Paolo Di Canio, the Sheffield Wednesday striker, will discover today if he has a future in the English game. An English FA disciplinary hearing at Bramall Lane will pass sentence on the Italian, who will answer a misconduct charge arising from his push on the referee Paul Alcock during the game against Arsenal on September 26th.

The Premier League is likely to respond to the growing calls for professional referees by appointing six full-time paid officials for the start of next season. Philip Don, the Premier League referees' officer, is finalising the plan which will be presented to the 20 Premiership club chairmen when they meet in December.

A conciliatory word from Pierre Van Hooijdonk could lead to a meeting with Nottingham Forest and a possible return to the City Ground. Both the player, who went on strike three months ago over what he claimed was Forest's lack of ambition, and the club, wallowing in the Premiership's nether regions, appear to be looking for a way out of their dispute.

Celtic have signed the 33-year-old Slovakian international midfielder Lubomir Moravcik in a £300,000 deal from the German First Division team MSV Duisburg.