Newslines: Desmond resigned to losing O'Neill

Celtic director Dermot Desmond admitted that Martin O'Neill could become the next manager of Manchester United

Celtic director Dermot Desmond admitted that Martin O'Neill could become the next manager of Manchester United. O'Neill, who took over at Parkhead at the start of the season and has already won a double of the Scottish Premier League title and League Cup, has been thrust to the top of Old Trafford's wanted list.

But the Celtic director hopes that by offering him a place alongside him on the board he will resist the lure of the Old Trafford hot-seat.

O'Neill himself recognised that football management was unpredictable - but hoped to complete his contract at Parkhead. He said: "I've got no intention of going out any other way - I'll be kicking and screaming at the end - but I know how fickle the game is."

The pitch at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is to be completely relaid ahead of the FA Cup final on May 12th. Work is expected to begin on Saturday, with the whole process set to take three or four days.

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The FA are confident that the pitch will be fully bonded by the time Arsenal take on Liverpool.

Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids insists he has never taken any banned substances despite the announcement that he has failed a routine drugs test.

The Turin club were told yesterday by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that the Dutch midfielder had produced a `nonnegative' sample following a Serie A match against Udinese on March 4th.

Denis Irwin admits he is still no closer to deciding whether or not to stay at Manchester United. United are ready to offer Irwin another 12-month deal to replace his current contract which expires in the summer.

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has set his sights on a return to English football as a coach. Zimbabwean-born Grobbelaar is still waiting on the results of a House of Lords appeal on his libel case with the Sun newspaper.

A group of Nigerian footballers are to raise money to pay off the witch doctor who is still holding on to the corpse of former Nigerian captain Sam "Zagallo" Opone who died last November.

The witch doctor is demanding about $1,200, money owed him for the late player's treatment.