La Liga - Barcelona talk down Cesc price

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell believes Cesc Fabregas’s value has dipped over the past 12 months and says the club will “not go overboard” in any attempt to sign the Arsenal captain.

Fabregas is again believed to be a target for Barca this summer and although on Wednesday he insisted he was happy at Arsenal, he also stated he was unsure what his future holds.
Barca made a concerted effort to sign their former youth team prospect 12 months ago but Rosell is unwilling to make the same financial commitments if he does try and purchase the midfielder again.
"If last summer we offered 40 million (£36 million) for Cesc, and since then there has been wear and tear, now he's worth less," Rosell said.
"In the case that we were interested, our offer would be reasonable. We would not go overboard."
With negotiations continuing with Udinese for Alexis Sanchez and Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi remaining a target, Rosell says Guardiola has been given a firm transfer budget for the summer.
However, that could be enhanced by funds set aside for the following year.
"We'll see what happens in the transfer market. Initially, we have 45 million euros but we might use part of next year's money too," he said. "[Pep] Guardiola has his preferences, but he doesn't talk about names, he talks about positions that should be strengthened."

Eurosport

Boss in before July - Gourlay

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay expects to appoint the club's new manager within a fortnight, with Guus Hiddink favourite for the job.

Hiddink: Leads Chelsea contenders

Turkey boss Hiddink is widely expected to return to the role he occupied at Stamford Bridge on a short-term basis in 2009 and talks are understood to be ongoing.
It has been reported that Chelsea still need to agree compensation with the Turkish Football Association, but Gourlay insist the search for a manager is going "very, very well".
Gourlay, who was in Bangkok on Thursday to promote the club's pre-season Asian tour would not comment directly about Hiddink.
However, he said: "The process of getting a new coach is going very, very well.
"I'd expect a new coach to hopefully be in place within the next week, maybe two weeks, but maybe even earlier."
Gourlay has also defended the Chelsea's rapid turnover of managers in recent years, with Carlo Ancelotti the fourth man in as many years to leave.
"Continuity is very important but so is performance and results," said Gourlay.
"Our model may not be the model others agree with but at the end of the day, we've taken the decisions we felt we needed to take to develop Chelsea football club... and we've won 10 major trophies in the last six years."

Will Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez Be Joining Real Madrid Soon?

by Michael Schwartz

Six million Euros. That's all it cost for Manchester United to sign a hardly-known Mexican striker from Chivas Guadalajara around a year ago. Nobody knew what to expect from Javier Hernandez, but as soon as he scored goals in the World Cup against France and Argentina, excitement started to build. However, not even Alex Ferguson and his scouting staff could have expected the immediate impact the Mexican sensation would have in the Premier League.
In his first year with United, Chicharito shocked the football world with his play as he became one of the EPL's leading goal-scorers. In a year where Wayne Rooney was as unpredictable as ever and Berbatov cooled off in the second half of the season, Hernandez remarkably became the symbol of consistency that allowed United to successfully win their 19th title.
As a result of his play, it should come as no surprise that there would be outside interest in him. It's also completely predictable that Real Madrid would be linked with the United striker after reports were made of Jose Mourinho being heavily interested in him to the point of dealing Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema for Hernandez. Just the thought of Madrid going after another United player makes United fans look back to the Ronaldo saga, who eventually left to join them. Speculation around Hernandez continued to grow after stories were made of his agent admitting that he would consider an offer from the Spanish giants.

