Berbatov: Tottenham Hotspur's Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov said yesterday he will be happy if he scores 15 to 20 goals in his first season in the Premier League. "It will be good if I can score 15 or even 20 goals next season," Berbatov, who joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen for 16 million euros in May, said. "I'll be happy to score against Arsenal," the 25-year-old added, showing he had quickly understood the two clubs' north London rivalry. "It's not difficult to understand that they are our bitter rivals, everybody in the club is talking about it."
Corradi: Valencia's Italian striker Bernardo Corradi has joined Manchester City, the Premier League club said yesterday. The 30-year-old signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, City said. Reports in Spain put the fee at around 1.5 million euros ($1.9 million). The Italian joined Valencia from Lazio in 2004, but was loaned out last season to Parma.
Dublin City withdraw: Irish club Dublin City has quit the Eircom League due to financial problems, sparking changes at the top of the premier division after the club's results this season were expunged. The Eircom League on Wednesday scrapped the results of all 17 matches played by Dublin to date this season, putting Drogheda United at the top of a revised 11-team premier division, with Derry City in second place. They leapfrog former first and second-placed teams Shelbourne and Cork City, now third and fourth respectively.
Portsmouth: Alexandre Gaydamak acquired full control of Portsmouth after he bought the remaining stake in the English Premier League club from chairman Milan Mandaric. Media reports suggested that Mandaric had sold his remaining shares to Gaydamak, a Russian-born French national, for about £32 million ($58.46 million). Gaydamak's initial investment for a 50 per cent stake in the club had been reported at £15 million.
Bulgarian referees: Referees in the Bulgarian premier league will earn 1,000 levs ($644) each from the start of the new season, a 100 per cent rise compared to last season, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said yesterday. Their assistants will get 700 levs ($450) each while the fourth officials will earn 500 levs ($322) per match. BFU's executive committee decided to increase the payments as a step to improve the image of Bulgarian referees.
Suspended after blunders: Russia's Professional Football League (PFL) has suspended referee Pavel Kulalayev after he committed major errors in a premier league match between Spartak Moscow and Tom Tomsk, the PFL said. Spartak accused Kulalayev of bias after they threw away a 2-0 lead against the unfashionable Siberian side to draw 2-2 on Sunday. Spartak later said they would seek a criminal investigation into the case. Referee's chief Nikolai Levnikov admitted that Kulalayev had made mistakes but ruled out bias claims.
In Spain: Spanish soccer's governing bodies signed an agreement that paved the way for American-style sporting franchises to operate in their leagues. A meeting between the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Football League (LFP) ratified proposals that would allow a club to sell its right to compete in the league to another club. On this basis a team could also move its location without affecting its right to participate in the competition.