22 sport Tuesday, January 19, 2010 D Transfer talk HULL have signed Amr Zaki on loan until the end of the season, subject to the Egyptian receiving a work permit. Zaki, who scored 11 Premier League goals on loan with Wigan last season, joins the Tigers from Egyptian side Zamalek. The club has paid a significant loan fee to bring Amr back to the UK but his scoring record with Wigan last season suggests he will be a considerable asset in our fight to move up the table, a Hull statement said. Zaki attack gives Hull new options NOLBERTO SOLANO, 35, who spent eight years at Newcastle, could be set for a shock return switch to the Magpies. o NEIL WARNOCK says the race to sign Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses this month may go to the wire. Personally I think he may play for us this week, said the Eagles boss. o For a round-up of all of the latest transfer stories and speculation, go to metro.co.uk/football Loan star: Zaki Redknapp denies Foster ambition SPURS boss Harry Redknapp has denied claims he wanted Manchester United keeper Ben Foster on loan. Weve never made an offer let alone had one rejected, Redknapp insisted. No go: Foster SOCCER CARLING CUP Problems with the neighbours: Sir Alex Ferguson acknowledges City are a threat Picture: AP Ferguson Local dispute becoming a major concern By Kevin Aitken Pompey fight to lift transfer ban PORTSMOUTH are set to start arbitration proceedings against the Premier League unless they lift their 96-day transfer embargo. The club have ruled out suing the Premier League but sent a letter to top-flight chiefs calling for the embargo to be scrapped and asking that 2million in TV cash be paid to them. Pompeys executive director Mark Jacob accused the Premier League of treating his club as poor relations and the black sheep of the family. The Fratton Park club will call for an independent body to examine their case if they do not get their way. Pompey have paid off three English clubs and agreed terms with three European clubs. Jacob said: The total amount we directed the Premier League to pay these clubs is [around] 5m. So theres 2m due to the club. We cant see how they can keep the money and also continue with the embargo. RESULTS SOCCER (7.45pm unless stated) Africa Cup of Nations Group B Burkina Faso v Ghana.......................................(4pm) The FA Cup third round Accrington Stanley v Gillingham ................................ Brentford v Doncaster ................................................ Notts County v Forest Green...................................... The FA Cup third-round replay Cardiff v Bristol City.................................................... Carling Cup semi-final, first leg Man City v Man Utd .....................................(8pm) TV BBC1 Coca-Cola Championship Blackpool v Sheff Wed ............................................... Coca-Cola League One Charlton v Hartlepool ................................................. Huddersfield v Bristol Rovers..................................... Leyton Orient v Yeovil................................................. Stockport v Swindon.................................................. Coca-Cola League Two Aldershot v Rochdale ................................................. Bury v Bradford .......................................................... Hereford v Crewe ....................................................... Port Vale v Burton Albion ........................................... Rotherham v Darlington ............................................. Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth round Morton v Celtic........................................................... Raith v Airdrie Utd ...................................................... Livingston v Dundee................................................... Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth-round replay Rangers v Hamilton................................................TV Sky Sports 2 FIXTURES SOCCER CoCa-Cola Championship Newcastle ............. 2 West Brom ...........2 Guthrie 25 Olsson 13 Lovenkrands 54 Bednar 46 P W D L F A Pts Newcastle 25 15 7 3 41 16 52 Nottm Forest 26 13 10 3 39 20 49 West Brom 25 13 7 5 51 27 46 Swansea 25 10 10 5 22 19 40 Cardiff 25 11 6 8 44 29 39 Sheff Utd 25 10 8 7 36 33 38 Leicester 24 10 8 6 29 26 38 Crystal Palace 25 9 10 6 29 27 37 Blackpool 24 9 9 6 38 28 36 Bristol City 25 8 11 6 33 31 35 QPR 25 8 10 7 40 38 34 Doncaster 24 8 9 7 31 28 33 Middlesbrough 25 9 5 11 34 30 32 Watford 25 8 8 9 34 39 32 Coventry 26 8 7 11 31 39 31 Barnsley 24 8 6 10 31 39 30 Preston 24 7 8 9 28 33 29 Derby 26 8 5 13 28 39 29 Ipswich 25 5 13 7 30 36 28 Scunthorpe 25 7 6 12 30 46 27 Reading 25 5 8 12 27 41 23 Sheff Wed 24 5 7 12 27 40 22 Plymouth 24 6 3 15 21 35 21 Peterborough 25 3 9 13 31 46 18 afriCa Cup of nations group a Angola ................... 0 Algeria .................0 Mali ....................... 3 Malawi .................1 Kanoute 1 Mwafulirwa 58 Keita 3 Bagayoko 85 P W D L F A Pts Angola 3 1 2 0 6 4 5 Algeria 3 1 1 1 1 3 4 Mali 3 0 1 1 7 6 4 Malawi 3 1 0 2 4 5 3 aCtive nation sCottish Cup fourth round Albion .................... 