Instead of fretting about his future, I'm confident in feeling that Hernandez won't leave Manchester. Hernandez isn't the same as Ronaldo in that he dreamed of playing for Los Blancos. The fact that Hernandez is of Latin-American descent from North America where the Spanish giants are worshiped in some parts also explains why the media would jump on the idea of him joining Real Madrid.
Call it a gut feeling, but Chicharito looks like he shows a great amount of loyalty which is growing less common nowadays with young footballers. According to The Sun, he stated, "From now on I'll owe a great debt to Sir Alex for bringing me to Europe. I want to win many titles to give back to the team that opened the doors for me."
Now, one would counter saying Ronaldo often played mind-games where he stated that he wouldn't leave United only to eventually succumb to the temptation of playing for his childhood team. Hernandez doesn't seem to be known for idolizing a certain team and looks as though he's just appreciative of United in believing in him. In return, United have made what many call the signing of the century. Besides his marketing value, Hernandez has become an integral member of the Red Devils as his pace and finishing are simply world class for both club and country (an astounding 19 goals in 25 appearances for Mexico).
Will the rumors of Chicharito going to Real Madrid or other top clubs end once and for all? Of course not. Stories of teams interested in his services will continue to persist as they do with most of the top players in the world.
However, Alex Ferguson will do all he can to keep hold of his prized striker as he's determined to have him lead United for years to come. Chicharito will probably only get even better over time as he looks like he could one day be the best striker in the world. The links with other giants of the game won't stop as he continues to astound. No one can predict the future and in today's transfer market, anything can happen. However, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is a Red Devil and in my mind, he'll continue to be one for a long time to come.

La Liga - Barca chief lays into Real, Mourinho

A war of words between Barcelona and Real Madrid intensified when Barca president Sandro Rosell accused their bitter rivals of anti-sporting behaviour and slammed Real coach Jose Mourinho.

Bad blood boiled up between the Spanish giants around four clashes in three competitions in 18 days in April and May and Rosell used his end-of-season news conference to read out a strongly-worded statement condemning Real.
"We believe that this season Real Madrid has gone beyond all the limits of the necessary sporting rivalry, making accusations against our club that have no foundation," Rosell said.
"The rivalry will continue next season but we will not allow the limits of sporting behaviour to be exceeded again.
"Football deserves clean competition and FC Barcelona will do everything to preserve that.
"If necessary, we will take legal action and take the case to the relevant sporting tribunals."
European champions Barca eliminated Real from the Champions League and beat the Madrid club into second place in La Liga for a third straight season, while Real claimed a dramatic King's Cup final win over Barca to claim their only silverware.
The four matches were marred by play-acting, brawling and post-game allegations of cheating and racist abuse.
After the Champions League semi-final first leg, Mourinho claimed Barca enjoyed favourable treatment from referees and Real filed a complaint with UEFA -- which was rejected -- accusing Barca players of diving and alleging midfielder Sergio Busquets had called defender Marcelo a monkey.
Barca filed their own complaint with UEFA over Mourinho's comments and the Portuguese was suspended for five matches and fined 50,000 euros ($70,700).
He faces an appeals hearing on July 29 and has said he will use all means at his disposal to fight the sanction.
"The news conference that the Real Madrid coach gave after the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu shamed anyone who considers themselves an athlete," Rosell said.
Barca were also outraged by a report on Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, which cited an unidentified Real official as its source, that suggested Barca's players and medical staff were engaged in illegal doping.
"I can assure you that if someone, in the name of FC Barcelona, had made an accusation of this kind we would have acted with firmness, denying it immediately and taking those responsible to court," Rosell said.
"We would have appreciated a similar response from Real Madrid but unfortunately this was not the case."
Rosell said it was now up to Real president Florentino Perez to mend relations between the clubs.
"A few days ago the president of Real Madrid said he would not stop until the club had won a tenth European Cup," he said.
"We hope that they attempt this on the pitch, in a sporting manner and rediscovering a way of behaving that I believe many Madrid fans want.
"The president of Real Madrid has a chance to reconstitute our relations, on and off the pitch.
"Football, which usually gives you back what you put in, will be the great beneficiary."

