Money's Too Tight To Mention

International football transfer numbers and player buying fees have fallen sharply worldwide in the past six months, says governing body FIFA. Completed player deals fell by nine per cent in the first six months of 2012, but their total financial value plunged by more than a third, falling by thirty four per cent. Total income from fur thousand nine hundred and seventy three transfers around the globe was five hundred and seventy six million dollars. The drop may be due to continued global economic problems and the forthcoming UEFA financial fair play rules or the fact that many clubs, simply, haven't got a pot to piss in at the moment. Especially Rangers. The data was revealed by FIFA's Transfer Matching System organisation, which uses modern electronic technology with the aim of making international football transfers more transparent and legally compliant. 'We still have to see what happens in July and August, when European transfer windows are open, to see if this [drop] is just a dip or part of a continuing trend,' said Isabelle Solal, head of integrity and compliance at FIFA TMS. However, the economic recession and the impact of the UEFA financial fair play sanctions do seem to be having an effect. 'Clubs are making an effort to balance their books, but things should be clearer by September,' said Solal, speaking to the BBC News website at a World Sports Law Report conference into football player contracts. The figures refer to international transfers and do not cover 'domestic' transfers between two clubs in the same country. The big five European leagues - England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain - have transfer windows that run from 1 July to 31 August. And with most of the deals done in the first half of the year taking place during the January transfer windows in Europe, these are the two months when most global trading for the second half of the year will take place. The financial fair play rules have been introduced by European football's governing body to ensure that clubs only spend cash, including on big-name star signings, from revenues that they have created, rather than through borrowing or handouts from rich owners. The TMS is an online system for registering international transfers and has replaced the old set-up of documents-based on paper. In order for a transfer to be validated, the two clubs involved must enter the relevant information on the deal into the TMS system. However, in the first six months of 2012, the amount of fines that FIFA TMS has imposed on clubs for not complying properly with transfer regulations has almost reached the total for the whole of 2011. 'We are much more effective as a compliance department, and despite the number of transfers being down, we are finding more infringements as we grow into our role,' said Solal. 'We have a big focus on compliance education,' she added. 'We spend a lot of time trying to help clubs and associations understand the transfer market better. We have the technology that allows the information necessary for each transfer to be accessible to both parties, even if they are at other ends of the globe. It is great that sport is using the sort of technology that is widely used in business, and it is enabling us to become even more professional in our operations.'

FIFA president the odious Sepp Blatter - who is not at all corrupt in any way shape or form, just want to make that absolutely clear - says that Frank Lampard's so-called 'ghost' goal at the 2010 World Cup played 'a decisive role' in the introduction of goal-line technology. The International Football Association Board voted unanimously in favour of introducing the technology on Thursday. Blatter said: 'That [Lampard goal] was the moment for me to say, "You can't afford for something similar to happen in the next World Cup." We could say it is a historic day for international football.' Lampard's 'goal' came when England were 2-1 down in the second round against Germany. Fabio Capello's team went on to lose 4-1 and Lampard was so devastated by the whole fiasco than he started going out with odious greed bucket (and drag) Christine Bleakley as a consequence. Horroshow. There have been other similar incidents, most notably last month when Ukraine's Marko Devic was denied a goal against England at Euro 2012. The odious Blatter continued: 'In the autumn of 2010, we started tests and now we are ready. I am a happy man that we did it. The objective is for 2014 but now we have a system which is available for others.' The English Premier League has already said it plans to introduce goal-line technology as soon as possible, maybe at some point during the forthcoming season. However, not everyone is convinced it is a positive step forward. UEFA president, slimy Michel Platini has said that the technology would lead to 'PlayStation football.' Blatter is confident the odious little Frenchman will change his mind. 'He is more afraid that once technology comes in it will go from the goal-line towards the penalty box or whatever,' said Blatter. 'But I am sure with this unanimous decision of the international board that he will follow. He cannot go against history and this is new history. I am sure he is smart enough to realise that something has happened today in football.' England striker Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick as England beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, has spent years answering questions about whether his second goal actually crossed the line. 'It would have shown quite categorically that the ball was quite clearly at least a yard over the line,' he insisted. Which it wasn't, but never mind. 'But had it said it wasn't in, we would have won 3-2. There's still no difference.' Damn straight, Geoff. You stick to that story, mate. 'I am delighted though. I have been a leading advocate of bringing it in and I think it will benefit the game as a whole.'

The Scottish Football League clubs will vote whether to accept Glasgow Rangers at a meeting on 13 July. SFL chief executive David Longmuir confirmed the date after a board gathering at Hampden on Thursday. 'At this point, no decision has been taken by the board of the SFL or by any of our clubs,' said Longmuir. 'I have every faith in the judgement of those clubs to make a considered and reasoned decision which will be in the best interests of the game.' A newco Rangers is applying for SFL membership following the Scottish Premier League's decision to reject their application. The thirty SFL clubs met on Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would see the new Rangers enter Division One rather than starting life in the bottom tier. The SPL are offering a one million smackers payment for TV rights to Rangers games and the introduction of play-offs between the top flight and Division One. And the matter will now go to a ballot. BBC Scotland suggests that Dundee are likely to be invited to replace the old Rangers in the SPL for next season. And the Dens Park club say that they have been advised they will not be allowed to cast a vote on 13 July. 'Scottish Football League clubs are, over the next few days, being asked to make a crucial decision as to whether we are in a position to accommodate Rangers into the SFL,' added Longmuir. 'The time has come for all outside influences and pressures to stop. This is our national game and part of our culture so I ask all other bodies to leave it to those who have been put in this invidious position to make a decision in the best possible interests of our game.' Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan warned the game faced a 'slow, lingering death' if the Ibrox club had to re-start in Division Three. But Cowdenbeath were the twelfth SFL club to go public with their opposition to the idea of Rangers entering Division One, with Stenhousemuir the only club to so far indicate their support. And Charles Green, who purchased Rangers' assets when the old club was consigned to liquidation, said on Wednesday: 'If our application was to be accepted, Rangers will play in whichever division the SFL sees fit and we will move forward from there.' Longmuir explained that the first vote will be on whether the SFL can accommodate Rangers, with a simple majority required. If that vote goes in favour of Rangers, Longmuir said it would be 'supplemented by further resolutions that we would have to implement to change our rules.' He added: 'Our job over the next week or so is to consult with colleagues in both SPL and SFA to make sure that what we're about to do is for the benefit and interests of the game. The SFL clubs clearly have choices but what we plan to do is make the choices very, very clear to them by giving them the right information and to work over the next week to pull together the plan that's going to take the game forward through this mini crisis. Technically, the SFA, as governing body, has the power to influence just about every decision that is taken in the game but I believe that with proper collaboration we can get everybody onside with this.'

Yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Newcastle are set to add a further promising teenager to their squad, with news that a deal has been agreed for Gael Bigirimana of Coventry City. The Burundi-born midfielder moved to England as a child joining the Sky Blue Academy when aged eleven. Handed his first team debut in August 2011 by Toon old boy Andy Thorn, eighteen year-old Gael went on to make twenty eight appearances in all competitions. News of United's interest first emerged in May, when a bid said to be between five hundred thousand and one million smackers was apparently lodged. A deal for teenage Australian defender Curtis Good has also reportedly been completed by the St James' Park club, but is yet to be formally announced until he returns from international duty. After undergoing fitness testing in the early part of this week, the United squad officially began their pre-season work on Thursday. Some eyebrows were raised when Peter Lovenkrands was sighted at Darsley Park, but it was quickly confirmed that Peter, who was released by the club at the end of last season, is currently training with United until he strikes a deal with a new club. Among those spotted on Wednesday meanwhile were new boy Romain Amalfitano and Demba Ba. As expected, United's trio of Euro 2012 attendees have been given extra time off, with Tim Krul due back on Monday 16 July and Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa returning the following Monday. With the departure of Fraser Forster to Celtic, United will begin their pre-season with Rob Elliot between the posts. Meanwhile, the club have announced that Papiss Cissé and Cheick Tioté won't be expected to return until Monday 9 July following their participation in World Cup qualifiers in June. It remains to be seen though whether the former actually shows up, or will be otherwise engaged in Spain at the Senegal Olympic squad's training camp. Speaking about that on Monday, Alan Pardew said: 'We have to give our permission (for him to play at the Olympics) and we are discussing it. It's awkward because we want to prepare of a difficult season ahead of Europa League and Premier League games.'