0 Sterling ................0 Ayr ......................... 1 Brechin ................0 Edinburgh City ..... 1 Montrose .............3 Forfar .................... 0 St Johnstone .......3 Inverness CT ........ 2 Motherwell ..........0 Kilmarnock ........... 1 Falkirk ..................0 Ross County ......... 4 Inverurie Locos ...0 TENNIS AuSTRALIAN OPEN (Melbourne Park) Mens singles 1st rd selected: (7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Thiemo De Bakker (Ned) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, (11) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Olivier Rochus (Bel) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, (4) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, (5) Andy Murray (Gbr) bt Kevin Anderson (Rsa) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt (13) Radek Stepanek (Cze) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Peter Luczak (Aus) 7-6 (7-0), 6-1, 6-4 Womens singles 1st rd selected: (5) Elena Dementieva (Rus) bt Vera Dushevina (Rus) 6-2, 6-1, Justine Henin (Bel) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 6-4, 6-3, (12) Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, (15) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Valerie Tetreault (Can) 6-0, 6-4, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Anastasia Rodionova (Rus) 6-1, 6-2, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt (14) Maria Sharapova (Rus) 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-4, (2) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) 6-4, 6-4 BAyERN MuNICh will sit down with Franck Ribery to discuss his future in early March, according to the clubs director of sport Christian Nerlinger. o Manchester United manager sir alex Ferguson has admitted Man- chester city must now be considered genuine contenders. the scot has previously claimed Uniteds local rivals would not be fighting for the Premier League title this season. the champions own inconsistent form, which has seen them win just four of their last eight matches, has seen them trail chelsea all season. they are still just a point behind the Blues while city sit nine points fur- ther back. But, ahead of tonights meeting at eastlands in the first leg of their carling cup semi-final, Fergu- son has revealed he now believes roberto Mancinis outfit can serious- ly challenge United. You have to recognise they are a competitor now, said Ferguson. We have had to wait a long time for it to be like that but they are obviously making a much better fist of their league programme this year than they have done in the past. You could not compare it to rangers and celtic but having rivals in the same city does create far more emotion. the first clash between the clubs this term saw the Premier League champions triumph 4-3 at Old traf- ford last september, as Michael Owen scored the hosts last-ditch winner. since then, city have lost just twice in the league at everton and totten- ham and are still in the Fa cup as well as having made the last four of the carling cup. But Ferguson does not believe reaching the semi-finals means more to city who have not won a major trophy since the League cup in 1976 than his own club. that is a popular argument, added the Old trafford chief. But it doesnt matter how many semi-finals you have played in, they are occasions when you always want to do well. that is important. Ferguson expects striker Dimitar Berbatov to shake off injury and play in the tie at eastlands. I thought Dimitar had got a knock on the knee, said Ferguson. It turned out it was a dead leg and we are having a look at it. I am hoping he will be all right but he is a doubt. LEAGUE OF IRELAND Strike possible over Derry payments THE Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFAI) is not ruling out the possibility of strike action ahead of the new League of Ireland season. The players union is concerned with the situation at Derry City, who were thrown out of the league in November when it was discovered they held dual contracts with players. Derry are due to pay redundancy at the end of January to players who went through the latter third of the season without wages and who have not re-signed for the club, but the PFAI is worried the club is looking for a way out of paying it. If that happens its a major concern from our end, said Stephen McGuinness, secretary general of the PFAI, speaking at the launch of a training camp for out- of-contract players in Dublin yesterday. Well know a little bit more this week. They are talking about some Phoenix set-up whereby youve got Derry with the same manager, at the same ground under the same name and possibly some of the same players and theyve written off all that debt, all those players contracts. That would be a concern. Wed have to look at it [industrial action]. There is only so much you can take. Ninety-one per cent of the leagues 421 players last year finished the season out of contract. The PFAI says 120 of its members have yet to get contracts ahead of the new season which kicks off on March 5. 29 Years since Citys last appearance in a major final, the 1981 FA Cup index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html