Stanojevic: Serbian Aleksandar Stanojevic quit as coach of Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Haifa yesterday, a day after a humiliating 3-1 home defeat to Beitar Jerusalem. “I’m sorry for having reached this point but I think it is the necessary step for the club, which is important to me,” Stanojevic said. Stanojevic joined Haifa before the start of the season but was unable to keep them on a steady path of success and their erratic form has seen them lose eight of their 15 league fixtures this season.
Postponed: Sheffield United’s match at home to Scunthorpe was postponed yesterday because the cold weather has made access to Bramall Lane unsafe. Referee Mark Heywood said he called the League One clash off “on health and safety grounds”. The Blades announced on Twitter that Heywood believed the pitch would have been playable, but the access in and around the ground was a cause for concern.
Parma: Reports in the Italian media said yesterday that Parma will finish the 2013-14 financial year with losses of more than €13 million. The bottom club in the Serie A have just completed its sale from former owner Tommaso Ghirardi’s company to a group of Russian and Cypriot oil investors. The extent of their financial problems became clear, as this week the Board of Shareholders approved the books ending June 30, 2014. Parma were docked one point this month for failing to pay outstanding wages and taxes.
Spurs stalwart: Tottenham’s double-winning defender Ron Henry has died at the age of 80. Henry, who won one cap for England, was a member of the Spurs side that won the league and FA Cup double in 1961. The left-back also played in the team that beat Burnley in the 1962 FA Cup final and featured when Spurs overcame Atletico Madrid in the 1963 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final.
A-League: Western Sydney Wanderers’ miserable season continued as they were edged out 1-0 yesterday by Wellington Phoenix, who enjoyed plenty of good fortune. Wellington were awarded a soft penalty when Roy Krishna fell under pressure from Daniel Alessi, and Krishna then saw his spot-kick saved by Ante Covic before firing in the rebound for the only goal in the 14th minute. While the win tightens Wellington’s hold on fourth place, the winless Wanderers are rock-bottom with three points from 10 games so far.