Faustino Asprilla, dropped from Colombia's squad on Wednesday, claimed yesterday that he expected to become a television analyst for the rest of the World Cup tournament. "Maybe I'll commentate on matches in Colombia," he said before leaving a Paris hotel for a flight to Bogota.

Colombia's coach Hernan Dario Gomez rejected an olive branch offered by the former Newcastle United striker, who had apologised for disrupting team morale. Gomez expelled the Parma player after he complained about being substituted in the opening game against Romania and accused the coach of favouritism. Colombia's president Ernesto Samper called for Asprilla to be reinstated but Gomez would not give way.

Colin Calderwood will rejoin the Scotland squad today after an operation on his hand and should be fit to play in the World Cup second round if Scotland qualify, team officials said yesterday. "Colin will come back and join the squad on Saturday. He's had an operation on his hand," assistant coach Alex Miller said at the Scots' training camp at Saint-Remy, north of Marseille.

Police in Lyon have made a ban on banners their top priority for the politically-charged World Cup match between the US and Iran tomorrow.

"The action plan is basically the same, but we'll be extra vigilant to avoid any problem with political or ideological claims at the stadium," a police spokesman said yesterday.

One of Romania's most notorious prison detainees has offered to help prevent hooliganism by English fans at the World Cup when the two countries meet in Toulouse on Monday.

"Help me and my friends to come to the Toulouse stadium," Fane Capatina wrote to the Romanian national squad from custody in a police detention centre in Bucharest. "You'll see what we'll do with them (English hooligans). If we do not perform this job properly, may we all die in jail," he said in the letter published in several Bucharest newspapers yesterday.

Capatina, who served several years in prison for armed robbery, is currently under investigation in connection with allegations of using threatening behaviour to recover debts.

Sky Sports 1998 Premiership Schedule

August: 16th - Southampton v Liverpool; 17th - Arsenal v Nottingham Forest; 23rd - Aston Villa v Middlesbrough; 24th - Leeds v Blackburn; 30th - Newcastle v Liverpool.

September: 9th - Chelsea v Arsenal; 13th - Tottenham v Middlesbrough; 20th - Arsenal v Manchester United; 21st - Blackburn v Chelsea; 26th - Manchester United v Liverpool; 27th - Leicester v Wimbledon; 28th - West Ham v Southampton.

October: 4th - Liverpool v Chelsea; 18th - Coventry v Sheffield Wednesday; 19th - Leicester v Tottenham; 25th - Blackburn v Arsenal. November: 1st - Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest; 2nd - Tottenham v Charlton; 8th - Leeds v Sheffield Wednesday; 15th - Coventry v Everton; 16th - Nottingham Forest v Derby; 22nd - Derby v West Ham; 23rd - Everton v Newcastle; 29th - Liverpool v Blackburn. December: 6th - Middlesbrough v Newcastle; 7th - Sheffield Wednesday v Nottingham Forest; 13th - Wimbledon v Liverpool; 14th - Leeds v Coventry; 16th - Manchester United v Chelsea; 20th - Arsenal v Leeds; 21st - Charlton v Aston Villa; 26th - Blackburn v Aston Villa; 29th - Chelsea v Manchester United.

All Sunday matches kick off at 4pm, while Monday games start at 8pm.