A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Redknapp tries to distance himself from England post
TOTTENHAM Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has distanced himself from the vacant England manager’s post, saying yesterday he is happy at White Hart Lane and hinting the national job would be too frustrating.
Redknapp insists he has had no contact from the English Football Association (FA) who have installed Stuart Pearce as caretaker.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are reported to have offered him an improved contract and a large transfer budget.
“When you’re in a club, you look for a striker and you sign him. When you’re a national coach, you have to make do with what you have in your country,” Redknapp said in an interview with French sports daily LEquipe. “If you don’t have a striker, you just don’t have one. And you almost never see the players. Two days a month: it’s very difficult.”
Asked if he would like the England job, he replied: “I’m not sure. I have a very good job at Tottenham and I like it here. But I don’t know. Wait and see.”
Trapattoni dismisses Dnipro move talk
GIOVANNI Trapattoni has dismissed reports linking him with a move to Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, writes Emmet Malone.
The club was said to be keen on hiring the Ireland manager but the 72-year-old said he had “not heard anything,” regarding any offer and added he “would not be interested,” should any approach be made.
The Italian has repeatedly been linked with other vacancies and hasn’t always been quick to distance himself from the speculation.
But having guided the Irish team to this summer’s European Championship finals, he recently extended his contract with the FAI and has repeatedly spoken of how much he would love to manage at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Holman heading for Aston Villa
AUSTRALIAN international midfielder Brett Holman will join Aston Villa from Dutch league leaders AZ Alkmaar when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on their website ( www.avfc.co.uk) yesterday.
“Brett is a very intelligent player, a great team player and a man who is recognised in the game as a non-stop, committed wide midfield player,” said Villa manager Alex McLeish.
“He has international experience and he has played in the Champions League and at European level for the past few years.
“He will add significantly to the experience in the Villa squad.”
The 27-year-old Holman, capped 53 times by Australia, has played in Europe since 2002 when he joined Feyenoord.
He moved on to Excelsior and NEC Nijmegen before joining Alkmaar in 2008.
Texeira stands down as Brazil FF head
RICARDO Teixeira yesterday stood down as head of the Brazilian Football Federation and the 2014 World Cup organising committee on health grounds.
Teixiera had been in charge of Brazilian football for 23 years but recently came under pressure to resign over allegations of corruption.
He announced over the weekend he would be taking a leave of absence due to his health and yesterday confirmed his departure was permanent.
A statement read: “I leave the presidency of the CBF (national federation) permanently with the sense of mission accomplished.
“It’s not easy to preside passion. Football in our country is associated with two things: talent and disorganisation.
“When we win, talent is praised. When we lose, it’s about disorganisation.
“I did what was within my reach, sacrificing my health. I was criticised in the losses and undervalued in the victories.”
In 2001, the Brazilian Congress investigated Teixeira on suspicion of 13 crimes, including tax evasion, money laundering and misleading lawmakers, but no charges were brought.
He has also been investigated for allegedly taking kickbacks from a marketing firm that worked closely with Fifa in the 1990s.
He denied all the allegations and has never been convicted.
No charge over Adeyemi incident
A MAN arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Oldham midfielder Tom Adeyemi during a game against Liverpool will not be charged with an offence, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Britain said yesterday.
The man, aged 20 and from Aintree, Liverpool, was arrested after match officials made a complaint to Merseyside Police.
During the second half of the FA Cup third-round tie on January 6th, Adeyemi appeared to take offence at something shouted from the Kop stand at Anfield.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who is on loan from Norwich, alleged a fan had shouted a racially abusive comment at him as he retrieved the ball from near the crowd.
Adeyemi reported the incident to the referee, who notified the fourth official, who then notified the police.
The CPS said yesterday that after police interviews with the footballer and the suspect, and viewing “enhanced” CCTV footage, there was insufficient evidence to bring any criminal charges.
