Bent: Charlton signed Everton striker Marcus Bent on a three-and-a-half-year deal yesterday. Charlton said they had paid an initial fee of 2.0 million pounds for the London-born 27-year-old which could rise to 2.5 million pounds. "I know Everton have been looking to bring another striker in," Bent said. "That didn't mean I had to go but I felt it was better for me as I wasn't playing."
World Cup Gala: FIFA have agreed to pay 1.0 million euros for a party in Berlin to mark the start of the World Cup and replace the lavish opening gala they cancelled last week. FIFA had agreed to pay the money after talks with Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit yesterday. "Now we begin the planning on a sound footing," Wowereit said. "Berlin, as a good host, will welcome the international football family on June 7." The party is to be held at the Brandenburg Gate, which used to separate the eastern and western parts of the city and where around a million people gather for New Year celebrations.
Healthy bank: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is set to announce a healthy balance sheet to its membership, with cash assets of over $24 million and an annual income of just under half of that. The organisation's financial report, released ahead of this week's CAF Congress in Cairo, shows it earned $5.5 million from its annual competitions last year and received just under $4.6 million in a grant from FIFA. CAF said its resources had grown to $26.4 million from $3.6 million over the last decade.
O'Leary: Aston Villa manager David O'Leary criticised England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson yesterday after the Swede was quoted as telling a Sunday newspaper that he was interested in the Villa job. "It is not acceptable that the national coach speaks publicly about replacing another manager whilst he is in the post," O'Leary said.
African Cup: French clubs are still the biggest providers of players for the African Nations Cup though the spread of employers of Africa's talent now reaches eastern Europe. Sixty-six African internationals from 32 French clubs will be on duty at the tournament in Egypt, which starts on Friday, the largest contingent from a single country. In total, 121 of the 368 players at the tournament are drawn from clubs in 19 European countries, increasingly more in eastern Europe. English clubs provide 26 players, all but four of them from the Premier League.
In England: FA Cup third round replays - Birmingham vs Torquay 2-0; Chester vs Cheltenham 0-1; Leeds vs Wigan 2-2 (aet 3-3; Wigan win 4-2 on pens); M'Boro vs Nuneaton 5-2; Reading vs West Brom 3-2 (aet); Tamworth vs Stoke 1-1 (aet; Stoke win 5-4 on pens); Walsall vs Barnsley 2-0. League One - Brentford vs Nottm Forest 1-1; Colchester vs Bristol C. 3-2. League Two - Darlington vs Grimsby 0-0; Shrewsbury vs Mansfield 0-0.