Reuters

Manchester United set to enter bidding war for Tottenham's Luka Modric

Luka Modric said he would consider an offer from Manchester United if Spurs allowed him to do so. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images

Luka Modric would be open to joining Manchester United if Sir Alex Ferguson starts a bidding war with Chelsea by following the west London club in making an official offer for the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder.
After Chelsea had an initial £22m offer rejected, United are considering their options before deciding when to enter the market for a player openly admired by Ferguson, who claims he is the best footballer in England. Manchester City, the Premier League's richest club, also retain an interest and if their billionaire owner, Sheikh Mansour, enters the auction to land Modric then Spurs can expect his price to rise beyond £35m.
While Tottenham maintain that Modric is not for sale Nikky Vuksan, Modric's representative, said the Croatian would consider an offer from United if the north London club allowed him to do so. "Exactly. If that was the Spurs position then we would be happy to sit with the club and discuss for the future," Vuksan said, before being careful to emphasise Modric is not agitating for a move.
"He's happy at Spurs. Any offer that comes [in] for him, it's up to the decision of Tottenham Hotspur if they want to reject it or accept it. We have a great partnership with Tottenham and there's not been [any] activity on our behalf that we would do on our own.
"Everything is in coordination with Spurs, and it's all up to the chairman, Daniel Levy, to decide. [Luka's] under contract, he's happy there [and] he's willing to try to win the Premiership with Spurs and play Champions League [the] next season."
Yet despite that, Vuksan conceded that Modric wants to play in the Champions League each season, a prospect not on offer for him from Tottenham in the next campaign. "Of course. He loves the Champions League experience, it was a great honour for Sir Alex to say something like this and he uses it only as a motivation to continue on such a level," he said.
Asked how Modric reacted when he was told of the bid from Chelsea, Vuksan said: "I'm sorry it's inappropriate for me to say what he thinks about it. Obviously he respects the decision of the club [to turn the offer down]."
Pressed if Modric would prefer a move to Chelsea, United, City, or even Arsenal, Vuksan added: "This is a constant question and I'm sorry I really can't comment."
Regarding what comprises a realistic valuation for Modric, Vuksan said it would not be unexpected if an offer of up to £40m was eventually made for him. "Of course, I don't think it would be [to] anybody's surprise. If you ask me, Modric is one of the best and one of the probably most expensive players in the world," he said of a player who is only 25 and so is yet to reach his peak. "He's going to keep improving and get better and better."
United, meanwhile, have turned their interest in Raphaël Varane into a formal bid, offering Lens £9.2m for a teenager who fits into their policy of recruiting potential stars of the future.
Lens have provisionally accepted United's offer, though the matter is complicated. Varane has begun his Baccalaureate exams and may delay his decision until they are finished, while his excitement about moving to Old Trafford is tempered by reservations that he will be joining a club which has an established central defensive partnership in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, plus Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans in reserve.
Varane is keen to arrange a loan in his first season, possibly meaning he will stay in France, and if that is not possible with United he must decide whether he would be better off signing for a team where he would get more games.

AGUERO NOT SET FOR JUVENTUS - AGENT

Sergio Aguero's agent has denied reports that the Atletico Madrid striker has agreed to join Juventus.
It had been suggested that Juve were closing in on the signing of the Argentina international, for a fee in the region of £22million.

 

Aguero - not set to join Juventus.

But the claims have been quelled, with Aguero's representative, Hernan Reguera, insisting no talks have been held with the Serie A club.
"Sergio has two agents and we have both been in Argentina, we have not met anyone," Reguera told Spanish newspaper AS.
"We have not been in Italy or anywhere, we are in Argentina working on his future. He is quiet, he has delegated this to us and is now focused on the Copa America.
"It is clear that Kun is eager to play Champions League football next season. However, it will not be a decisive factor in the decision on his future. We are currently considering his options and many factors play a role in his decision."
Aguero has been linked with several of Europe's top sides, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

By James Dall

Hammers nail down Nolan deal

Kevin Nolan has completed his surprise move to relegated West Ham from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee, believed to be up to £4million.