The Reign In Spain

Spain sealed their place in history as the first side to win three successive major international football tournaments with a quite stunning victory over Italy in Kiev at the final of Euro 2012. The Spanish were at their scintillating best to make a mockery of some recent - ludicrous - suggestions they are not entertaining to watch. Like this nonsense, for instance. A David Silva header and neat finishes from Jordi Alba and substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata gave La Rojas the win. But the whole team played their part to seal the largest winning margin in a European Championship final. The scoreline was, perhaps, a shade cruel on Italy, who were forced to play the last thirty minutes with ten men following an injury to Thiago Motta shortly after they had made their third and final substitution. However, even when the teams were equal in number, reigning World and European champions Spain dominated and never looked like relinquishing their grip on the Henri Delaunay trophy which they won in Vienna four years ago. Their play sparkled with intelligence, imagination, guile and flair as they wove intricate triangles in and around the Italian box whilst effectively cancelling out the Italian's playmaker, Andrea Pirlo. Their goals owed as much to wonderfully constructed build-ups - in which midfielder's Fabregas, Iniesta and Xavi played prominent parts - as they did to clinical finishing. And, remember, they did all this without Carles Puyol and David Villa. Scary. Albeit, the BBC panel's ludicrous arse-licking superlatives at the end of the game felt a bit over-the-top. As good as Brazil 1970? My arse!

More than thirteen million viewers watched Spain win Euro 2012 on BBC1 – six times the number that watched the tournament climax on ITV. Spain's crushing 4-0 win over Italy averaged 12.3 million viewers on BBC1, with a fifteen-minute peak of 13.3 million on Sunday night. ITV's - genuinely pathetic - coverage of the same match, fronted by odious breakfast TV flop and greed bucket Adrian Chiles, averaged a risible two million viewers, with a fifteen-minute peak of 2.2 million. Overall BBC1's Match of the Day Live: Euro 2012 Final, hosted by yer actual Gary Lineker, pulled in an average audience of 10.2 million viewers across the entire broadcast, a 41.3 per cent share, between 7pm and 10.15pm. ITV's Euro 2012 Final Live, averaged 1.7 million viewers, seven per cent of the audience, between 7pm and 10.15pm. I'll repeat that, seven per cent. The advertising-free BBC traditionally outguns ITV on big sporting occasions such as this but the corporation's six-to-one win over its commercial rival – the BBC had an eight six per cent share of the audience during the game itself – was even more comprehensive than usual. The last time ITV broadcast live coverage of a European Championships final – Greece's win in Euro 2004 – the BBC had just over three times as many viewers as ITV, with 10.9 million viewers against 3.4 million. Such is the BBC's traditional ratings lead that ITV decided not to broadcast live coverage of the Euro 2008 final, also won by Spain. The BBC had a five-to-one lead in the 2010 World Cup final, when it drew fifteen million viewers compared with ITV's 3.3 million. The total audience for live match coverage of the final, at 14.3 million viewers, was up on the 10.6 million who watched in 2008 when it was only broadcast on BBC1, and identical to the 14.3 million who watched Greece's win in Euro 2004. But it was down on the 18.4 million who saw Spain's World Cup win, broadcast live by both channels, two years ago. England's Euro 2012 exit to Italy remained the most-watched match of Euro 2012, with a live match average of 20.34 million viewers on BBC1 on 24 June, with full coverage including pre- and post-match analysis averaging 17.4 million. The quarter final, which England lost on penalties - as usual - had a five-minute peak of 23.2 million viewers, the highest for any programme on any channel since England versus Portugal in Euro 2004. The first hour of ITV's Euro 2012 final coverage also lost out to BBC2's Secrets of our Living Planet. The Chris Packham natural history series picked up 2.1 million viewers between 7pm and 8pm, including BBC HD. Mock the Week's delayed episode - rescheduled from last Thursday - took 1.52m at 10.10pm. The BBC also offered an alternative CBBC commentary of the Euro 2012 final on the Red Button service, featuring channel hosts Chris Johnson and Hacker T Dog in Salford. Their 'offbeat' version, which included unwittingly comparing the Spanish Crown Prince to a member of the Gryffindor house in the Harry Potter books because he was wearing a red-and-yellow scarf, led to CBBC 'trending' on Twitter. Which is 'a thing', apparently.

An unfortunate slip-up by BBC's Match of the Day pundit yer actual Alan Shearer during the Euro 2012 final on Sunday night when he noted how the triumphant Spanish team had enjoyed 'an unbelievable amount of sex.' Lucky old Spainards, I say. That's what comes from winning three major tournaments in a row, presumably. What Shearer actually meant to say – and he quickly corrected himself – was 'success.' Let's hope they don't let it go to their head. Course, yer actual Shearer had a fair bit of sexy success himself. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping really rather enjoyed watching that.

There will be no Scottish or Northern Irish players in the men's British Olympic football squad when it is announced on Monday. BBC Scotland claims to have learned that manager Stuart Pearce will list eighteen players from England and Wales. Fifteen of the squad must be under twenty three, with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards the three permitted overage players. None of the England players at Euro 2012 were considered for the squad. Four reserve players will also be put on stand-by, should anyone withdraw from the squad. There were Scots, including Steven Fletcher and Barry Bannan, on Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players. The Scottish Football Association, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have taken no direct involvement with Team GB and have made it clear they do not want their players involved for fear of risking their countries' separate identities in world football. But they cannot block any players from participating if they wish to do so. The women's football squad was named earlier this week, with Scottish duo Ifeoma Dieke and Kim Little the only non-English players selected. The men's Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August.

Magnifico

Mario Balotelli secured Italy a place in the Euro 2012 final against Spain as his two goals defeated Germany in Warsaw. Sheikh Yer Man City's enigmatic striker provided Italy with the cutting edge and two first-half goals as Joachim Löw's Germany failed to produce the impressive form that had seen them touted as potential winners. Balotelli put Italy on the way to victory when he directed Antonio Cassano's cross past Germany keeper Manuel Neuer then added a thunderous second from Riccardo Montolivo's pass. Mesut Özil's injury-time penalty provided the briefest anxiety for Italy, who were victorious moments later and Balotelli fell into the warm embrace of an elderly Italian lady as he made his way down the tunnel. The twenty one-year-old limped off with cramp late on - but his work was done and Italy can now look forward to a meeting with world and European champions Spain in Kiev on Sunday. Italy's victory maintained their stranglehold on Germany - they are undefeated in eight competitive encounters that take in five matches at the World Cup and three in the European Championship. And the scale of Italy's achievement is the greater for the fact that Germany had an additional forty eight hours to prepare while Cesare Prandelli's side were going through after extra-time and penalties against England. Balotelli, along with the pass master Andrea Pirlo, was the inspiration but Italy's defenders and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon provided defiance and quality as Germany threatened in the first half then attempted to mount a recovery after the break. German coach Löw responded to Pirlo's master class against England by detailing the recalled Toni Kroos to monitor the veteran. The ploy was not a success. Buffon and his German counterpart Neuer greeted each other warmly in the tunnel before kick-off in a prelude to a busy first forty five minutes for the pair. Buffon was grateful Pirlo was well placed to clear Mats Hummels' effort off the line while he also needed to be alert to deal with Jérôme Boateng's dangerous cross, which almost deflected in off Andrea Barzagli, as well as a shot from Kroos. Italy edged their way into the game as Neuer saved from Montolivo and they capitalised on the spell of pressure when Balotelli headed them in front after twenty minutes. Cassano was the creator as he escaped Hummels and crossed perfectly for Balotelli, who lost Holger Badstuber to head past Neuer. Germany's slack defending was in sharp contrast to their attacking and Buffon was again called into action to save from Özil and Sami Khedira before Balotelli provided another demonstration of the talent that makes him such a compelling footballer and personality. Montolivo's pass exposed Germany, leaving Balotelli to take a touch before drilling a magnificent finish high past the helpless Neuer - although by stripping off his shirt in celebration he received a needless booking from the rather fussy French referee Stephane Lannoy. Germany required emergency action and Löw took it at the start of the second half when he replaced the anonymous Lukas Podolski - watched, after completing his summer move to Arsenal, by his new club manager Arsene Wenger - and Mario Gómez with Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus. A German response was to be expected and captain Philipp Lahm almost provided it, only to waste a presentable opportunity by firing off target - bringing a reaction from Prandelli as he removed Cassano and sent on Alessandro Diamanti. Reus almost provided what Löw was looking for just after the hour but once again Buffon showed great athleticism to turn his free-kick on to the bar. Claudio Marchisio was guilty of squandering the chance to wrap things up for Italy before Balotelli's night ended prematurely with twenty minutes left, making way for Antonio di Natale. Another spell of slick passing, inevitably, involving Pirlo, played Marchisio in again but he flashed a low, angled effort beyond Neuer but also the far post. Germany, backed by magnificent vocal support, thought they had a late lifeline when Özil scored from the spot after Federico Balzaretti's handball - but nothing could stop Italy and Balotelli's night of triumph.

