A roundup of today's soccer news in brief

Mutu banned for nine months

FIORENTINA striker Adrian Mutu has been banned for nine months after failing an anti-doping test in January. The ruling was confirmed yesterday by the Romania international’s club after the case was heard by the Italian Anti-Doping Tribunal.

Mutu’s ban will run until October as he has already spent two months on the sidelines. “Nine-month ban for Adrian Mutu – this is the decision taken by the anti-doping tribunal regarding the positive test for the substance sibutramine by the Viola player. The ban will end on October 29th, 2010,” said a statement on the Fiorentina website.

This is the second lengthy drugs ban for Mutu, whose Chelsea career ended when he was sacked for cocaine use and banned for seven months.

Mutu had told prosecutors that the traces of sibutramine found in his tests were the result of slimming tablets given to him for his mother.

Mutu still has the option of appealing.

Dawson in contention after impressing Capello

MICHAEL DAWSON is in contention to make England’s World Cup squad after impressing Fabio Capello with his contribution to Tottenham’s victories over Arsenal and Chelsea.

Capello was at White Hart Lane for both derbies in which the centre-half excelled last week and will continue to monitor the 26-year-old’s form over the rest of the season before announcing an initial 30-man squad on May 16th.

Dawson, described recently by the Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez as “the best English defender I have played against”, has impressed since becoming a regular at Spurs in late November following injuries to Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

He has been included in England squads but has yet to be capped.

That would normally leave him as an outsider to make the cut for the party that departs for South Africa on June 2nd. However, Capello’s options at centre-half have been limited by injuries.

Guardian Service

Newcastle go up as champions

NEWCASTLE’S successful march back to the Premier League was capped at Plymouth last night as they secured the Championship title with their 29th win of the season, sending their hosts down to League One in the process.

Chris Hughton’s team made sure it will be them and not West Brom that lift the trophy – their first since winning the old Second Division under Kevin Keegan in 1993. Goals from Andy Carroll and Wayne Routledge were enough to see off Paul Mariner’s men, who have paid the price for winning just 11 games all season.

Plymouth’s Alan Judge thumped a 35-yard effort against the bar as Newcastle took their foot of the gas, with Hughton taking the opportunity to give €2 million signing Leon Best a rare opportunity from the bench.

Keane is fans player of year 

ROBBIE Keane has been voted Celtic’s player of the year by the club’s fans despite playing for just two and a half months of the campaign so far.

Keane (29) collected his award at the club’s annual dinner after taking his tally to 13 goals in 15 games.

Keane’s award shows how few players have impressed consistently this season, although Aiden McGeady was a clear winner in the players’ player of the year category.

Putin signs guarantees in 2018 bid

PRIME Minister Vladimir Putin has signed all government guarantees for Russia’s bid for the 2018 World Cup, bid organisers said yesterday. “Vladimir Putin has personally signed all governmental guarantees that are requested as per the Fifa Bidding Agreement, since the full co-operation of the government of the host country is indispensable for the successful hosting of the Fifa World Cup,” the organisers said in a statement.

“The guarantees apply to a wide range of relevant issues such as security, tax and customs breaks, entry rules for athletes, referees and fans, intellectual property and its protection, and the construction of new stadiums . . . with the support of the Russian government 10 new World Cup-specific stadiums will be built.

Putin oversaw progress on the guarantees at last month’s government meeting in Moscow.

The Russian delegation will submit the official bid book to Fifa president Sepp Blatter in Zurich on May 14th.

Delph out for up to eight months

ASTON Villa midfielder Fabian Delph has been ruled out for up to eight months after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Delph suffered the injury to his left knee in training on Saturday and the extent of the problem has been confirmed by examinations and scans.

The 18-year-old, who moved to Villa Park from Leeds in August last year, will undergo ACL reconstruction in the near future.

Delph has featured in 15 games in all competitions for Villa this season, scoring his only goal in the FA Cup win over Brighton in January.

His last appearance came against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium at the start of the month, when he played for 75 minutes before being replaced by Steve Sidwell.