Oldham Athletic handed Andy Ritchie an unhappy 21st yesterday, "relieving him of his duties" after he refused to accept a move upstairs.

Ritchie became the 21st managerial casualty of the season after Oldham took only one point from their last five league games.

Chairman Chris Moorer felt the club needed a coach "who will bring fresh ideas and success", and when Ritchie rejected the offer of a new job as technical director-designate, he was on his way out.

John Sheridan could be given caretaker charge after joining Oldham's coaching staff only last week and is being suggested as player-coach if Chris Waddle, a former team-mate at Sheffield Wednesday, takes over.

Real Madrid players suffered a scare following their Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday night when their plane was forced to return to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport shortly after take-off.

The players reported sparks, a flare and a strong smell of smoke from one of the engines.

Brazil have surprisingly left veteran striker Romario out of their squad for the decisive World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela next week.

The 35-year-old, still rated as Brazil's most dangerous forward despite his age, was expected to be rewarded with a recall after a recent goal glut made him joint leading scorer in the Brazilian championship with 13.