Nolan: Hammers new boy

The 28-year-old midfielder has agreed a five-year deal at Upton Park.
New Hammers boss Sam Allardyce will make Nolan the club's captain in the hope he can repeat his heroics of two seasons ago, when his 17 goals helped the Magpies bounce straight back into the Premier League after their relegation.
The deal is a real coup for Allardyce, who has landed a player he knows well from their successful spell together at Bolton and who hit 12 top-flight goals last term.
As well as taking over as skipper from the out-of-contract Matt Upson, Nolan's arrival will also soften the blow of Scott Parker's inevitable move back to the Premier League with Tottenham his likely destination.
However, Nolan's departure from St James' Park, after he failed to agree an extension to his contract, has not gone down well on Tyneside with fellow midfielder Joey Barton admitting the news made him feel "sick".

Gervinho on brink of £10.6m Arsenal move

Arsene Wenger is poised to complete the first part of his Arsenal summer refit by landing Ivory Coast striker Gervinho in the next 48 hours.
The Gunners have agreed a £10.6million deal with French champions Lille for the 24-year-old forward, who will arrive on a four-year contract.
Gervinho's signing comes as Wenger - due back in England from France next week - steps up his attempt to land Blackburn central defensive powerhouse Christopher Samba.
He is also seeking to bring in Shaktyar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Willian, in a deal that would see unwanted midfielder Denilson go the other way.

The Frenchman is understood to be privately steeling himself to a raft of summer departures, with Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas all heading towards the exit door against his wishes.
Friends of the Arsenal boss revealed Wenger is now ready to build the fifth new team of his 15-year reign, accepting a new blueprint is required if the club are to end their six-year trophy drought.
Despite grumblings from supporters reaching a peak in the wake of last season's disappointments - Wenger was said to have been less than enamoured by chief executive Ivan Gazidis' suggestion that the manager is "ultimately accountable to the fans" - the Gunners boss is determined to plough his own furrow.
Wenger has refused to be be browbeaten into changing his transfer market strategy, although he is not resistant to buying more experienced players, such as Samba, if they fit his plans.
Arsenal are struggling to shift two players they do want to lose, with no takers for Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner or Russian forward Andriy Arshavin.

Chelsea priced out for Neymar

By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent


Chelsea have told Brazilian club Santos that Neymar is far too costly at £41 million and that, as it stands, they have no intention of meeting the player's buy-out clause of that amount.

GettyImagesNeymar: Currently playing in the Copa Libertadores final for the Brazilian club

 

Unless Santos drop their price, Chelsea will not continue a near-two-year long pursuit of the Brazilian who has scored three times in his first five internationals for his country.
Super agent Pini Zahavi, a close consort of Roman Abramovich, is authorised to act for Neymar in any European transfer and is widely reported in Brazil to be heading to Rio this weekend to conclude a deal with Chelsea. However, ESPNsoccernet has learned that a move for Neymar has stalled over the price.
Zahavi is sure to be in Brazil at the weekend, but it is no more than a routine visit and a deal for Neymar is some way off.
The source confided on Thursday that Santos will only accept the full amount of €45 million, and Chelsea would never pay so much for a 19-year-old unproven in English football. "But this player is so good that there are other clubs who will pay it, I am sure," the transfer expert said.
Real Madrid want Neymar, but they too are baulking at the asking price. Chelsea haven't given up hope that Santos will finally negotiate a reasonable fee.
Manchester City would pay the full amount, but ESPNsoccernet has been told that Neymar will not go there. Neymar favours Real Madrid or Chelsea, and talks are ongoing
Another complication is the strong suggestion that if Santos win the Copa Libertadores then Neymar wants to stay on to play at the FIFA Club World, and they began their double-headed final with a good result, a 0-0 draw away to Penarol.
Although the Neymar deal now looks doubtful, Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has promised fans that there will be "two or three new players in the team" before the new season.

