Zidane: The pressure is growing on Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane to come out of international retirement and help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Zidane has not played international football since France were eliminated from Euro 2004 and this week he insisted he has no plans to reverse his decision. Wenger says the 32-year-old midfielder, who also plans to retire from club football in 2007, could find the pressure impossible to ignore. "It looks like the (France) coach is open to it, and there is a big pressure in France, linked with the fear that we will not go to the World Cup," Wenger said.
Ferguson: A shortage of goals has been Manchester United's biggest problem in their fruitless pursuit of Premier League leaders Chelsea, manager Alex Ferguson said yesterday. United are unbeaten in their last 21 league games but, missing their usual ruthless streak in front of goal, trail the champions-elect by 13 points. "We've had a good season in respect of the points tally. Where we are disappointed is that our goals tally is not great. Forty-eight goals is not good enough for us," Ferguson said.
No 'vendetta': The mayor of Turin has appealed for Juve fans to show "good sense" before Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool and isolate those talking of a vendetta. Liverpool visit Juve's Delle Alpi stadium for the first time since the 1985 Heysel tragedy in Brussels in which 39 fans, mainly Juve supporters, were killed when a wall collapsed following crowd trouble at the European Cup final. "I am making an appeal to the good sense of the fans so that Juventus-Liverpool will be a festival of sport and not an occasion for clashes, or even worse a vendetta," Turin mayor Sergio Chiamparino was quoted as saying yesterday.
Boot attack: Wydad Casablanca striker Makhete Ndiaye has been suspended for the rest of the season after attacking his coach with his boots. Ndiaye, from Senegal, assaulted Wydad's French coach Jacky Bonnevay at the end of Monday's Arab Champions League match against Al Hilal in Riyadh. Television pictures showed Ndiaye hitting the cowering coach repeatedly with his boots in an angry outburst. Bonnevay had brought Ndiaye on as a substitute in the quarter-final, first leg tie but replaced him after just 15 minutes. Wydad were beaten 1-0.
Nakata: Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata says he will quit the national team if it helps them qualify for next year's World Cup. "I simply want Japan to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany," Japan's most recognisable player said. "This is probably my last chance (to play at a World Cup) but if I'm an obstacle to the team then I don't mind quitting." Japan coach Zico was heavily criticised for changing his tactics to accommodate Nakata for last month's Asian World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Bahrain.
In England: League One - Tranmere vs Stockport City 1-0. League Two - Cheltenham vs Shrewsbury 1-1.
¤ The late Pope John Paul regretted not praying for his native Poland during the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain, according to former Poland playmaker Zbigniew Boniek. Boniek said they met the Pontiff before the tournament and asked for his prayers. The Pope declined, saying 'God does not have favourites in football', Boniek said. Several months later, Boniek again visited the Vatican, this time with Juventus, when the Pope's personal secretary Stanislaw Dziwisz unexpectedly called him over. "Father Dziwisz told me that if the Pope had known Poland would come in third place in the World Cup, he would have prayed," said Boniek.