David Beckham has not been selected for the Great Britain Olympic football squad. The thirty seven-year-old former England skipper said in May he thought he had a 'good chance' of playing at London 2012. He said: 'Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. I would have been honoured to have been part of this unique Team GB squad. Like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.' Beckham made manager Stuart Pearce's shortlist of thirty five players but was overlooked for the final eighteen-man squad as one of three players over the age of twenty three allowed to compete in the Olympics. Pearce, who watched Beckham play for Los Angeles Galaxy last week, picked Sheikh Yer Man City defender Micah Richards ahead of him. Pearce rang Beckham on Wednesday night to tell him the news, explaining that he wanted more defensive cover in the squad. Richards has been included alongside The Scum midfielder Ryan Giggs and Liverpool Alabama Yee Haws' striker Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players. Beckham, who signed a new two-year with LA Galaxy in January, was part of the Olympic flame handover ceremony in May, bringing it to Britain for the torch relay. He played a major role as a sporting ambassador when London won the 2012 bid, and has made no secret of his desire to captain Team GB. He said in April this year that he wanted to 'be a part of history' by competing in the Olympics in his home town. London 2012 chief Lord Coe said he would be talking to Beckham about a role during the Olympics. 'David has been an extraordinary supporter - probably our number one supporter - of the Games from the very beginning and is keen to continue his enthusiastic support right to the end,' he said. 'He is from East London and knows how important the Games and sport are to young people. He is a great role model.' In January, Beckham said: 'I have led my country before and know how special it would be to lead them into the Olympics.' However, Pearce said in April: 'He's been a great ambassador but that's no guarantee he'll get in the squad. I'm picking on form and merit alone. David Beckham will be treated exactly the same as any other individual, whether it is young or over-age. I have a duty of care to the Great Britain squad to try to win a gold medal. I will pick the strongest squad I can.' Match of the Day's Gary Lineker reacted to Beckham's omission by tweeting: 'Never thought for a second that David Beckham would be excluded from GB's team. Terrible shame for Beckham having given so much to the Olympic bid and football.' Former Wales international and BBC Sport pundit - and gobshite - Robbie Savage tweeted: 'Why was Beckham on the shortlist in the first place, then not pick him? Disgrace!' And Beckham's former England team-mate Danny Mills, who played under Pearce at Man City, told BBC Sport: 'There's always an issue around the Beckham brand. We know how big he is - he's global, he's huge. But when it comes to football reasons, David Beckham can still do a job. "I think he would have been a great spectacle and I think it's a bit of shame he's not in there. Stuart Pearce doesn't always like confrontation and he's struggled with big players in the past.' 'Maybe he's thinking that what Beckham brings with him is too much to handle.' Though, what ignorant skinhead Danny Mills knows about 'big players' is another matter entirely. The British Olympic Association said it had not received the final eighteen-man squad from the Football Association. A statement read: 'We are expecting the list no later than the early part of next week.' Team GB were drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They begin their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July before facing the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July, and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August. Each squad must contain fifteen players born after 1 January 1989.

Former captain Alan Shearer believes England have 'no chance' of winning the 2014 World Cup and are 'a million miles away' from the top international sides. Roy Hodgson's side were knocked out of Euro 2012 by Italy on penalties. 'I don't attach any blame to Roy Hodgson,' Shearer told BBC Sport. 'But I don't go along with the idea England go home with their heads held high. It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time. The reality is we will not.' And, in other news, apparently, the pope is Catholic and bears do shit in the woods. Next ... Hodgson's side were beaten on penalties by Italy last Sunday after being outclassed in a goalless draw in Kiev. England's players won plaudits for an improved performance in Ukraine, after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Germany coach Joachim Löw - who masterminded a 4-1 thrashing of Fabio Capello's side two years ago - has praised Hodgson's management, and said that 'England will develop under him in the next few years.' But Shearer sees a vast gulf in quality between England and the likes of Spain and Löw's Germany side. 'The big thing people have spoken about is the togetherness and work ethic but if you just want eleven guys to go out and work hard, I can find you eleven men from Newcastle city centre who will work their socks off,' he said. 'That has to be a given, whether at a club or even more so for an international team. We are a million miles away from the top sides. Heads held high? Do you think France will go home to that reception? It's a sign of how far behind we are now that we can go home and say we can hold our heads up high for getting into the quarter finals.' The Football Association recently voted in proposals for youth coaching which include smaller-sided games on smaller pitches with smaller goals. But Shearer believes any progress on the international stage will need a vast improvement in the coaching culture of the country, which could take years. 'It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time,' he said. 'The reality is we will not. We have got to get out of the habit of going to tournaments thinking we can win it. This tournament has proven that. We need a change in culture and to be fair to the FA they are trying to change things now. It's going to take time to put these systems in place. Our league is the best in the world for entertainment but only because it is full of foreigners.' Fellow England international and BBC Sport pundit Lee Dixon also called for changes. 'Let's remind ourselves where we were two years ago under Capello,' he said. 'We have come on, the team was an absolute shambles. We have repaired that but we haven't moved forwards football-wise. If you go and watch how they teach kids to play football on the continent, they are all doing it a different way to us. And we are not progressing, so they must be doing it right. It's not rocket science.'

Eric Cantona attended a Stone Roses concert in France last night, according to reports. The Scum legend and movie actor performed on stage in Lyon with the gig's support act, The Clash's Mick Jones. Cantona was attending an event organised to benefit the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Cantona performed a duet of Clash anthem 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' with Jones, who was collaborating with The Farm and Pete Wylie. The elusive Frenchman, forty six, was originally expected to accompany the Roses on stage. Sheila Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, told the Liverpool Echo: 'The HJC is thrilled that Eric Cantona spent some time with the band's musicians. Eric knows all about the campaign and he said that he supports it – and Ian Brown from the Stone Roses has given his backing too. It shows the campaign for the truth transcends football rivalries.' The Madchester group's song 'This Is The One' is traditionally played at Old Trafford as the players go down the tunnel.

England's manager Roy Hodgson insists lack of fitness was not behind Wayne Rooney's poor display in the Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to Italy in Kiev. Hodgson insists that statistics backed up his claims that Rooney was in good shape - but admitted the weight of expectation on England's allegedly most gifted attacking talent may have been too great. Rooney returned from a two game ban to score England's winner against Ukraine, only to deliver a below par performance in the quarter-final as Italy won four-two on penalties after a goalless one hundred and twenty minutes. Hodgson said: 'We haven't noticed any problems with Wayne's fitness levels. We've monitored it in training and he's looked very fit.' He added: 'In the first game against Ukraine he didn't show any particular signs of lacking fitness. He played one hundred and twenty minutes [against Italy]. What you might be saying is that you are a bit disappointed with his performance and maybe thought he could have played better.' Rooney was with England at their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Krakow and travelled to the early group games in Donetsk and Kiev. Rooney looked sluggish and out of touch in the game against Italy - although, to be fair, he was far from alone on that score - but Hodgson defended him, saying: 'His running stats in the training sessions and in the game were actually very good. Of course we put a lot of expectations on him. When he missed the first two games there was a suggestion we all believed that all we need to do is get to the third game and Wayne Rooney will win us the championship. That was maybe too much to ask of him. He certainly tried very hard. He didn't have his best game - I'm sure he will admit that. That could be down to a number of factors but I don't think the fitness itself was a particular factor.' Rooney himself was in subdued mood after another England campaign ended with defeat on penalties in the last eight, as it did against Portugal in both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. He said: 'It was a horrible way to go out. We are all gutted. It was a tough game. We all worked hard and to lose on penalties is a horrible feeling for everyone. We can hold our heads up high. There are a lot of young players in squad. It's a sad feeling now but that will help us going into the qualifiers for the next tournament.'