Fifa's João Havelange faces IOC inquiry into £610,000 bung allegation

The former Fifa president Joao Havelange, left, and his successor Sepp Blatter, right, with President Chirac at France 1998 World Cup final. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

Fifa has suffered a fresh blow after the International Olympic Committee began an investigation into one of its highest officials over a BBC Panorama programme's allegations that he took bribes.
João Havelange, the honorary president of football's world governing body and an IOC member, is the subject of the inquiry being conducted by the IOC's ethics watchdog. The allegations centre on the 95-year-old Brazilian's relationship with Fifa's collapsed former marketing partner, International Sport and Leisure (ISL), during his 24 years as president of Fifa. So far Fifa has refused to open its own investigation into the alleged corruption.
In its Fifa: Football's Shame programme the BBC claimed last month: "Mr Havelange got a US$1m bung in 1997 [£610,000 at the time]. Sepp Blatter knew about it. He did nothing."
Havelange did not respond to the BBC's request for a response before the broadcast and it says he has not made contact since. The IOC's ethics commission has been in dialogue with BBC producers since last November, when a separate programme made claims that Issa Hayatou, the Confederation of African Football president and a Fifa vice-president, had taken a £10,000 payment from ISL. When the Guardian approached Hayatou for comment on the investigation during the Fifa congress in Zurich, he walked away.
The BBC is known to have passed to the IOC investigators its documentary evidence and source testimony regarding Hayatou, and the investigation now extends to Havelange. "The IOC takes all allegations of corruption very seriously and we would always ask for any evidence of wrongdoing involving any IOC members to be passed to our ethics commission," the Olympic governing body told the Guardian.
"The ethics commission launched its inquiry before Christmas last year, after the first BBC Panorama programme went on air. The commission has received supporting documents from the BBC and is now in the process of verifying the authenticity of the material that has been gathered so far.
"It istherefore pursuing its work and, although we cannot speak on its behalf as it is conducting its work independently, as a general principle they would always look at any available evidence of wrongdoing by IOC members while the process is ongoing."
Four members of Fifa's governing executive committee have been suspended over the past seven months after its own ethics commission looked into the allegedly corrupt activities in an investigation which has left football's rulers fighting to defend their organisation's reputation.
The Fifa executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii have lodged appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport while the vice-president Jack Warner and Mohamed bin Hammam – who was a candidate for presidential election at Fifa – await a full inquiry by Fifa's ethics commission before discovering whether their temporary bans are extended permanently. There were reports last night that two other Fifa executive committee members were being investigated in connection with the Bin Hammam and Warner case.
However, the latest investigation is potentially the most damaging of all, since it is being conducted by an external body and takes in one of the most senior figures in the world game. Havelange said of last month's Fifa crisis: "Everyone is looking for mistakes because everyone wants to sit in that [president's] chair." When Havelange vacated it in 1998 he was succeeded by Blatter, who had been his closest confidant at Fifa, as his general secretary from 1981 and 1998.
This year Blatter, who is himself an IOC member courtesy of his Fifa role, has criticised the IOC – which went through its own corruption crisis during the bidding for the 2002 Winter Olympics – for a perceived lack of transparency. "The IOC is, I would say, a club," he said.
"In the 115 members of the IOC only 45 are directly linked to sport. All the others, the 70 members, are individually appointed members."

Matt Scott
guardian.co.uk

Mancienne hopes to stay skipper

Michael Mancienne plans to take a leaf out of John Terry's book as he bids to retain the England Under-21 captaincy for Sunday's must-win game.

Mancienne is desperate to hold on to the armband for the final European Under-21 Championship Group B game against the Czech Republic in Denmark, having started the opening two matches of the tournament as skipper.

