Toure: Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. "I can see myself staying here for the rest of my career," the 25-year-old said. "Why would I want to leave." No details were given on the length of Toure's new deal. Toure joined the Premier League club from ASEC Abidjan in February 2002.
Eto'o: Cameroon and Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o said he dreams of winning the European Football of the Year Award while recovering from knee surgery. "At the moment it is obvious that if I were the fortunate chosen one, it would fill me with pride and joy," Eto'o told France Football. For the prestigious vote by European journalists, whose winner will be announced next month, Eto'o is up against the likes of Brazil's Ronaldinho, Italy's Gianluigi Buffon and Thierry Henry, of France.
Rijkaard: Consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Real Madrid have forced a rethink on Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard, who has blamed himself for the side's dip in form. "I haven't done well. The alignments and the style of play haven't been clear, and my substitutions have not helped us to win the last two games," Rijkaard said. Barcelona fell 1-0 away to Chelsea in the Champions League last week and followed that up with a 2-0 league defeat against Real Madrid on Sunday.
Jancker: Former German international Carsten Jancker's disappointing spell at Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua is over after they said they would not renew his contract. The 32-year-old striker could manage only one goal in an injury-plagued six-month stint with the China Super League (CSL) club.
Kenya: FIFA has suspended Kenya from international competition for failing to respect signed agreements and for recurrent problems in its soccer federation. The world governing body wants Kenya to implement a 28-point agreement signed in Cairo in January by FIFA, the chairman of the Kenya Football Federation (KFF), Alfred Sambu, African soccer's ruling body CAF and representatives of Kenyan clubs and government officials. The east African nation's most popular sport is in chaos with two rival organisations running parallel Premier Leagues.
Leeds: Leeds United have appointed Dennis Wise as manager with Gus Poyet as his assistant, the English second division club said yesterday. The pair are joining the struggling Yorkshire club from fourth division Swindon after a suitable compensation package was agreed on Monday.