Birmingham City are close to confirming the appointment of Lee Clark as their new manager, BBC West Midlands reports. The thirty nine-year-old Tynesider is believed to have agreed to take the post after talks with the Championship club and is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday. Wallsend-born Clark would succeed Chris Hughton, who resigned earlier this month to take charge of Norwich City. It would mean a return to football for Clark four months on from his surprise sacking as manager of Huddersfield Town. The former Newcastle United, Sunderland and Fulham midfielder was seen as a bright young managerial talent in the game for most of his three years in charge at the Galpharm Stadium. After cutting his teeth in coaching under Glenn Roeder, first at Newcastle, then at Norwich, Clark brought in experienced duo Terry McDermott and Derek Fazackerley alongside former team-mate Steve Watson as his backroom team when he took over at Huddersfield. He guided the Terriers to third place in League One in the 2010-11 season and, although they lost to Peterborough United in the play-off final, he was rewarded with a new rolling contract. They began last season in the same form, Clark's Terriers eventually extending their unbeaten league run to a record forty three matches between January and November 2011. With his team still fourth in League One, eyebrows were raised when he was sacked in February following a 1-0 home defeat by Sheffield United. But the change in leadership ultimately paid off as the Terriers went on to win promotion to the Championship in May via the play offs. Under new boss Simon Grayson, they won after a dramatic 8-7 penalty shoot-out win over the Blades at Wembley. But Grayson afterwards paid a generous tribute to his predecessor, saying: 'Credit goes to Lee Clark, because he put most of that team together."'

Ciao!

It was, sadly, as predictable as Christmas occurring in December, England crashed out of yet another major tournament on penalties as Italy booked a semi-final showdown with Germany in Euro 2012 on Sunday evening. Alessandro Diamanti slotted home the decisive spot-kick after both Ashley Young and Ashley Cole had missed for England. Roy Hodgson's side had ridden their luck during normal time (and, especially, in extra time) as Italy dominated possession for the majority of the game and had a host of chances (many of them falling to Mario Balotelli) but could not break the deadlock. The Italians hit the post twice and Antonio Nocerino's late scrambled effort was ruled out for offside but ultimately England's luck ran out in the shoot-out as it usually does. In truth, after a decent display in the first half in which despite having less possession they, at least, looked like they had a few ideas of how to break down the Italians, England were desperately poor thereafter and anything other than an Italian win would have been an injustice. England defended well - particularly Glen Johnson and John Terry - but they were woeful going forward, giving the ball away, needlessly, far too often and generally lacking creativity and guile. And, once big lumbering Andy Carroll had replaced the more mobile Danny Welbeck, England's sole plan seemed to be to hoof long balls up to the lanky Liverpool striker and hope for the best. With Wayne Rooney looking about as far away from a world class international footballer as it's possible to, it was left to the Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo to dominate the game. Italy were vastly superior to England over the course of one hundred and twenty minutes - but the resilience and organisation which have swiftly become the trademark under new manager Roy Hodgson took an enthralling game all the way to penalties. And, as on five of the previous six occasions that England have entered this sudden-death environment, they were left broken hearted, with Italy confirming a semi-final meeting with Germany in Warsaw on Thursday. England's captain Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were successful from the spot - about the only thing Rooney did right all night - but Ashley Young struck the bar and Ashley Cole's effort was saved by Italy's keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Mario Balotelli scored Italy's first spot-kick but Riccardo Montolivo's miss gave England hope that was cruelly snatched away as Pirlo audaciously chipped in his spot-kick and Antonio Nocerino coolly slotted home before former West Ham midfielder Alessandro Diamanti scored the decisive penalty. England cannot complain that the better team did not emerge as winners - but even in the face of a constant wave of Italian attacks Hodgson's men still showed enough heart and durability to make their Euro 2012 exit with some pride. As Italy subjected them to what was almost torture by possession, England's back four and goalkeeper Joe Hart responded magnificently by erecting a wall of defiance, with John Terry outstanding. England will head for home on Monday after a campaign they can reflect on with a measure of satisfaction despite the disappointment. Hodgson - at short notice - marshalled his forces effectively but the gulf in class with Italy was clear for all to see and his team looked jaded long before the end of ninety minutes, let alone extra time. Hodgson will now take stock of events in Ukraine, where England drew with France and won against Sweden and Ukraine to top Group D, as he plots the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Hodgson picked England's first unchanged team since the miserable last-sixteen encounter with Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - a show of faith in the side that beat Ukraine in Donetsk. England were almost given the worst possible start when, after a prolonged period of possession, De Rossi's swerving left-foot volley hit the post with Hart stretching in vain to make contact. If this was an ominous start for England, they responded with an opportunity of their own when Glen Johnson found space in the area but could not get sufficient power in his shot and Buffon was able to claw the ball away. England's opening spell had been their best of Euro 2012. It was almost capped with a goal in the thirteenth minute when Johnson crossed for Rooney but he could only glance a header over the top. Balotelli had been his usual combination of threat mixed with moments of infuriating slackness. He was slow to react to the peerless Pirlo's pass and allowed Terry to make a fine recovering tackle, then forced his Sheikh Yer Man City team-mate Hart into a save from a low effort. England had lost the measure of control they had exerted for a spell, but there was still much to encourage Hodgson, particularly when Rooney opened up Italy's defence and Danny Welbeck should have done better than side foot wide from the edge of the area. Balotelli was again involved as he closed in on Antonio Cassano's header six yards out but was left hacking at the post in frustration as Terry and Joleon Lescott combined to clear. Italy continued to control possession after the break and England were fortunate to survive a chaotic incident in which Hart saved from De Rossi and Balotelli before Montolivo diverted the rebound over the bar. Hodgson knew he needed to shift the momentum away from Italy and he chose to try to do it with a double substitution on the hour, replacing Welbeck and a very disappointing James Milner with Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott. Both were involved as England managed to unsettle Italy, only for Young's close-range effort to be deflected following work by Carroll. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli introduced Diamanti in an attempt to pierce England's stubborn resistance and he swiftly forced Hart into a smart save. The game continued to absorb into the closing seconds of normal time as Johnson produced a crucial block to stop Italian substitute Nocerino, while Rooney almost stole the win for England with an overhead kick at the other end. England made a quick change in extra time as Jordan Henderson replaced Scott Parker but Italy still held the initiative, with Diamanti's attempted cross bouncing of the upright to safety. Nocerino then had the ball in the net with a header as penalties loomed, but it was rightly ruled out for offside. So it went to penalties - and a familiar tale of woe as England were again the victims of this cruellest form of defeat.

