Papadopulo: Lazio coach Giuseppe Papadopulo will leave the club after negotiations on a contract extension broke down. Papadopulo said in a statement that his talks with the club had "not reached a positive outcome" and that he would leave the club when his contract ends on June 30. Former Benfica coach Giovanni Trapattoni and ex-Atalanta boss Delio Rossi have been linked by the media with a move to Lazio. The club said this week they intended to take part in the Intertoto Cup with the aim of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
Klose: Werder Bremen striker Miroslav Klose pulled out of Germany's Confederations Cup squad yesterday and will undergo knee surgery. Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann, already without Philipp Lahm and Dietmar Hamann, called up Wolfsburg's Thomas Brdaric as his replacement. Germany host the Confederations Cup from June 15 to 29 and play Australia, Tunisia and Argentina in the group stage.
Kaladze: Milan's Georgian defender Kakha Kaladze said yesterday he had agreed personal terms with Chelsea. "Everything between Chelsea and myself has been agreed," Kaladze, 27, said. "It's a five-year contract and I'm very happy with all the conditions I was offered."
Palermo: Sicilian Serie A club Palermo have appointed former Roma and Chievo boss Luigi Del Neri as coach on a two-year contract. He replaces Francesco Guidolin, who decided to stand down even though Palermo finished sixth in the table to qualify for next season's UEFA Cup. Del Neri, who took Chievo from Serie B to the upper reaches of the top division, has been out of work since leaving Roma in March.
Cole: Arsenal hope to extend England full-back Ashley Cole's contract with the club despite the heavy fine handed down to him by the Premier League on Wednesday for his role in the "tapping-up" affair with Chelsea. Asked if Cole would be leaving Arsenal, vice-chairman David Dein said: "We hope not. We don't want him to leave. He's our player. He's got another two years to go... we expect him to respect it. We'll even be trying to extend his contract." Cole was fined £100,000 for making an approach to another club "with a view to negotiating a contract" after a meeting with Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon in a London hotel in January.
Marseille: Coach Philippe Troussier has been sacked by Marseille, the Ligue 1 club's chairman Pape Diouf said. The former Japan coach, who joined Marseille in November on a two-year deal to replace Jose Anigo, failed to qualify the team for the UEFA Cup. The team finished fifth in the Ligue 1 standings after conceding a 3-3 draw at Girondins Bordeaux on the last day. Metz's Jean Fernandez has been tipped to take over from Troussier.