Norway: Norway may give young players a chance in this month's Euro 2008 Group C qualifiers against Bosnia and Turkey. "It's particularly good to see we have many young, skilful players showing great effort in training to break into the starting 11," coach Aage Hareide said yesterday. Norway are third in the group with six points from three qualifiers, three behind joint leaders Turkey and Greece. Hareide said Brann midfielder Martin Andersen would probably be fit to captain the side in the March 24 home match against Bosnia. Four days later Norway play in Turkey. Norway host Malta in the group on June 2.
Betis fan: A 30-year-old Real Betis season ticket holder was charged by police yesterday with throwing the bottle that knocked Sevilla coach Juande Ramos unconscious during a King's Cup match at the Betis stadium on Feb. 28. The quarter-final second leg between the city rivals was abandoned just after Sevilla had scored to go 1-0 up on aggregate, when Ramos was hit on the back of the head by a large plastic bottle full of liquid thrown from the stands. The remaining 33 minutes of the Cup match are to be played at Getafe's stadium on the outskirts of Madrid behind closed doors on March 20.
England opponents: FA spokesman Adrian Bevington has added to newspaper speculation that England's first senior international at the new Wembley Stadium will be against Brazil or Argentina. Interviewed by Sky Sports, he said the first opponents would be a top international side who were "quite possibly from South America." He dismissed previous reports they would face old rivals Germany.
Hooligans: Hooligans have spray-painted a swastika and right-wing slogans at the stadium of lower division Lokomotive Leipzig, calling the club president a "traitor pig" and demanding his resignation. A police spokesman said they were investigating whether club president Steffen Kubald was the target for turning over the names of several Lok Leipzig supporters the club suspects of participating in post-match riots on Feb. 10.
Cicinho: Brazil fullback Cicinho has returned to training with the Real Madrid squad, six months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Kerzhakov: Sevilla's Russian striker Alexander Kerzhakov has been forced to pull out of the squad to face Shakhtar Donetsk away in the UEFA Cup tomorrow after picking up a heel injury. The holders drew the home leg of their second knockout round tie 2-2.
Celtic: Celtic defender Darren O'Dea as signed a new contract with the Scottish champions, the club said. O'Dea has penned a deal until the end of the 2009-10 season with a further one-year option.