In the aftermath of another penalty shoot-out fiasco, Roy Hodgson defended Ashley Young and Ashley Cole. 'Anyone can miss a penalty. They were not nonchalant,' Hodgson said. 'Ashley Young's smashed against the bar and Ashley Cole's was well saved by Gianluigi Buffon.' He told BBC Sport: 'A player's reputation should not be forged on a penalty shoot-out, their reputation should be forged on the four games and in those four games we have not lost. We stuck to our guns right until the end and the players should be very proud of what they did. I have learned a lot about the players and their determination and dedication to the task and the fact they are so keen to play for England. There were some heroic performances not only tonight but also in the previous three games.' England keeper Joe Hart failed to save any of Italy's penalties, with the Azzurri's only failure coming when Riccardo Montolivo sent his effort wide. 'I went in confident we would win the game,' said Hart. 'I was required to step up and didn't make the saves. They were superior in regards to chances, but we were very resolute and gave everything when defending. I face penalties against Mario Balotelli on the training ground and I felt confident, but he took a good penalty. Of course I expect to make saves, I feel like no-one can beat me. We've lost at the end of the day, but I don't think anyone has let the country down and we have adapted well to the manager.' Hodgson had his players practising penalties in the build-up to the game and he had hoped they would be able to improve England's dire record in penalty shoot-outs. 'When we took it to penalties I was rather hoping it would be our tournament to win on penalties. Certainly the practising didn't help us too much on this occasion,' he said. 'Maybe it's just fated at the moment that we don't win on penalties but I really can't fault any of the players for their effort. At the end we had lots of players out there running on empty, with very tired legs, fighting off cramp, but they kept us in there until the end and when you go to penalties you do have a chance, but unfortunately Italy took the chance and not us. Penalties has become an obsession for us in English football and in training the players have done extremely well. But you can't reproduce the tired legs. You can't reproduce the pressure. You can't reproduce the nervous tension. [The Italians] stood up to it better than we did. Pirlo's [dinked] penalty was the perfect example.' England almost took the lead when an early Glen Johnson effort was saved by Buffon but they were on the backfoot for most of the game as Italy went close with several chances as well as hitting the woodwork twice. 'I thought the chances were there for both teams but as the second half went on we tired very badly and they came at us again and again,' said Hodgson. 'We have lost and we have gone out without losing a game with our heads held high.' England's next competitive game is a World Cup qualifier against Moldova on 7 September and, despite their Euro 2012 exit, Hodgson has been impressed by the qualities shown by his squad. 'I've been very happy with what I have seen from this group of players and how they have dealt with the demands of an England shirt,' he said. 'I do think we have got some very good young players coming through and this tournament has been very good for them.'

France midfielder Samir Nasri became involved in a row with a French journalist after his side's Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat by Spain. The clash occurred in the Donbass Arena after the Sheikh Yer Man City player was asked for his reaction to the result. Nasri reportedly called the journalist 'a son of a bitch' (or, you know, 'un fils de pute' since, presumably, he said it in French) and repeatedly complained about the media's behaviour. The twenty four-year-old, a substitute in the game, added: 'There, now you'll be able to say I've been badly brought up.' Two goals from Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso brought an end to France's campaign in Poland and Ukraine. Manager Laurent Blanc bemoaned the early goal his side conceded against a team he believed 'were there for the taking. The only thing I regret is that they scored off their first chance,' the forty six-year-old said. 'If we had gone in 0-0 at half-time, I think we would have had more room in the second half.' Blanc fielded two right-backs with Anthony Reveillere in the defensive position and Mathieu Debuchy pushed up into midfield to stem Spain's threat on their left flank, but his plan did not have the desired effect. First, Real Madrid midfielder Alonso headed the holders into a nineteenth-minute lead following some excellent work down that side by Valencia full-back Jordi Alba. Then a clumsy challenge from Reveillere in injury time allowed Alonso to score his second goal from the penalty spot. 'We had analysed the Spanish line-up well because they had two very strong players on the left but the most frustrating thing is that we conceded the goal from that side,' Blanc added. The addition of Reveillere at the expense of midfielder Nasri took much of the sting out of the French side's attack and their only shot on target came in the thirty second minute when Newcastle United's Yohan Cabaye saw his free-kick tipped over by Iker Casillas. 'I think the boys gave their all,' Blanc told TF1. 'Against Spain, it's hard. It is very difficult to create danger for them. They are so tough to beat - you have to be very clinical when you only get thirty to thirty five per cent of the possession.'

Portugal legend Eusébio is in a stable condition after being taken to hospital complaining of feeling unwell. The seventy-year-old, who has been with the national side during Euro 2012 as a team ambassador, has a history of heart trouble and was taken to hospital in Poznan on Saturday. Hospital spokesman Stanislaw Rusek said: 'The news is good. Doctors are satisfied that his condition is stable. I talked to him and I asked him if his heart hurt. He said "not at all."' Eusébio, who was at Portugal's Euro 2012 quarter-final win over the Czech Republic on Thursday, underwent a heart operation five years ago and has been admitted to hospital three times since December. He has been suffering from hypertension and his doctors have said he must have regular examinations. The former striker played for nine clubs during a twenty two-year professional career but is most remembered for his fifteen glorious years with Benfica and a goal-laden international career. Born in Mozambique in 1942 when it was still a Portuguese colony, Eusébio da Silva Ferreira went on to play sixty four times for Portugal, scoring forty one goals and winning the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 1966 World Cup. Nicknamed The Black Panther, he won ten league championships, five Portuguese cups and one European Cup in his fifteen years at Benfica and was Portugal's top league scorer between 1964 and 1973. A Portuguese Football Federation statement read: 'Eusébio felt unwell on Saturday when he was at the hotel with the team in Opalenica. After an initial observation and contacting his doctor in Lisbon, he moved as a precaution to a hospital.'

Au Revoir

Spain waltzed past a disappointingly unambitious France side in Donetsk to set up a Euro 2012 semi-final meeting with Portugal. Xabi Alonso headed in a Jordi Alba cross after twenty minutes to put a commanding Spain side ahead. France struggled to make a mark and only conjured a rare threat when right-back Mathieu Debuchy headed a Franck Ribery cross over. Spain comfortably saw out a one-sided second-half and sealed the win with a ninety first-minute Alonso penalty.

Police say that about six thousand England fans are expected in Kiev for Sunday's Euro 2012 quarter-final against Italy. British Airways is using larger-than-normal aircraft for flights to Ukraine as more fans scramble to see England in the tournament's knock-out stage. During the team's group games, the official England following was around three thousand. Assistant Chief Constable Andy Holt, the police liaison officer in Ukraine, said there had not been a single arrest of England fans during the tournament so far. Holt, representing the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: 'We will have officers at the airport to meet and greet fans as they arrive at the airport, we have officers in uniform here in the centre of Kiev, out and about talking to fans, letting them see that there's a British police presence. But as the night moves on, we move into plain clothes and we're able to, if necessary, spot any problems that are occurring and advise our Ukrainian colleagues as to how perhaps they should best tackle any problems to stop them escalating.' But he said that so far there had been no sign of any misbehaviour from England fans. On Friday airlines reported a surge in sales of tickets to Kiev. Some English fans are also booking flights to Warsaw, for a potential semi-final clash with Germany. England fans are expected to outnumber the Italians, who do not traditionally follow the national team abroad in great numbers. There will be no UK government ministers at the match. Downing Street has said there are still concerns about the rule of law and selective justice in Ukraine. Although, there's also a fair bit of the latter over here too.

Beware Greeks

The Euro 2012 quarter-finals finally burst into life after the desperately disappointing opening match on Thursday as Germany produced a scarily dominant display to sweep past a limited Greece side and set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with England. Or, more likely, Italy. Look, I'm just a realist, all right? The Germans - with a somewhat experimental line-up - having dropped Thomas Müller, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gómez in favour of André Schürrle, Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus - wasted a host of early chances before their captain Philipp Lahm fired them ahead in spectacular fashion from the edge of the box. With Mesut Özil in particular in outstanding form in midfield, the Germans should have been half-a-dozen up by half-time against a Greek team who seemed not to have a Plan B to fall back on after Plan A (don't let them score) failed. At half-time the ITV analyst and former England international Gareth Southgate sounded so depressed by the Greeks' lack of anything approaching ambition, that yer actual Keith Telly Topping was genuinely worried the poor chap might do himself harm in the second half. No, hang on, what's the opposite of worried...? Anyway, against all odds (and, seemingly, All Laws Of God and Man) Greece threatened a scare when early in the second half Celtic plank Georgios Samaras who'd looked more likely to miss a barn door at two feet than do anything remotely worthwhile somehow levelled after a quick Dimitris Salpingidis counter-attack. If nothing else, that bit of deficit reduction had the impact of wiping an annoyingly smug smirk, briefly, off Angela Merkel's mush. Which was nice. But, sadly, that didn't last long and Sami Khedira and Miroslav Klose soon responded with quality strikes (particularly the former). Marco Reus thumped home a fourth for the Germans before Salpingidis stroked home a late consolation penalty. Germany will now take on England or Italy in the last four in Warsaw next Thursday. And, probably, win. Like I say, I'm a realist.

