South Africa international striker Benni McCarthy has agreed a new three-year contract with Blackburn, Rovers manager Mark Hughes confirmed on Friday.

The Dutch FA have agreed to a new play-off system, in which the best four teams of the season won't have to battle for a spot in the Champions League or UEFA Cup.

Cardiff City will be allowed to enter the UEFA Cup if they win next month´s FA Cup final.

Rafa Benitez has called on Liverpool´s feuding owners to resolve their differences so he can plan for the future.

Erwin Koeman of the Netherlands was on Thursday named as Peter Varhidi´s successor as manager of the Hungary national team.

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Barcelona to brace themselves for an Old Trafford backlash when the two sides resume battle next week.

Players at struggling Spanish first division side Levante said on Thursday that they will carry out their threat and go on strike over unpaid wages and bonuses at Recreativo Huelva on Sunday.

Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is hoping the return of Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni will be the decisive factor in next week´s UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg tie in St Petersburg.

Rangers will need to carry out a successful Italian job in Florence next week after they failed to score against Fiorentina in a nervy UEFA Cup semi-final, first leg goalless draw here on Thursday.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli believes Rangers are now favourites to reach the UEFA Cup Final despite the Glasgow side´s failure to score at home in a goalless semi-final first-leg tie here at Ibrox Stadium.

Manchester City will play in Bangkok next month, a report said Friday, as the club strengthened its ties with Thailand by appointing a former Thai coach to help develop academies in Asia.

Barcelona striker Thierry Henry insisted Friday that he has no regrets about his move to Spain but that his former club Arsenal hold a special place in his heart.

Bayern Munich are without striker Miroslav Klose and defender Philipp Lahm for Sunday´s clash with defending champions VfB Stuttgart, while captain Oliver Kahn is a major injury worry.

Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura insisted on Friday he will be fit to face Scottish Premier League rivals Rangers this weekend.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant will let Frank Lampard leave it until the last minute to decide if he wants to play in Saturday´s Premier League title showdown against Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United will be well prepared for their title decider with Chelsea here Saturday despite his side having had less rest than their rivals.

At one time or another, we all make a mistake of gargantuan proportions. When the wife asked for a potential destination for a short trip, I foolishly answered ‘France’. I completely forgot that the place was almost exclusively full of the French. As soon as we arrived I appreciated the gravity of my error, as the locals made absolutely no effort to speak any English. It appeared that they hadn’t been informed of our arrival. The language barrier actually led me to be being deported. I popped into a café, but I didn’t fancy eating any strange French food such as ‘frites’ or ‘saucisses’, so I helped myself to a biscuit from behind the counter. The owner went ballistic and called the police, and I was on the next plane back to England. I still feel embarrassed about being kicked out of Europe thanks to a simple ginger nut. Liverpool fans share my pain, they should console themselves with the 7/4 for a win over Birmingham. The police were on the ball over there though, unlike their English counterparts. When a French person is reported missing, their filth launch an immediate search; but the Manchester police haven’t even begun their hunt to find poor Wayne. United are winless (and goalless) on their last six visits to Stamford Bridge, I’ll struggle to find a better bet than Chelsea at 6/4. The North East of England is the one place on Earth that’s actually worse than France. The locals are equally as undecipherable, and they take up twice the room. 15/8 is absolutely massive for a Newcastle win over West Ham. The North East does have its redeeming features; it remains a Redknapp-free area. Harry’s decision to stay in Portsmouth was warmly received by the Geordie Nation, as it decreased the probability of them ever bumping into Jamie. I’m particularly thankful for the 23/10 for a draw between Portsmouth and Blackburn. Newcastle have taken a lead in the North East mini-league, which is a little bit like leading a race at the Special Olympics. Sunderland will beat Boro at 13/10 in the battle for the silver medal, but they’re all winners really. There’s a real scrap going on at the bottom of the table, and Fulham are almost certainly relegated. The chairman will most likely blame Prince Philip, MI5 and possibly MFI. I’ve put together 9/10 for a Manchester City win over the doomed Cottagers. Bolton have all the momentum in the relegation battle, but they won’t receive any favours away at Tottenham. I expect the 10/11 for a Tottenham win to last about as long as a Geordie in a beauty contest. Graeme Murty should hang his head in shame after his dying swan act led to a three match ban for Alexander Hleb. Simulation is the unacceptable face of modern day football, alongside Steve Bruce. Wigan v Reading won’t be pleasing to the eye, a draw looks the correct call at 12/5. If I was Robbie Savage, and I’m not (I’m quite good at football); I’d ask for Cesc Fabregas’ shirt after Derby’s ‘match’ against Arsenal. Such an item of memorabilia could potentially raise a tidy sum for when he upgrades his caravan. The 4/5 for Arsenal to beat Derby by two goals or more is remaining remarkably steady. I genuinely feel that Aston Villa will be right behind Arsenal at the top of the table next season - certainly in early August. The Villans are on fire in their quest to make it into Europe; they’ll eat up and spit out the Toffeemen at 23/10. To say I was happy about last week’s winning accer is an understatement; I felt like a Chelsea player after they practically booked their flight to Moscow. When Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal oblige for this week’s 10/1 accer, I’ll be happier than Ashley Cole after an invite into the cockpit. Copyright (c) Gerry McDonnell & soccerphile.com

The Turkish national team will be playing a number of friendly matches in Germany next month, as part of their Euro 2008 preparation.

Recently elected Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi didn't need long to give his opinion on something football-related.

Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer admits he would love to finish his career in Germany after reports linked the Middlesbrough star with a move to Bayern Munich.