The Scottish premier league could be set to kick out its two top clubs, Celtic and Rangers, for sabotaging its pay-per-view television plans. The 10 other teams in the SPL are ready to go it alone without the Old Firm.
Chris Robinson, the chief executive of Hearts, told the Sunday Mail that plans to play the competition without Celtic and Rangers have been under consideration since the Glasgow rivals announced their ambition two seasons ago to join the English premier league.
However, the split within Scotland's top division has escalated since the Old Firm's decision to withdraw backing for the SPL's own television channel.
Celtic and Rangers want to negotiate their own broadcast deals, but their 10 angry rivals believe the SPL now has the legal right to kick out the Old Firm for breaking the rules on collective bargaining.
"We have been planning for life without Celtic and Rangers for the last two years," Robinson was quoted as saying. "There would be major cuts and all the clubs are looking again at their business plans, but we are prepared to suffer for a year or two until we can increase the level of competition and interest in the league."
Martin Keown has been called up by Sven-Goran Eriksson for England's friendly against Paraguay after his Arsenal team-mate Sol Campbell was ruled out with a hamstring injury yesterday, the English FA said.
Campbell is expected to be on the sidelines for up to three weeks after suffering the injury during Arsenal's win over Middlesbrough yesterday.
Keown (35) has been capped 40 times by England, but was left out of Eriksson's initial squad on Saturday.
England play Paraguay at Liverpool on Wednesday, their last friendly before Eriksson names his World Cup squad around May 7th.
AS Roma and Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta was taken to hospital after receiving a kick on the head during yesterday's Serie A match against Parma and is likely to miss his country's friendly with Germany on Wednesday.
The former Fiorentina forward suffered no serious injury and is expected to be released from hospital after an overnight stay. But he is unlikely to be ready to take part in Wednesday's match in Stuttgart which would have marked his return for the national side after a six-month absence.
Wimbledon defender Mark Williams will have a fitness test when he joins up with the Northern Ireland squad today ahead of Wednesday's game against Spain. Williams needed stitches in an ankle wound and missed Wimbledon's game yesterday.
The Northern Ireland medical team will assess Williams when he arrives at lunchtime and manager Sammy McIlroy is anxious he plays after losing five players to injury so far.
Once again McIlroy's squad has been ravaged by withdrawals and on Saturday Norwich duo Philip Mulryne and Paul McVeigh and Dundee United's Danny Griffin pulled out injured.
McIlroy had already lost Birmingham's Michael Hughes and Wigan's Peter Kennedy.
Roy Hodgson, who has been named as the new United Arab Emirates coach, has revealed he was one of the three candidates to succeed Kevin Keegan as England boss.
The English FA did not make their three-man shortlist public and gave the job to Sven-Goran Eriksson.
But Hodgson, the former Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers boss, said: "I'm very proud because I was one of three candidates for the job which finally went to Sven-Goran Eriksson."
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel is poised to join Manchester City, three years after ending his glittering career at Old Trafford. City spokesman Chris Bird said that the former Denmark international has agreed a 12-month contract starting next season, adding that the free transfer would go through subject to a medical.