Mancienne: England Under-21 skipper

The defender was criticised for his performance as a holding midfielder in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Spain and his place in the side was thought to be under threat ahead of Wednesday night's meeting with Ukraine.
But head coach Stuart Pearce kept faith with the 23-year-old, who did improve in what was otherwise another lacklustre England draw.
And Mancienne wants another chance to show he can inspire his side to the victory they need this weekend and to next Saturday's final.
"To captain your country at any level is a massive honour, but to be given the chance to do it at a major championship is an even bigger one," he said.
"It's a big responsibility and one I don't take lightly.
"I want to keep it. I want to do well for my country and I want to do well for my team.
"I want us to get to the final so badly. I want us to win this tournament and do really well."
Mancienne grew up with the ideal captaincy role model in former Chelsea team-mate Terry.
"I have watched him most of my career," said Mancienne, who quit Stamford Bridge to join Hamburg two weeks ago.
"He's a massive inspiration to me.
"Having the chance to train with him and learn from him has helped my career massively.
"I like the way he dominates on the pitch vocally and in terms of his performance.
"He leads by example and he's a great leader."
Mancienne insisted he had given no thought to losing the captaincy after the Spain game, but added: "I was just concentrating on trying to stay in the team.
"The manager picks the team and has some tough decisions to make because there's a lot of talent in the squad and a lot of talent sitting on the bench."
With the Chris Smalling and Phil Jones partnership looking unbreakable at the back and Kyle Walker also impressing at right-back, Mancienne will only get in the side as a midfielder at present.
He said: "I don't mind where I play as long as I am playing in the team.
"If the manager wants me to play a certain position, that's the position I'll play."
It is in midfield that England need to improve dramatically against the Czechs.
Mancienne said: "It's not great because we've made it hard for ourselves going into the last game.
"We could have played a lot better against Ukraine and moved the ball a lot better.
"On the positive side, we didn't concede any goals and that's important.
"Hopefully, we'll win on Sunday and kick on from there.
"But, to be honest, we haven't really got going yet and we need a big performance against Czech Republic."
Mancienne therefore would be more than happy to delay his arrival at Hamburg, where he will be reunited with former Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen, who has now brought several of the Blues youngsters to the Bundesliga club.
"It'll be good to have players there I know," Mancienne said.
"That should help me settle in quicker.
"The German league is a bit more technical than the Premier League and will probably suit me better."

Eto'o pondering Premier League move

By ESPNsoccernet staff

Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o has revealed that he could leave the San Siro and join a Premier League side during the summer transfer window.

GettyImagesSamuel Eto'o: Has won title in Spain and Italy

• Inter blog: Leo out, Loco in?
After scoring twice in the Nerazzurri's 3-1 triumph over Palermo in May's Coppa Italia, the Cameroon international claimed that he would not leave the club. But the two-time treble-winning forward appears to be having second thoughts as he considers a move to England.
"I am currently considering my options," he told Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport. "I have one month to decide as to whether I want to stay put or choose to move to the Premier League."
"I am now 30-years-old and it is very important for me to think about my future before I sign what could be my last contract. I have already shown that I have what it takes to play in Italy and I now have the idea of proving myself in England."
Eto'o joined Inter from Barcelona when he part of a £40 million swap deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2009. He currently has three years remaining on his contract with Serie A's runners-up, but will surely garner interest from several of the Premier League's top sides following his comments.

Budweiser to sponsor FA Cup with the final to be played at teatime

Budweiser is to sponsor the FA Cup for the next three years. Photograph: Lee Mills/Action Images

