Asia tour: Manchester City are set to unveil plans for an Asian Tour in May during which they could become the first English Premier League club in seven years to play in Singapore. City, owned by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, hope to face the Singaporean national side between May 14 and 20, Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.
Porto: Porto president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa will stand trial for allegedly bribing a referee before a Portuguese Premier League match in 2004, a Porto tribunal source told Reuters yesterday. The referee, Augusto Duarte, who was in charge of the match between Beira Mar and Porto that year which ended in a goalless draw, will also stand trial for corruption, the source said.
Briatore: Flavio Briatore added more millions to Queens Park Rangers' coffers with a new sponsorship deal yesterday. However, he had no intention of emulating Chelsea's Roman Abramovich by pumping money into their plaything. "We are not throwing away our money at all. Don't be confused," he told a news conference after announcing a five-year £20 million deal with Lotto. "If the shareholders are wealthy, the club is still the club... we try and put the club together in the right way," said the Renault Formula One team boss.
Betis: Real Betis owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera has defended himself against an accusation from the state prosecutor's office that he has siphoned off capital from the club. "The prosecutor has been misled because he has only been given certain documents," Lopera said. "I'm very calm about the matter because my lawyers will provide the missing documentation. I've got nothing to hide."
Sollied: Heerenveen have appointed Norwegian Trond Sollied as coach on a two-year contract, the Dutch league club said on Tuesday. The 48-year-old, who has managed Rosenborg, Club Bruges and Olympiakos Pireaus, will start on July 1, third-placed Heerenveen announced on their website. Sollied, now manager at Belgian top flight club AA Gent, has won five domestic titles and four cups in his coaching career.