Advancement Through Technology

Manager Roy Hodgson admits that England have done better than expected by qualifying top of Group D at Euro 2012. Tuesday's 1-0 win over Ukraine, coupled with France's 2-0 defeat by Sweden, means England win their group and now face Italy in the quarter-finals. 'Getting out of the group partly exceeded my expectations,' Hodgson told BBC Radio 5Live. 'For us to get seven points with two victories and a draw probably exceeds everyone's expectations.' The sixty four-year-old continued: 'We're very pleased to have won the group. It wasn't an easy group to win. Ukraine have very good players, France were undefeated in twenty three games, and then there's Sweden who ended that run. But we deserve it.' A second-half header from the returning Wayne Rooney sealed England's passage to the last eight as group winners following a hard-fought win over the co-hosts in a Donbass Arena in Donetsk dominated by home support. 'It was always going to be a tough game,' said Hodgson. 'We kept getting updates from the Sweden game and we knew France were losing, plus the fans were all behind Ukraine. It took a great effort from us to keep our shape and discipline. We thank the supporters, both the brave four thousand here plus the people back home. All the vibes have been extremely positive, having a good feel-good factor. That rubs off on the team.' Hodgson praised goalscorer Rooney, who was playing his first game in the tournament after serving a two-match ban for his sending off in the final qualifying game against Montenegro. 'You know what Rooney can do, you know his qualities,' said the England boss. 'He gave an extremely disciplined performance, I think he and Welbeck worked extremely well together. I've played this down, but it was his first game in a while and the fact he's had eighty minutes in this match will fill him with confidence.' Hodgson also paid testimony to captain Steven Gerrard, who set up Rooney's goal and was voted man of the match. 'You've got to single Steven out. I think to some extent he's been our man of the match in every match, it was a captain's performance,' insisted Hodgson. The coach admitted England enjoyed a slice of luck on Tuesday. Ukraine not only dominated for long periods but were denied a perfectly good equaliser when Marko Devic's shot was several inches over the line before being hooked away by John Terry, but the goal was not given by the officials. It evoked memories of the World Cup in 2010 when a similar decision went against England during the last-sixteen defeat by Germany. 'We don't have goal-line technology, and even with slow-motion we can't be one hundred per cent certain. I'm led to believe the ball crossed the line, and that was a slice of luck,' admitted Hodgson. 'But England have suffered in the past, and if there was a slice of luck, we got it.' By winning Group D, England avoided world and European champions Spain in the quarter-finals and will play Group C runners-up Italy instead in Kiev on Sunday. 'I'd have been quite happy to play the Spanish, but I'd rather miss them because they are the favourites alongside Germany,' added Hodgson. 'I think this team of ours would have given Spain a pretty good run for their money. The good thing is that we're there and we're not travelling home. There was not one person in our group who wanted to be on that plane tomorrow.'

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has renewed his call for the introduction of goal-line technology after a controversial incident in England's 1-0 win over Ukraine helped eliminate the co-hosts. Goal-line technology could be approved by the International Football Association Board on 5 July. 'After last night's match ‪GLT‬ is no longer an alternative but a necessity,' Blatter tweeted. UEFA president Michel Platini prefers the system of five match officials. But he stated on Monday that he expects the IFAB meeting in Zurich to give one of two goal-line systems currently being tested the go-ahead. If that is the case, individual associations can decide whether to use the technology in their competitions. That means UEFA could still decide not to implement the system. The Premier League has previously stated its willingness to make the change. UEFA's chief refereeing officer Big Scary Pierluigi Collina has defended the officiating at the tournament, claiming two similar decisions in previous games were correct. Collina said: 'We made a mistake. I wish we hadn't made the mistake but we did. Referees are human beings and human beings make mistakes.'

The Football Association has been fined five thousand Euros by UEFA for the 'inappropriate conduct' of some England fans in Friday's Euro 2012 win over Sweden. The fine was for the attempted pitch invasion by supporters during the 3-2 Group D victory in Kiev. The FA has decided not to contest the fine, maintaining the relatively small amount reflects UEFA's belief the incident was not serious. 'We accept the sanction and consider the matter closed,' a statement read. After England's second and third goals by Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck between twenty and thirty fans surged forward towards the barriers but no-one got further than the outside of the Olympic Stadium's running track. The FA had presented video evidence and strong mitigating circumstances in their defence at a UEFA hearing, including that the potential 'invasion' during the comeback win was nothing more than exuberance rather than a deliberate plan by some supporters to get onto the pitch. The incident was so minor the UEFA match delegate is not thought to have even mentioned it in his report of the game. The FA has also confirmed that there has not been any arrests of England fans in Poland or Ukraine this summer.

ITV's average audience for their coverage of the England versus Ukraine game on Tuesday night was 12.7m. The peak, which occurred just around about the time that John Terry hooked that goalbound effort off the line (allegedly), was 18.6m. Catching up with the highlights programme on BBC1 it's worth mentioning that good old Mark Lawrenson came up with two of the finest commentary moments of the tournament so far. Firstly when Guy Mowbray noted that there was 'a wall of noise' coming from the partisan crowd in the Donbass Arena as the game kicked off Lawro replied 'yeah, but it's not intimidating. It's more like St Trinians!' And then, a moment later, when discussing the absence of Andriy Shevchenko, Lawro told the viewers: 'He played like he had a piano on his back at Chelsea!' Incidentally, the other great moment on BBC1 on Tuesday evening was when a faintly desperate continuity announcer said, immediately after the local news had finished at 7pm: 'If you want to keep up with the England game, you can listen to live and exclusive commentary on BBC 5Live.' Yeah mate, or you could, you know, just turn over to ITV and watch the thing! I mean, I know it means putting up with Adrian Chiles and Jamie Carragher for a couple of hours, but still ...

Never can ITV have played such a prominent role at a Sky drinks bash. The satellite broadcaster's summer party at London's Oxo Tower on Tuesday night was unfortunately timed to coincide with England's crucial last group game against Ukraine. So a handful of big screens were provided on which guests could follow Roy Hodgson's lads winning 1-0 with the voice of Clive Tyldesley echoing around the brasserie. Well, Sky is still a seven and a half per cent shareholder in ITV. Freddie Flintoff and Elle Macpherson added a little celebrity sparkle to the assorted hacks and executives present. Sky News's nasty Kay Burley and Dermot Murnaghan were also in attendance, along with Sky Sports's Georgie Thompson. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, with whom the satellite broadcaster has just concluded a new enormously expensive live rights deal, was spotted making an early exit. Presumably he has an even bigger screen at home to watch the football on.

England Expects ... Which Is Worrying!

Wayne Rooney marked his England return with the goal that secured a place for Roy Hodgson's side in Euro 2012's last eight - but it was a rough passage eased by major helping of good fortune and controversy against Ukraine. Hodgson instantly restored Rooney after a two-match suspension in place of Andy Carroll with orders to make a belated mark on the campaign after sitting out the draw against France and the victory against Sweden. And, after missing a simple header in the first half, Rooney ensured that England topped Group D and set up a quarter-final meeting against Italy in Kiev on Sunday with his first goal in a major tournament since scoring twice in the 4-2 win against Croatia in Lisbon at Euro 2004. England could have met world and European champions Spain but that eventuality was avoided by Sweden's 2-0 win against France and now they must overcome the Italians to progress further. Ukraine, however, will complain about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic's shot appeared to cross the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry but it was missed by the officials. The incident immediately revived the debate about goal-line technology, with a final decision expected to be taken in Zurich on 5 July. England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard's disallowed 'goal' against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd. But, once again, Hodgson's men found a way to get the result they required and there is a real air of respectability about their campaign even though they had to survive a first-half siege from a Ukraine side desperate for the win they needed to reach the knockout phase. Oleg Blokhin's team lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through several torrid spells. A lack of match sharpness was perhaps to blame for Rooney squandering England's best chance after twenty seven minutes. It appeared he only had to make clean contact with The Scum team-mate Ashley Young's cross to score but Rooney lacked conviction and sent a far-post header tamely wide of keeper Andriy Pyatov's goal. Either side of Rooney's fluffed chance it was a tale of Ukrainian domination as they exploited England down both flanks and showed greater fluidity as they struggled to gain any control. Scott Parker was desperately urging England's players to keep possession - but it was easier said than done amid waves of Ukraine attacks and it needed penalty area block from the Stottingtot Hotshots midfield man to thwart Devic. England keeper Joe Hart had to save smartly from the dangerous Andriy Yarmolenko, who also raised the hopes the Donetsk crowd as he evaded several challenges in the area before running out of space. Rooney made no mistake with his second headed opportunity as Steven Gerrard's delivery from the right was once again the creative source. The cross took two deflections and slipped from the grasp of Pyatov for a simple far-post header. The crowd was momentarily silenced but Ukraine refused to lose heart. Artem Milevskiy should have done better than send a header wide but the real controversy came when Hart partially blocked Devic's effort and Terry made a desperate scramble to hook the ball off the line. The Ukrainians claimed a goal and subsequent replays appear to show the ball had crossed the line before Terry's intervention. There was still time amid the drama for Ashley Cole to almost mark his ninety seventh cap with a goal but the erratic Pyatov made a fine recovering save after another inelegant attempt to deal with a cross. With twenty minutes left it was time for the entrance of Ukraine's great sporting icon Shevchenko, who received a thunderous ovation as his country looked to him to rescue their Euro 2012 campaign. It was a task beyond even Shevchenko, who was soon booked for a rash challenge on Young, and, as Hodgson said, England can dream a little more ahead of the confrontation with Italy in Kiev.