The all-American beer Budweiser has joined a roll call of brands that also includes fast food outlet McDonald's and chocolate giant Mars in bankrolling the Football Association, as it was unveiled as the new sponsor of the FA Cup.
Some fans may struggle to spot any similarities between the "king of beers" and the world's oldest cup competition. But the FA general secretary, Alex Horne, begged to differ on a day when Uefa revealed Wembley would host the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons in 2013.
"Like the FA Cup, Budweiser has a proud heritage and a long history of being involved in football," said Horne, unveiling a three-year deal, understood to be worth £8m a year to the FA, that will see the competition become "the FA Cup with Budweiser".
"Given the global reach of this sponsorship, we will see the FA Cup promoted around the world like never before which is great for the fans and the players," added Horne.
"It's an iconic competition," said Chris Burggraeve, Budweiser's chief marketing officer. "And iconic status doesn't come just like that. You get it with hard work and gaining the trust of the people you work with."
Budweiser's marketers backed the FA chairman David Bernstein's decision to jettison the more radical proposals that emerged from a recent wide-ranging review of the competition, the health of which is a constant topic of debate.
Instead, Horne said that minimum ticket prices would be reduced to £10 from £15 and the final confirmed in a 5.15pm kick-off slot because it better fitted the habits of TV viewers.
Horne said he was confident that the FA would be able to work with the Premier League to avoid a repeat of this year, when the FA Cup final clashed with a full Premier League programme.
Although top-flight matches will take place on the same weekend, Horne said they hoped to create "some daylight" in the schedule by holding league games at lunchtime and the FA Cup final at teatime.
Bernstein said he was "absolutely delighted" with Uefa's decision to come back to Wembley in 2013 to mark the FA's 150th anniversary. Michel Platini, Uefa's president, has promised to look again at ticket prices for the flagship final after they were heavily criticised as too expensive for this year's encounter between Barcelona and Manchester United.
"It's very unusual for a final to be held in the same place twice in three years. The Champions League final was an outstanding success," Bernstein said. "Uefa were delighted with the result and we were delighted. As I've said on a number of occasions now, Wembley came of age that weekend."
Signing a deal for the FA Cup at the same rate as the previous one is a huge relief for the FA, which has also recently signed Vauxhall to replace Nationwide as the England team sponsor. Now, it faces an uphill task to persuade ITV to renew its £275m deal for England and FA Cup matches, given that the BBC has indicated it is unlikely to bid.

No WC bids until FIFA changes

Sports minister Hugh Robertson says the Government would not consider a further World Cup hosting bid until FIFA becomes more "transparent".

England World Cup bid: Snubbed by FIFA

Mr Robertson said it was "probably not a bad thing" the bid to host the 2026 World Cup was not scheduled for another two years, adding FIFA was in need of "radical structural reform".
He told the Commons: "Any future bid for a FIFA World Cup is some time away, probably not a bad thing, and probably not until 2013. Clearly any decision would be considered on its merits.
"However, I would expect there to be a far greater degree of transparency and accountability at FIFA before we consider any future bid."
Mr Robertson made his remarks as Tory MP Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) said any England bid to host the World Cup was "likely to fail" unless FIFA was reformed, claiming it had "a world of double-dealing and self-interest under Sepp Blatter".
Mr Robertson added: "I think it is very clear, both from our experience of the last bid and from what has happened subsequently, that it is an organisation in need of radical structural reform.
"The principals of transparency and accountability must govern that. The newly elected president (Sepp Blatter) has set the process in train and we will watch that very carefully but until that process is complete, I doubt we would consider a future bid."
Last week, the Prime Minister David Cameron said FIFA's reputation was now at an "all-time low" following Mr Blatter's reappointment as president in an uncontested election.
Mr Robertson said "transparency and accountability was an issue in English football", adding the Government "awaited with interest" the findings of the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee report into the domestic game.
He also described the comments by the Supporters' Trust chief executive Dave Boyle on Twitter, as he celebrated the promotion of AFC Wimbledon, as "vile".
The Premier League has since decided to rescind the trust's funding but Mr Robertson said he hoped there would be a "successful conclusion" to a meeting on Friday.

Woody & Vieira among released

Veteran pair Jonathan Woodgate and Patrick Vieira are on a list of 123 footballers released by Premier League clubs this summer.

