West Ham: Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun has joined newly-promoted English Premier League side West Ham United from Racing Santander. Benayoun has joined for a fee of £2.5 million ($4.40 million) and his four-year deal is subject to a work permit. Benayoun, Israel's top soccer player, was also being chased by English club Bolton but he opted for West Ham.
Aloisi: Australian international striker John Aloisi has signed a two-year contract for newly-promoted Primera Liga side Alaves. The 29-year-old, available on a free transfer from Osasuna, had been close to signing a three-year deal with Panathinaikos but problems with a knee injury prompted the Greek side to offer him a shorter deal which he turned down.
Crowd Trouble: Russian police detained 46 soccer fans yesterday after a fight between rival supporters that injured 14 people, local media reported. Supporters of Dynamo Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg clashed in the Russian capital before the match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Zenit. Interfax news agency reported a bus full of Zenit fans had stopped at a cafe to eat on the way to the game and Dynamo fans were waiting for them there.
Hargreaves: Middlesbrough have failed with a bid for Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves. The Teessiders are anxiously scouring the transfer market for new recruits, with midfielders particularly high on Steve McClaren's wanted list. Hargreaves has decided a move to The Riverside is not for him at this point in his career as he does not want to hamper his chances of making England's squad for the World Cup next summer.
Emerson: Juventus midfielder Emerson claims he has snubbed offers from Premiership clubs to stay in Turin. Emerson admits he is flattered to attract interest from clubs in England, but insists he has no plans to leave Juve. "I feel flattered, but why would I want to leave Juve now? I really would love to win the Champions League with this club, and I think we have a great chance now that we've signed Patrick Vieira," said Emerson.
¤ Former Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat signed a one-year deal yesterday to take charge of the United Arab Emirates national side. The Dutchman, who led the Netherlands to the Euro 2004 semi-finals, replaces compatriot Aad De Mos. "The one-year contract will expire six months before the (2007) Gulf Cup, but he has given his commitment to renew the contract if he performed to our satisfaction," Khaled bin Faris, head of the UAE Football Association's technical committee, told reporters. Advocaat resigned as Bor. Moenchengladbach coach less than six months into the job in April.