A spectacular Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal helped Sweden beat a France side who finish Group D runners-up and will now meet Spain in the Euro 2012 last eight. France stuggled to get going - that's what happens when you leave Yohan Cabaye out the side, chaps - and Ola Toivonen went close for Sweden when his shot stuck the outside of the post. Ibrahimovic eventually punished the France when he brilliantly volleyed in from fifteen yards from a Sebastian Larsson cross. Olivier Giroud wasted the French side's best chance, heading over when well place, before Larsson smashed in a close-range shot for Sweden's second a few moments from time. It was a first defeat in twenty four internationals for France and manager Laurent Blanc will not only be left to worry over a last eight meeting with the European and World champions, but also a very disappointing performance from his side. Sweden had already been eliminated before the game after defeats in their first two matches but they led early in the second half against both Ukraine and England before going on to lose. Despite their exit, Sweden had also given notice they were determined to finish on a high as the players chose to train last Sunday rather than taking up manager Erik Hamren's offer of having the day off. Les Bleus, though, did not heed the warning signs and began in casual manner.

The first openly gay footballer in Europe tweeted during the Euro 2012 clash between England and the Ukraine as part of a campaign to raise awareness of an anti-gay crackdown in the tournament co-host country. Marcus Urban played for German second division team Rot-Weiß Erfurt in the 1990s, but came out at a time when it was almost unheard of for a footballer. Urban teamed up with campaign group AllOut.org to live tweet during England's crucial Group D clash against the Ukraine. They want to raise awareness of the fact that the parliament in Ukraine is currently considering a 'gay gag rule,' which would make it illegal to say the word 'gay' in public. AllOut.org has launched an international campaign to urge president Viktor Yanukovych to speak up against the growing anti-gay sentiment across the Ukraine. 'The situation for lesbian and gay people here in Ukraine is urgent, and we need supporters like Marcus and All Out members all around the world to speak up with us,' said Zoryan Kis, executive director of Fulcrum, a Ukrainian LGBT organisation. AllOut.org claims that six senior politicians from European Union countries have already refused to attend Euro 2012 in protest at the deteriorating human rights situation in the Ukraine. The British government has boycotted the group stage of Euro 2012 in protest at the situation, as well as the jailing of Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko has been charged with the killing of the businessman and MP Yevhen Shcherban sixteen years ago, but her party claim that the charges are part of Yanukovych's campaign to eliminate his political opponents. 'Leaders are telling Ukraine that they can not reap the benefits of the European community while rejecting its commitment to human rights,' said Andre Banks, executive director of AllOut.org. 'Euro 2012 has become the focal point for everyone from heads of state to pro-footballers ready to give Ukraine a red card for the country's ever expanding pattern of human rights abuses.' The protest is also aimed at showing how difficult it still is for footballers to come out as gay. Urban said that he quit football twenty years ago due to the 'pressure to conform' in the professional game, and he feels that those pressures still exist for players today.

Paddy Power has confirmed that it will pay Nicklas Bendtner's one hundred thousand Euros fine for showing the brand's name on his underpants during Denmark's game against Portugal. The bookmaker said on its blog that UEFA had decided to tackle the matter 'after solving all the social, political and race issues surrounding Euro 2012. We can't do anything about UEFA's chilled-out attitude to racism or political oppression, but we can do something about the Pantsgate,' the company said. 'We've decided to foot the bill for the fine. Paddy Power are paying Bendtner's massively over-the-top one hundred thousand Euros fine.' Paddy Power's 'head of mischief' Ken Robertson added: 'We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and what we heard loud and clear yesterday was that Nicklas Bendtner should not suffer as a result of UEFA's double standards. We don't believe that Nicklas should be penalised for nothing more serious than wearing his lucky underpants which in fairness was only a bit of fun.' There has been widespread outrage in the football world as the obscene severity of the punishment handed out to Bendtner when compared to fines levied against national football associations some of whose supporters have been found guilty of racist and violence behaviour. Rio Ferdinand and Vincent Kompany have both criticised UEFA after Croatia's £64,561 fine for racism, fifteen thousand smackers less than Bendtner's fine for revealing sponsored pants. Shiekh Yer Man City captain Kompany called on UEFA to 'review their priorities.' The Scum's Ferdinand tweeted: 'UEFA are you for real? Eighty thousand pound fine for Bendtner? All of the racism fines together don't even add up to that.' He continued: 'Platini was a great player but him and his colleagues alienate themselves with exactly this type of rubbish.' A UEFA spokesman said: 'It is up to the disciplinary committee to decide on the sanctions (in each individual case) and the written reasons (for Bendtner's punishment) are being sent to the Danish FA.'

Jesus Scores!

They always seem to do it the hard way. Italy earned themselves the victory they needed against an already eliminated Republic of Ireland side to go through to the last eight of Euro 2012 on a hot and steamy night in Poznan. Ireland started with purpose pressing the Italians high up the pitch and, for most of the first half, Giovanni Trapattoni's team played far better than they had in their previous two games put together. But, they went behind when Antonio Cassano headed in a near post Andrea Pirlo exquisite corner. An equaliser would have knocked Italy out and their keeper Gianluigi Buffon smartly saved a Keith Andrews strike. Andrews was later sent off for a second booking - getting himself in, if you will, a right paddy and kicking the ball away after his dismissal before storming off down the tunnel looking cross. Soon afterwards Mario Balotelli provided the touch of class that the game had lacked, volleying in over his shoulder from a corner to settle the tie in Italy's favour.

It's the oldest joke in football 'Jesus Saves, but [insert own team's striker] got the rebound.' Or, there was the time last year when somebody knocked on yer actual Keith Telly Topping's door and asked 'what would you do if Jesus came to Newcastle?' Yer actual Keith Telly Topping thought about this for a moment and then said, 'move Papiss Cissé to the right wing and play 4-3-3.' Anyway, roll out them all out for another round tonight as, when Spain needed a goal, they sent for Jesus. Jesús Navas scored the dramatic late winner as Spain produced a nervy and unconvincing performance to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2012. The Seville winger prodded in Andrés Iniesta's clever pass three minutes from time to break Croatia hearts and ensure the champions top Group C. Spain had been within a goal of leaving the tournament but ultimately it was Croatia who were left to book the plane tickets back to Zagreb. The world champions could now play England, France or Ukraine in the last eight.

