Ferdinand a doubt: Manchester United received a boost ahead of their Champions League quarter-final, second leg at home to Roma with the news yesterday that defender Rio Ferdinand has not broken a bone in his foot. The England defender is still doubtful for tomorrow's match at Old Trafford, however, with United's medical staff not confirming how long he might be out of action. "Rio went for a scan and we can confirm that he has not suffered any break," a club official said.
Japan rift: Japan coach Takeshi Okada and predecessor Ivica Osim sat an awkward distance apart when the two men watched a J-League game from the same room at the weekend. It was the first time they had met since Okada pledged to ditch the Bosnian's tactics following last month's 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Bahrain. Okada approached Osim at half-time but the two men shared only a few words. "There was no interpreter today so we couldn't talk much," Okada was quoted as saying.
Verbeek: Heerenveen coach Gertjan Verbeek has signed a two-year deal to take over at Feyenoord, the Rotterdam-based club said yesterday. The 45-year old Verbeek will succeed Bert van Marwijk, who will replace Marco van Basten as the Netherlands coach after this year's Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Verbeek, who was a Heerenveen defender for nine years, started his managerial career at Heracles Almelo before he returned to the northern Dutch club as coach in 2004.
Stadium ban: FIFA has told Guinea to fix security concerns at their national stadium or face forfeiting home advantage for their 2010 World Cup qualifiers, the Guinea Football Federation said. The federation said FIFA had told them to make several improvements to the September 28th stadium in Conakry or face having to play at a neutral venue when they start their qualifying campaign in June. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone have already both announced they face similar bans on their stadiums following FIFA inspections last year.
Positive approach: Liverpool will avoid the temptation to secure Champions League progress on the away goals rule in their quarter-final second leg against Arsenal today, manager Rafael Benitez said. A 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium last Wednesday means Liverpool would reach the last four if the game at Anfield finishes goalless. "We don't want a 0-0 draw," Benitez said. "I would prefer us to win. For us it is important to score a goal if we want to win the game."
In England: The Championship - Stoke vs Crystal Palace 1-2.
In Scotland: Premier League - Aberdeen vs Falkirk 2-1.
MFA Div. Three: Luqa vs Kirkop 3-1; Qrendi vs Zebbug 0-1.