Cagliari: Cagliari yesterday appointed Franco Colomba as new coach to replace Marco Giampaolo who was dismissed on Sunday. The 51-year-old returns to Sardinia after working for Olbia in 1993-94, his first job in Serie C2. The last time he was with a Serie A club was in 2004/05 with newly-promoted Livorno. However, Colomba's stay was cut abruptly when he was fired and replaced by Roberto Donadoni.
Hamburg: A group of Hamburg players have put up a banner showing their support for coach Thomas Doll and sporting director Dietmar Beiersdorf, urging club executives not to fire them. Hamburg have played poorly over the first half of the season, leaving them one from bottom in the standings with one win from 17 matches and facing relegation for the first time since the Bundesliga began in the 1963-64 season. "120 per cent with Doll and Didi - back up to the top! Now more than ever," read the banner.
Australia: Australia will make their Asian Cup debut against Gulf side Oman after they were drawn in Group A of the continent's premier national tournament in yesterday's draw. The Socceroos, who open their campaign on July 8 in Bangkok, should be able to qualify for the last eight from a group that also features Asian Games runners-up Iraq and co-hosts Thailand. In a glitzy ceremony beamed live across Asia from the Convention Centre, two-time defending champions Japan were drawn against co-hosts Vietnam, Qatar and UAE in Group B.
Lyon: Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas is backing coach Gerard Houllier's bid to sign a striker in the January transfer window. Lyon are firmly on course for a sixth successive Ligue 1 title having opened up a huge 17-point lead after demolishing second-placed Racing Lens 4-0 at the weekend. But injuries to Brazilian prodigy Fred, French teenager Karim Benzema and Norwegian John Carew have left Lyon short of firepower.
Getafe: Seventh-placed Getafe have only scored once in their last five games but their former Swiss international midfielder Fabio Celestini has called for calm. "You can't talk of crisis. There are lots of teams who would like to be where we are. Getafe cannot afford to play at 97 per cent, we have to be at 105 per cent to win games," he said.