A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Duff signs up for another year at Craven Cottage
FULHAM winger Damien Duff has signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at Craven Cottage until summer 2013.
The 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international has become a key player since joining the London club from Newcastle in August 2009, helping the Cottagers reach the 2010 Europa League final.
Duff put pen to paper on his new deal yesterday and believes there will be many more good times ahead under new manager Martin Jol.
He told www.fulhamfc.com: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time at Fulham since joining two years ago and I’m delighted to be staying at the Cottage until at least 2013.
“This is a fantastic club with great supporters and it’s a very exciting time to be part of the team.
“I feel in great condition and I’m hungry to achieve more success for this club.
“We’ve had some great moments together so far and I believe there’s more to come from us in the Premier League and Europe this season under Martin Jol.”
Walters nets deal extension at Stoke
JON Walters has been rewarded for an impressive first year at Stoke with a 12-month contract extension which keeps him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2015.
The striker was a €2.75million signing from Ipswich a year ago and went on to score 12 goals last season, including five in the Potters’ run to the FA Cup final.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: “Jon’s rise to prominence is an inspiration to others. He has had to battle his way back up from the lower leagues through hard work and dedication.”
The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international said: “It was a fantastic first season here for me – far better than I could ever have imagined. I want to repay this club for the faith they have shown in my ability . . .”
Bans on Signori and Doni upheld
ATALANTA defender Thomas Manfredini had a three-year ban for involvement in alleged match-fixing lifted yesterday but the promoted Serie A club failed to overturn a six-point penalty, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on its website.
The FIGC’s federal justice court upheld a 3½-year ban on Atalanta captain and former Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni along with a five-year exclusion from football-related activity for retired Lazio and Italy forward Giuseppe Signori.
Of the 14 others suspended for between one and five years in the original sentence imposed by the FIGC on August 9th only Ravenna president Gianni Fabbri was cleared by the appeal court.
Ravenna, who were expelled from the Lega Pro first division (third tier), will now play in Serie D which is the top level of non-professional football in Italy.
Strike scuppers season start in Spain
THE opening weekend of the Spanish football season, scheduled to start today, has been postponed due to strike action by the players union (AFE) after talks failed to reach an agreement, the football league (LFP) said yesterday.
“Both parties have explained their positions and have agreed to continue with the conversations over the meetings already agreed, on Saturday at (0915 GMT) and on Monday at the same time,” the league said in a statement.
The AFE are demanding greater protection for players’ wages at clubs who have gone into financial administration and last week called a strike for the first two rounds of matches in the top two leagues.
The AFE say around €50 million is owed by clubs to more than 200 players, and that a proposed emergency fund of €40 million put forward by the LFP was not enough.
The first meeting between the sides on Wednesday ended quickly with no resolution.
Murphy apology to McCarthy
MICK McCarthy has revealed that Danny Murphy has apologised to him for his controversial remarks last season, when he named Wolverhampton Wanderers as one of three clubs whose players are sent out "so pumped up, there is inevitably going to be problems", writes Stuart James.
The Fulham captain made his comments last October, a month after Bobby Zamora suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Karl Henry at Craven Cottage. Although Henry was absolved of any blame for Zamora’s injury, Wolves picked up a reputation for being overly physical and Murphy’s criticism only served to pour fuel on the fire.
McCarthy claimed that there is no reason for ill-feeling to linger ahead of tomorrow’s meeting at Molineux. “I’ve had an apology off Danny Murphy since, before the game last time, so there’s no agenda there,” the Wolves manager said. “I think he’s a good player. I like Danny Murphy and I always have, and he apologised for his comments.”
Arsenal snap up Campbell
ARSENAL have signed highly-rated Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell from Deportivo Saprissa, the club have confirmed on their website.
Campbell, 19, had been linked with a move to the Emirates for some time and has now completed his transfer after representing Costa Rica at the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.
Despite his youthful age, Campbell has already gained full international caps.
