Schaaf: Hanover coach Thomas Schaaf will leave the club if they are relegated from the Bundesliga, the club have announced. The long-time Werder Bremen coach only took over in December, but Hanover look destined for the drop, lying 10 points from safety with seven games to go. And the club said yesterday that after “intensive and constructive talks over the past weeks” they had agreed to part company with the coach should relegation be confirmed.

Deadline: Greece moved a step closer to a ban by FIFA and UEFA yesterday as talks over state involvement in the sport ended with no agreement. A delegation from FIFA and UEFA, along with the Hellenic Football Federation met with Deputy Minister for Sport Stavros Kontonis. The delegation was hoping to resolve differences with the government and avert a potential ban after Kontonis cancelled this season’s Greek Cup because of crowd violence.

Mathieu: Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu is to have surgery on his knee after suffering a torn meniscus during France’s friendly win over Russia on Tuesday. The 32-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in his nation’s 4-2 friendly win at the Stade de France but lasted only eight minutes before going down injured. Barcelona said that the former Valencia defender would have an operation today.

Mexico: Mexico secured their spot in the final round of CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifiers with an easy 2-0 win over Canada at the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. PSV Eindhoven’s Andres Guardado got Mexico’s opener from the penalty spot after 17 minutes before Jesus Corona added a second just before half-time. The result gives Mexico a maximum 12 points with two games remaining in the penultimate stage of the qualifying competition.

League One: Southend vs Sheffield United 3-1.