title three seasons later.
Totti hamstring improving
Roma fans will have to play the waiting game to see club captain Francesco Totti return to action.
The 37-year-old has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring injury during his team’s 2-0 win over Napoli on October 18.
A statement from Roma read: “Francesco Totti underwent tests this morning which showed the hamstring injury he suffered against Napoli is improving.
“The captain will continue physiotherapy and will be assessed again in the next 7-10 days.”
Totti is expected to stay out for a couple of weeks but could re-cover in time to play against Sassuolo on November 10.
Celtic Park to stage cup final
Celtic Park has been named as the venue for this season’s Scottish Cup final.
The Scottish FA has also announced Ibrox as the venue for both of the semi-finals. Hampden is unavailable because it is being redeveloped to stage the athletics events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Celtic Park, which last hosted the final when Hearts beat Rangers in 1998 during the re-building of Hampden, is Scotland’s largest football stadium with a capacity of 60,355, making it a similar size to the home of Scottish rugby, Murrayfield.
Ibrox holds 51,082 spectators.
The semi-finals will take place on April 12-13 and the final will be held on May 17.