Leeds United: A group of local businessman are in negotiations to buy debt-laden English second division side Leeds United, a statement from the group said yesterday. The group, led by Leeds-based property developer Norman Stubbs, said they hoped to finalise negotiations within the next seven to 10 days.
Chovanec: Former Czech Republic manager Josef Chovanec has been appointed coach of Russian second division club Kuban Krasnodar. Chovanec, 44, turned down an offer to coach Portuguese first division side Beira Mar last month, then agreed a three-year contract with struggling Kuban, who were relegated from the premier league last year.
Doping Ban: An unidentified player has been banned for six months by the Football Association after twice testing positive for cocaine use, according to UK Sport. The player originally tested positive last season and a hearing last April decided he should re-appear before the FA's disciplinary commission in April 2005, UK Sport said on its Drug Results Database. However, having been targeted by UK Sport testers at the FA's request, the player was caught a second time. The six-month ban from all football activities was accompanied by a fine.
Raul: Favourites Real Madrid will be without talisman striker and captain Raul when they host second division Valladolid in the second leg of their King's Cup third round tie tomorrow. A Real team packed with reserve players were held to a 0-0 draw by Valladolid in the first leg last week, with England striker Michael Owen making his first start under new coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
Benefit game: Germany's FA is hoping to raise four million euros for tsunami relief through next week's benefit match between the national team and a Bundesliga side with a heavy Brazilian flavour. "We hope it will be between 3.5 and 4 million euros altogether," Werner Hackmann, vice-president of the German FA, said yesterday. The all-star side will have the look of a mini-Brazil in the January 25 game after fans in Germany voted in a telephone poll for the international players they wanted to see.
Football Stress: The German Players' Union (VDV) has appointed its own psychologist to meet with increasing demand from stressed out Bundesliga stars. "The psychological load in the professional game has been increasing for years," Carsten Ramelow, Bayer Leverkusen player and vice-president of the VDV, said yesterday. "Mental fitness is an important concern for sporting success."
Mihailov: Six members of Bulgaria's 1994 World Cup semi-final team will propose former captain Borislav Mihailov as president of the Bulgarian Football Union in place of suspended International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ivan Slavkov. The former players said yesterday they would put Mihailov forward as a candidate at a congress which they hope will be held before a June IOC meeting which is expected to expel Slavkov for tarnishing the reputation of the Olympic movement.
UK Soccer: English FA Cup (third round replay) - Swansea vs Reading 0-1 after extra time (0-0 after 90 mins.). Scottish FA Cup third round - Gretna vs Dundee United 3-4.
In Italy: Serie B - Piacenza vs Verona 1-0. Serie C - Sambenedettese vs Foggia 1-1.
¤ Kenya's Paul Tergat says he will not be targeting his world record when he runs the London marathon in April. Tergat set the world mark of two hours four minutes 55 seconds in Berlin in 2003 in his sixth marathon after moving up from the 10,000 metres. "That (the record) is not the priority at the moment. But I intend to run a good race, and win if possible," Tergat said. Tergat, 35, was pre-race favourite for the marathon at last August's Athens Olympics but finished 10th.
¤ Seamer Matthew Hoggard ripped out a career-best seven wickets as England beat South Africa by 77 runs in a dramatic finale to the fourth cricket test at The Wanderers yesterday. Fired by Marcus Trescothick's second-innings 180, they set South Africa 325 to win and then carved through their much-vaunted batting before sealing victory deep into the final session of the game to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.