Woodgate and Vieira: On released list

Woodgate will now have to decide whether he retires from football after making just 49 Premier League appearances in three and a half years at Tottenham due to a succession of injuries.
Vieira is the other highest-profile name on the list as Manchester City opt against offering him a new contract after just four Premier League starts last season.
Here is a complete list of the players released by their clubs this summer.
Have a look through and let us know, through the 'add comment' facility, who you'd like your club to sign, as the likes of Zoltan Gera, Diomanzy Kamara, Matthew Upson, Nigel Reo-Coker, James McFadden, Benjani, Andy Reid, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Ricardo Gardner are all available on a free transfer.
ARSENAL: Thomas Cruise, Roarie Deacon, Mark Randall.
ASTON VILLA: Durrell Berry, John Carew, Ellis Deeney, Calum Flanagan, Harry Forrester, Arsenio Halfhuid, Isaiah Osbourne, Robert Pires, Nigel Reo-Coker, Moustapha Salifou.
BIRMINGHAM CITY: Marcus Bent, Lee Bowyer, Sebastian Larsson, James McFadden, Mitchell McPike, James O'Shea, Stuart Parnaby, Kevin Phillips, Daniel Preston, Luke Rowe, Robin Shroot, Maik Taylor.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Jordan Bowen, Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvili, Benjani Mwaruwari, Michael Potts, Maceo Rigters.
BLACKPOOL: David Carney, Daniel Coid, Ishmel Demontagnac, Rob Edwards, Jason Euell, Marlon Harewood, Richard Kingson, Malaury Martin, Paul Rachubka, Andy Reid, Salaheddine Sbai.
BOLTON WANDERERS: Tamir Cohen, Johan Elmander, Ricardo Gardner, Joey O'Brien, Jlloyd Samuel, Samuel Sheridan.
CHELSEA: Samuel Hutchinson, Carl Magnay, Danny Philliskirk, Jan Sebek, Michael Woods.
EVERTON: Kieran Agard, Hope Akpan, Nathan Craig, Gerard Kinsella, Lee McArdle, Iain Turner.
FULHAM: Zoltan Gera, Edward Johnson, Diomansy Kamara, John Pantsil, Matthew Saunders.
LIVERPOOL: Jason Banton, Deale Chamberlain, Douglas Cooper, Sean Highdale, Steven Irwin, Nikola Saric.
MANCHESTER CITY: Javier Garrido, Scott Kay, James Poole, Shaleum Logan, Andrew Tutte, Javan Vidal, Patrick Vieira, James Wood.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Conor Devlin, Owen Hargreaves, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Sol Campbell, Shefki Kuqi, Patrick McLaughlin.
STOKE CITY: Abdoulaye Faye, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ibrahima Sonko.
SUNDERLAND: Michael Kay, Nathan Luscombe, Daniel Madden, Robert Weir, Nathan Wilson, Mvoto Jean-Yves, Bolo Zenden.
TOTTENHAM: Jonathan Woodgate.
WEST BROM: Giles Barnes, Marcus Haber, Dean Kiely, Abdoulaye Meite.
WEST HAM: Anthony Edgar, Holmar Eyjolfsson, Daniel Gabbidon, Lars Jacobsen, Filip Modelski, Jonathan Spector, Adam Street, Matthew Upson.
WIGAN ATHLETIC: Steven Caldwell, Daniel De Ridder, Joseph Holt, Jason Koumas, Thomas Lambert, Thomas Oakes, Francis Pollitt, Abian Serrano Davila.
WOLVES: Adriano Basso, Jody Craddock, John Dunleavy, Marcus Hahnemann, David Jones, Nathan Rooney.

Cats win race for Seb

Sunderland are reportedly set to win the race to sign Seb Larsson on a free transfer, beating Fulham, Aston Villa and Arsenal to his signature.

Larsson: Looks to be on his way to Sunderland

The Sweden international has been considering his options since Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League.
The 26-year-old midfielder turned down a move to the continent, despite interest from La Liga, to remain in England.
Fulham, Aston Villa and Arsenal are all believed to have made offers, but he is believed to have opted to make the switch to the North-East.
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce signed him for Birmingham and has agreed a deal to take him to the Stadium of Light.
His former club Arsenal had offered him the chance to return to North London but knowing he would be a squad player with the Gunners was seemingly enough to put him off the move.