Costacurta: Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta has signed a contract extension with the Italian champions that will take him past his 40th birthday. Costacurta's current deal expires at the end of this season but Milan said the former Italy international, who will turn 39 in April, had signed a one-year extension. Costacurta made his debut for Milan in October 1987 and has been with the club ever since, winning four European Cups and seven Italian league titles.
Flamini: Olympique Marseille executive manager Pape Diouf and Arsenal vice-president David Dein are trying to reach an agreement over the transfer of midfielder Mathieu Flamini. Flamini, 20, who was loaned to the English premier league champions last year, refused to return to France at the end of his six-month spell in London. After he signed for Arsenal, Marseille presented the case to FIFA who ruled that Flamini was provisionally eligible to play for the London side. The decision was over-ruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.
Mejolaro: European champions Porto are hoping that Brazilian striker Claudio "Pitbull" Mejolaro will bolster the weakest attack the club have had in a decade. Mejolaro, who has yet to sign for the club, is one of a trio of Brazilian players that coach Victor Fernandez is counting on to help Porto in their Champions League title defence. "This is the kind of player we need. He's aggressive up front in the attack to fill that gap," Fernandez said of Mejolaro, who is set to join from Brazilian side Gremio.
Riverside Fracas: Middlesbrough and Everton have been charged by the FA with failing to control their players following a melee during Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw at the Riverside Stadium. Around a dozen players were involved in a pushing and wrestling match late in the second half after Everton striker Duncan Ferguson challenged Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer for a loose ball on the ground. The referee did not caution any of the players, choosing instead to speak to the captains. The clubs have until February 2 to respond.
Tsunami game: Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane are among more than 50 of the world's top players invited by FIFA for the "Football for Hope" benefit match to help victims of the Asian tsunami. An XI captained by Milan's European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko will take on a Ronaldinho XI at the Brazilian's club ground in Barcelona on February 15. Shevchenko is set for an impressive range of midfielders playing behind the Ukraine striker after FIFA revealed an invitation list including Zidane, Beckham, Patrick Vieira, Steven Gerrard and Pavel Nedved.
New Stadium: Arsenal have fended off a court challenge to their new stadium, clearing the last obstacle to construction of the 60,000-capacity ground in north London. A number of local businesses and property owners had asked London's High Court to quash the decision of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to confirm a compulsory purchase order for their land so the stadium scheme could go ahead. They argued the order was for an "improper purpose", namely to benefit only Arsenal, rather than the public at large. In yesterday's ruling the judge backed the club.