Ujfalusi: Tomas Ujfalusi will sign a new contract rather than leaving Fiorentina on a Bosman transfer, his agent has insisted. The defender has less than a year left on his current contract and it was widely expected that he would be heading out of the Stadio Franchi come the end of term. "We've had offers from Spain, Sevilla in particular, as well as English and Italian clubs," agent Giorgio De Giorgis said. "But I'm 95 per cent sure that he will stay as Fiorentina want him and he wants Fiorentina.
Collins: West Ham defender James Collins is out of Wales' Euro 2008 qualifier in San Marino on Wednesday. The former Cardiff man suffered a recurrence of a calf injury after scoring his first goal for his country in Saturday's 3-1 defeat in Cyprus. Wales will not call up a replacement as they have Craig Morgan and Steve Evans in the squad as cover and they will take an 18-strong party to San Marino.
Nuno Gomes: Benfica striker Nuno Gomes has pulled out of Portugal's squad for their Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan on Wednesday, a Portuguese Federation official said yesterday. Gomes is returning home after sustaining a leg injury just before the kickoff of Portugal's 2-0 win over 10-man Azerbaijan in their Group A qualifier on Saturday. Ariza Makukula will replace Gomes in the 21-man squad.
Japan: Japan coach Ivica Osim has left out several leading players including Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura for next week's home friendly with Egypt in a 21-man squad. The Bosnian also overlooked Eintracht Frankfurt pair Naohiro Takahara and Junichi Inamoto along with Celtic's Nakamura for the Oct. 17 game against the African champions in Osaka. Osim stuck to a squad of Japan-based players, including long-serving Jubilo Iwata goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, who could make his 110th international appearance against Egypt.
Stojkovic: Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight have approached former striker Dragan Stojkovic to become the J-League club's manager next season, officials said yesterday. Stojkovic has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Dutchman Sef Vergoossen, who has signalled his intention to quit at the end of the 2007 season.
English League One: Bournemouth vs Swansea 1-4; Doncaster-Huddersfield 2-0.
English League Two: Dagenham vs Accrington 1-3; Darlington vs Stockport 4-0; MK Dons vs Lincoln City 4-0; Peterborough vs Wycombe Wanderers 2-1.
European U-21 Championship: (Group 2) Liechtenstein vs Czech Republic 0-4; Turkey vs Ukraine 2-0.