Beckham: David Beckham says that returning to England to play for Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League tie against Arsenal will mark the high point of his career since joining the Spanish side in 2003. "I've been waiting three years for this moment," the England captain said yesterday. "From the very start I wanted to play in England wearing the Real Madrid shirt."
Duscher: Deportivo La Coruna's Argentine midfielder Aldo Duscher said yesterday he had been approached by Manchester United with a view to moving to Old Trafford at the end of the season. "It is good that a club of that standard is interested, but at the moment my mind is on Deportivo and we can talk about the matter when the season is over," he said. "It's true that there have been contacts, I'm not going to deny it.
Bergkamp: Dennis Bergkamp is prepared to drive to Spain or go by sea for Arsenal's Champions League game at Real Madrid on Tuesday. The Dutch forward seldom plays in away ties outside Britain because of his fear of flying. "I am prepared to go but it's up to the boss," Bergkamp said. The 36-year-old could make a round trip of more than 3,200 km by road or take a ferry from the south coast to Bilbao in northern Spain and drive the rest.
Match Fixing: The ex-coach and two former players of the Belgian soccer club Lierse were sacked by their new teams yesterday after being implicated in a growing match-fixing scandal. Marius Mitu and Laurent Delorge, who now play for Belgium's top side Anderlecht, admitted to club officials they had helped to influence results last season with Lierse. Mitu and Delorge were questioned by Belgium's public prosecutor on Thursday, when Lierse suspended defender Laurent Fassotte, goalkeeper Cliff Mardulier and goalkeeping coach Patrick Deman until further notice. Paul Put took over as coach of Excelsior Mouscron in January after being fired by Lierse in November for poor results. Yesterday, Mouscron dismissed him.
Mihajlovic: Former Serbia defender Sinisa Mihajlovic is quitting at the end of the season. "The time has come for me to announce I will retire in a few months," the 36-year-old Inter player was quoted as sayin. "Perhaps I could have prolonged my career for another season but I want to walk away remembered as a great player. Inter will be my last club, definitely."
Vogts: Former Scotland and Germany coach Berti Vogts will coordinate the scouting of Germany's World Cup opponents, the German FA (DFB) said yesterday. Vogts had been a candidate for the post of technical director but turned it down after the DFB rebuffed his demands to make a quick decision. The refusal was a disappointment for Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann who had played for Vogts and won the 1996 Euro Championship with him.
Rooney: England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said yesterday that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has matured to the extent he sees him as a possible future national captain. "When he came into the team he was 17 years old and hardly said a word. When he did say something I did not understand what he said because of his accent," he said. "But now he has not only grown on the pitch, but also as a person. I can really see him having a future as a leader, he has those sorts of qualities," he said.
In England: The Championship - Luton vs Reading 3-2. League Two - Northampton vs Torquay 1-0.
MFA Division Three: Sta Lucija vs Luqa St Andrews 1-0; Pembroke vs Zurrieq 0-2.