Neil Lennon has been named in the Northern Ireland squad for the World Cup double-header against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria following his decision last week to carrying on playing international football.

The Celtic midfielder nearly quit after he was abused by a minority of the Windsor Park crowd during Northern Ireland's friendly against Norway last month.

The Irish Football Association will be hoping Lennon receives a better reception from the home fans against the Czechs on Saturday, March 24th.

The Irish then fly to Sofia to face Bulgaria in their fifth Group Three qualifier four days later.

Kevin Campbell has agreed a new contract with Everton that will keep him at Goodison Park until 2005.

The deal, which is subject to a medical, will effectively tie the 31year-old striker to the club for the rest of his playing days.

Liverpool duo Dietmar Hamann and Christian Ziege have been named in a 23-man German squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifying double-header.

But coach Rudi Voeller has left their Anfield club-mate Markus Babbel out of his squad for the March 24th match against Albania in Leverkusen and the clash with Greece in Athens four days later.

Babbel - who has impressed in his first season at Anfield and has played in their last 11 matches - is a surprising omission.

Romanian World Cup star Daniel Prodan is looking to resurrect his career with Aston Villa after his unhappy spell at Glasgow Rangers.

The 28-year-old defender is currently undergoing a three-day trial with the midlands club after claiming he wanted to "take revenge" against Rangers coach Dick Advocaat for freezing him out of his plans.

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock has confirmed that midfielder George Santos faces an operation on the serious facial injury he sustained in a challenge with Nottingham Forest's Andy Johnson.

The incident, which occurred after just five minutes of the Blades' 3-1 defeat by Forest at Bramall Lane on Saturday led to Santos being hospitalised with a double fracture of his eye socket and a broken nose.

Fulham striker Fabrice Fernandes insists that he is desperate to join Rangers. The 21year-old is wanted on a loan deal by the Ibrox club, who are still reeling from their Scottish Cup exit at Dundee United on Sunday.

"I have now set my heart on joining Rangers and I am so determined to make this deal go through that I am prepared to forget about the promotion bonus money Fulham owe me," he said.

Barcelona centre-back Abelardo will be out for between two and three months because of a knee injury, club doctor Josep Borrell said yesterday.

The player will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today after the injury, aggravated in Spain's defeat to England last month, proved to be more serious than feared.

Arsene Wenger has given extra spice to Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final against north London rivals Tottenham by admitting his interest in signing Spurs captain Sol Campbell this summer.

Wenger knows that he will be unable to approach Campbell until the end of the current campaign, when the defender's current contract at White Hart Lane is due to run out.

Eccentric Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita has been fired by first division club Junior Barranquilla for indiscipline, the same fate he suffered at his previous two clubs.

The club said last night that Higuita, renowned for abandoning his goal and dribbling up to the halfway line, had been dismissed for repeatedly missing training. "It's a serious matter and it affects the team in general," said a Junior official.

Fulham have agreed a club record £4 million sterling transfer fee for Newcastle's French international central defender Alain Goma.

Goma (28), will move to Craven Cottage subject to agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. His signing surpasses the £3 million Fulham paid Sunderland for midfielder Lee Clark.

Norwegian international Staale Solbakken was in a stable condition in hospital in Copenhagen yesterday after suffering a heart attack, hospital sources said.

The former Wimbledon midfielder's heart stopped beating for five minutes after he collapsed while training with FC Copenhagen.

Australian international defender Hayden Foxe has finally completed his protracted transfer to West Ham United - by marrying his fiancee.

Manager Harry Redknapp has been hunting Foxe for over a year, but the 23-year-old had been denied a work permit to play in England. But after wedding his 20-year-old fiancee Fabienne, an EU citizen, he signed a three-year deal with the club on Monday.