Ferreira Sidelined: Chelsea's Portugal right back Paulo Ferreira has broken a bone in his foot and will miss today's Premier League match at Southampton. "He has broken the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and it will be operated on tomorrow. He'll be out of hospital within 24 hours," club doctor Bryan English said on Friday. However, the Premier League leaders stressed on their official website that "this does not mean his season is over". The 26-year-old suffered the injury playing for Portugal during their World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on Wednesday.
Beckham: David Beckham will miss Real Madrid's league match at Albacete tomorrow after picking up a thigh injury during England's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan. The England captain strained a muscle in his left thigh in the closing minutes of the 2-0 victory in Newcastle on Wednesday and was replaced by Jermain Defoe. Real said that club medical staff would be trying to ensure the midfielder recovered in time for next weekend's match against league leaders Barcelona.
Atouba: Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Thimothee Atouba has been banned for three matches after being found guilty of violent conduct by the FA yesterday. Atouba clashed with Manchester City's Joey Barton off the ball during their Premier League match at White Hart Lane on March 19. The incident was originally missed by the referee but television replays showed the Cameroon international elbowing Barton in the face.
World Cup tickets: Over a million fans from around the world have applied for more than 10 million tickets for the 2006 World Cup, 12 times the number available, after a last-minute rush concluded the first round of sales. World Cup organisers made 812,000 tickets available in a two-month sales period that ended on Thursday. About half the applications ticket allotment came in the final week and almost a quarter on the last day, organisers said.
Zidane: Zinedine Zidane says he might consider returning for France in a bid to help the former world champions in their struggle to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Zidane ended his international career after Les Bleus were knocked out of Euro 2004 with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat against eventual champions Greece. "I've already said the French team was the most beautiful thing that happened to me. It would be nice for me to come back, but I do not want to talk about it," he told sports daily L'Equipe yesterday.
In England: League One - Doncaster vs Colchester 1-1. League Two - Southend vs Bristol Rovers 2-0.