Football news

Inter president Massimo Moratti says he is not concerned about losing Jose Mourinho despite the Portuguese coach's stated dislike of Italian football.

Mourinho, who joined Inter in 2008 after leaving Chelsea the previous year, said earlier this week that, although happy at Inter, he did not like Italian football and missed England.

"He's been saying that he misses England since the first day," Moratti was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But he has a contract with Inter for two more years and maybe (it will be) even longer. Everyone makes their own choices, but I'm not scared and I don't fear his nostalgia."

O'Neill denies quit speculation

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has denied he is set to quit the club after rumours of a fall-out with chairman Randy Lerner circulated on fans chatrooms.

"In the light of ongoing and perplexing reports I would like to reiterate one or two points which, to me, are essential," O'Neill said in a statement.

"Every summer since taking the job in 2006, I have sat down and discussed the season in general terms with my chairman, Randy Lerner, attempting to formulate plans for how we hope to improve the club year on year.

"This summer will be no different. I have a yearly rolling contract and I hope to continue to do a job, the challenges of which I enjoy immensely."

PSG fans barred from cup semi

Fans of Paris SG will be banned from attending their side's French Cup semi-final away to amateurs Quevilly later this month for safety reasons, the French Football Federation (FFF) said.

"The Paris SG club having decided to stop selling tickets (for away matches) until further notice, the PSG supporters will be barred from attending the PSG-Quevilly match," the FFF said.

PSG decided to stop selling tickets for away matches for the rest of the season following the death of a fan last month after he was beaten up by a rival group from his own club.

MLS keen on more big-name signings

Major League Soccer has cleared the way for more big-name signings by extending its "Beckham Rule" with immediate effect.

The Designated Player Rule was a mechanism introduced in 2007 to allow an individual club to pay one player any salary above the mandated fixed salary cap.

England star David Beckham became the first Designated Player when he signed for the LA Galaxy from Real Madrid.

MLS clubs were able to trade with other clubs for a second Designated Player but the latest decision allows them to sign at least two Designated Players with the option of "purchasing" a third Designated Player slot for $250,000.

Mancini expects more from Vieira

Roberto Mancini has admitted Manchester City have not seen the best of Patrick Vieira.

The former Arsenal skipper joined City in January but was unable to play until the beginning of February due to a calf injury and then had to serve a three-match suspension. Since then, the Frenchman has struggled for form.

"Patrick is probably not playing like the player everyone knows," said Mancini. "When he arrived here he had an injury, although after that he improved before he had to miss another three games.

"He could improve but he needs to play more games because Patrick can be an important player to us."

Magath shrugs off mind games

A row has erupted between Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich ahead of the game which could go a long way to deciding who wins the Bundesliga title this weekend.

A win at the AufSchalke today would take Schalke five points clear at the top with just five games remaining. But Bayern are doing everything they can to unnerve their rivals, including lodging an official complaint with the German Football League (DFL) this week about the state of the pitch.

But Schalke manager Felix Magath is ignoring the mind games. "We would be well advised to concentrate completely on the sporting aspects," he said.

"There are more important things for me. My team will provide the answer on the field."

Hargreaves on verge of return

Owen Hargreaves could be back in the Manchester United squad to face Chelsea today.

Alex Ferguson revealed yesterday that he is considering bringing Hargreaves - who has not played a first-team game since September 2008 after undergoing surgery to both knees - and John O'Shea back into the fold over the coming week.

The fact Hargreaves is not part of United's European squad lends weight to the belief Ferguson will have the 29-year-old on the bench against Chelsea.

"John O'Shea and Owen Hargreaves have trained very well with the first team," said Ferguson. "They are not far away and I may use one of them as substitute tomorrow and the other on Wednesday."