Netherlands coach - unless he gets sacked between me writing this and you reading it, dear blog reader - Bert van Marwijk refused to answer questions about his future after the nation's vastly disappointing Euro 2012 group stage exit. Tipped as one of the pre-tournament favourites, the Dutch crashed out as a 2-1 loss against Portugal condemned them to a third straight Group B defeat. 'You can ask me all types of questions, but not about my future,' the former Feyenoord boss said. However, the sixty-year-old took full responsibility for the Portuguese loss. The beaten 2010 World Cup finalists knew they needed to beat Paulo Bento's side to stand any chance of reaching the last eight. A surprise opening 1-0 defeat by Denmark, followed by bitter rivals Germany's 2-1 success over them in the second round of group games, left Van Marwijk's side facing an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout phase. He responded by naming attacking pair Rafael van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar alongside Robin van Persie in his starting eleven for the Kharkiv clash in an apparently bold attacking move. Van der Vaart's early curling strike gave the Dutch a glimmer of hope before Portugal skipper and cheating little shit Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant double broke the Dutchie's spirit. 'We knew we had to win by a two-goal margin so we had to take that risk and go forward,' said Van Marwijk. 'Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I think we started quite well today and we scored after about ten minutes. But you saw that when we concede a goal, the uncertainty remains. If we'd scored a second, we might have been more sure of ourselves, but we didn't take our chances. We're just disappointed. It wasn't a good game at all today. I'm responsible for that and I'm disappointed.' Stottingtot Hotshots' Van der Vaart candidly admitted his team had failed in Poland and Ukraine. 'We lost three times. We were bad and we don't deserve to go through,' he said. 'We started quite well but we were playing against one of the better teams today.'

Denmark's Nicklas Bendtner has been banned for one match and fined one hundred thousand euros by UEFA for his goal celebration against Portugal. He lowered his shorts to reveal the logo of a certain betting company - one that has a name which rhymes with Daddy Glower, just in case you were wondering - on his underpants after scoring the second of his two goals in the 3-2 defeat. 'This suspension applies to the next 2014 FIFA World Cup match for which Bendtner is eligible,' said UEFA. Bendtner has three days in which to appeal. Denmark play the Czech Republic in their first World Cup qualfying game in September. After the Portugal game on 13 June, the Arse striker said: 'It is just a pair of lucky boxer shorts that I used in the first game as well and have used before the tournament. I didn't know I was breaking any rules but I am aware of that now.' That's his excuse and he's sticking to it.

BBC commentator Simon Brotherton made a right arse of himself and was the subject of a Twitter trend on Monday night. During the Spain versus Croatia match which was covered on BBC1, the broadcaster repeatedly mistook Spain's David Silva for David Villa. Although - like all these fancy dan Johnny Foreigners - their names are similar, Barcelona winger Villa is not currently in the Spanish squad due to injury. Manchester City's nippy little midfielder Silva, however, very much is. Brotherton made the error on several occasions throughout the first half of the match on BBC1, something which even yer actual Keith Telly Topping noticed. He, however, didn't rush onto the Internet to crow about spotting such a discombobulation. (weel, until now, anyway.) Unlike many other people who, seemingly, couldn't wait to tweet about the mistake and how clever they were compared to poor old Simon and his idiot ways. Take, for instance, the football feed OptaJoke who said: 'According to the BBC, David Villa will create another seven chances during this match. Absent.' Heh. Actually, you know, that is quite funny, to be fair. FourFourTom (not his real name, one presumes, cos if it is, he really wants to have a word with his parents) added: 'Dear commentator, stop calling David Silva "David Villa". They're not the same person. Feel free to call Xabi Alonso "Ewan McGregor" though.' Hah. Yeah, okay, that's quite funny as wlel. Match of the Day host Gary Lineker (and his lovely teeth) later played down the errors, tweeting during the live show: 'Calm down everyone. Silva/Villa mix up passed on.' And Simon - normally a very good commentator, it should be noted - will, presumably, be, ahem, 'passed over' for any chance of commentating on the final. Hopefully he'll learn from his mistake and, when he's covering Aston Villa in the premiership next year, won't refer to them as Aston Silva.

Premier and Football League clubs will no longer carry advertising for the high-cost lender Wonga on their websites. The move follows a campaign by football fans, led by Northampton Town supporter Bob Ward, calling on clubs to stop carrying adverts for the lender, which charges four thousand two hundred and fourteen per cent APR for short-term online loans. More than eighty sides use a website platform carrying advertising negotiated by the league through an Internet subsidiary - last season this advertising included promotion of Wonga's loans. But a league spokesman said: 'The Football League's website advertising agreement with Wonga.com concluded at the end of the 2011-12 football season. It is not currently envisaged that this agreement will be extended.' He said the short-term deal had run from December 2011. Wonga is the highest profile of about two hundred so-called 'payday' loans firms which are the subject of an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading. High cost – or payday – lenders have attracted criticism from MPs and consumer groups for targeting low-income customers who often end up rolling over their borrowing and accruing huge charges. In March supporters from eighteen different clubs wrote an open letter to the Gruniad, calling on their sides to stop carrying Wonga advertising. Ward and Scunthorpe United supporter John Flanagan also tabled a motion to be debated at the Football Supporters Federation AGM in July 2012, asking the League and the FLi not to renew the website contract with Wonga until the payday loans industry was subject to strict controls and a cap on interest rates. Labour MP Stella Creasy, a fierce campaigner against high cost lenders which she describes as 'legal loan sharks,' called for people to join the FSF so they could vote at the AGM and 'show Wonga the red card.' Ward welcomed the announcement, saying: 'Some twelve per cent of the FLi website's demographic is under eighteen – that means one person in eight being exposed to these revolting adverts is not even an adult. The Football League and Wonga may say this is strictly a business decision but I can't help thinking that in some small way the campaign is responsible for this.' A spokesperson for Wonga said: 'We had a small advertising deal with the Football League which ended at the end of the 2011-2012 football season. We will continue to assess all opportunities and sponsorship deals for next season.' It is understood that Wonga was 'disappointed' with the new business generated by the FLi website advertising. Credit card provider Capital One, which recently announced its , is expected to start advertising through the FLi website platform in July, although the Football League and Capital One refused to confirm this. It is not the first time one of Wonga's advertising deals has ended following criticism. In January 2011 Transport for London excluded Wonga and other high cost lenders from its sponsorship deals following bad publicity of Wonga's sponsorship of free travel on New Year's Eve 2010. Wonga is a prolific advertiser on TV (featuring some gormless fat buffoon bellowing 'WONGA!' a great deal), radio and on London buses: it also sponsors two football clubs Blackpool and Heart of Midlothian and says it is 'committed to continuing these relationships.' This means it is unlikely to be the last that Wonga hears of Ward and his fellow supporters. 'There is still a payday lender involvement with football clubs so the campaign still has legs,' he said.

The woman at the centre of the sexism row involving former Sky Sports pundits Richard Keys has launched a legal action against parent company BSkyB. Louise Glass, the former partner of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, filed legal papers at the high court in London on Thursday, seventeen months after Keys and Andy Gray lost their jobs over a series of controversial comments. Glass said in January last year that she planned to sue the broadcaster for breach of privacy and defamation. Keys resigned and his co-host Andy Gray was sacked by Sky in January 2011 after leaked footage appeared on YouTube of them making a series of lewd sexist remarks about women. Keys, now a TalkSport presenter, referred to Glass as 'it' and twice asked the former Liverpool footballer Redknapp whether he had 'smashed it.' In the leaked footage, a conversation begins with someone off camera mentioning a former girlfriend of Redknapp called Louise. Keys asks Redknapp whether he 'smashed it' and the former player replies that he 'used to go out with her.' Although Sky Sports did not originally broadcast the footage, BSkyB-owned Sky News replayed the comments after they appeared on YouTube. Glass told the Sunday Mirra in January last year that the remarks made her feel 'awful. Richard Keys spoke of me like I was some old whore, like I was nothing. I'm not a prude, I've got a sense of humour, but the level of aggression in there was awful,' she said. 'I wasn't even a whore. I was an "it." My life has turned upside down and now I'm paying the price for their slapstick.' She added: 'I just feel that if so many people are talking about me I should tell them I'm not an "it", that it's not "banter", it's very detrimental to my character and whoever leaked that should be punished.' Keys has maintained a relatively low profile since joining TalkSport just two weeks after the Sky Sports sexism row, although he and Gray picked up a Sony award for best sports programme for their radio show last month. He apologised at the time for what he described as 'prehistoric banter.'