LONDON (SW) – Almost like heavyweight boxers tentatively testing their opponent in the early rounds of a title fight, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Sir Alex Ferguson have exchanged sparring tactics in an effort to unsettle their opponent.

Bayern Munich´s chairman of the board Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday he will fight to bring Germany striker Mario Gomez from VfB Stuttgart to the German giants.

Brazil lacks the necessary airport facilities to host the 500,000-plus tourists expected to head to the country for the 2014 World Cup of football, a grouping of private aircraft owners said Wednesday.

Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle insisted on Wednesday that star Romania forward Adrian Mutu will be staying at the club despite interest from AS Roma.

Torino have signed AC Milan´s Italy under-21 international Ignazio Abate under a shared-ownership deal, Italian news agency Ansa reported on Wednesday.

Sunderland completed on Wednesday the signing of Tottenham midfielder Teemu Tainio, with the Finland international´s clubmate Pascal Chimbonda expected to follow shortly.

Round 19 in the J. League could prove a turning point for several clubs with a number of marquee fixtures set down for the weekend of July 26/27. The pick of the Saturday fixtures see FC Tokyo host Yokohama F. Marinos at Ajinomoto Stadium, as teams from Japan's two largest cities get ready to rumble in the capital. After making an excellent start to the season FC Tokyo have fallen away of late, and substitute Shingo Akamine's last minute equaliser in their most recent 1-1 draw away at Kyoto Sanga FC followed heavy losses to both Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers. Yokohama F. Marinos are worse off having recorded six straight losses, including two under new coach Kokichi Kimura, whose tactics and team selections appear to have baffled both Marinos players and fans alike. At Todoroki Stadium sixth placed Kawasaki Frontale host third placed Nagoya Grampus, with both teams coming off last start wins. Kawasaki came from behind to beat Urawa Reds 3-1 in front of more than 50,000 fans at Saitama Stadium, while Nagoya hammered Urawa's cross-town rivals Omiya Ardija 4-0 at Mizuho Athletics Stadium. Elsewhere on Saturday there's a nostalgia-filled clash between rivals of yesteryear Jubilo Iwata and Tokyo Verdy at Yamaha Stadium, while fourth placed Gamba Osaka host Oita Trinita at Expo '70 Stadium, with Gamba having recently announced plans to build a new 35,000 capacity stadium not far from their current home.

Fresh from his own tapping up storm in England over Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov, Sir Alex Ferguson will have went even redder in the face if he read today's Sun newspaper...