Rumours 19th Feb – Scolari blocked until the summer

Luiz Felipe Scolari has a clause written into his agreement with Chelsea that he cannot switch to another Premier League club until this summer at the earliest. Scolari, sacked last week after seven months in charge, was paid £7.5 million for the remaining 17 months of his £6m-a-year deal. According to friends, Scolari is “humiliated” by his rapid exit, and hurt that he did not get any chance to say goodbye to the players. More…

Mark Hughes has told record signing Robinho to start producing the goods away from home – beginning in the UEFA Cup here tonight. The Manchester City boss has already pulled the £32.5m striker to one side this week over his indifferent form but will also tell the rest of his squad to buck up their ideas against FC Copenhagen. More…

The UEFA Cup tie between Olympiakos and Saint-Etienne has been marked by violent incidents in the streets of Athens prior to kick-off. Saint-Etienne’s fans have the reputation of being a passionate and rather volatile group and this appears to have been on full display in the streets of Athens tonight. Greek media are saying as many as 300 of les Verts’ fans have been involved in pre-match incidents this evening. More…

Karim Benzema will make a decision regarding his future after the Champions League double header between Lyon and Barcelona. Reported Manchester United and Barca target Benzema has revealed that his future could be sorted in March. And the self-confident France international has declared that OL’s Champions League campaign will influence his decision. More…

Ajax Coach Marco Van Basten has slighted his old club Milan, calling them ‘a little old’ in an interview with Il Corriere dello Sport. “Today’s Milan are completely different from mine. That Milan commanded the championship. Inter commands it now. We have to admit it.” More…

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