Football Briefs

World Cup-winning Italy coach Marcello Lippi has told new England boss Fabio Capello that he has a tougher job on his hands than he would have done managing Italy.

“Capello has always said that coaching Italy didn’t interest him. I can say that he has missed something beautiful and important,” Lippi told Italian media.”The more difficult task for him now is to make England play like a team as in the last few years they have not given the impression of being a team,” added Lippi, who said Capello may have to drop a big player to improve England’s chances.* AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani hopes new Fifa world player of the year Kaka will sign a fresh contract at the end of the season to ward off future advances from Real Madrid.”The new contract for Ricardo (Kaka) will be signed in June and will run until 2013.Longer contracts in Italy are not allowed,” he told reporters.* Getafe, who host Anderlecht in Uefa Cup Group G yesterday, have agreed to take Valencia midfielder Jaime Gavilan on loan until the end of the season, the Primera Liga clubs confirmed.The 22-year-old also spent the 2005-6 season on loan there when he just missed out on the Spain squad for the World Cup finals in Germany.* Denmark will play Slovenia, the Netherlands and Wales in friendlies next year, the Danish football association said on their Web site (www.dbu.dk).The Nordic side face Slovenia away on February 6, the Netherlands in Eindhoven a week before the European championships begin in early June and Wales in Copenhagen on November 7.* Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic has quit Greek Super League club Iraklis for the second time in five months following a row over the recruitment of new players, the club announced.”I am tendering my resignation due to the disagreements that have emerged on the planning of transfers and the strengthening of the team’s roster,” the club quoted Jovanovic as telling them in his resignation letter.In July, he stepped down as coach when Iraklis were on the verge of bankruptcy but was reappointed a month later when his replacement Vangelis Vlachos was sacked.* Former Dutch Under-20 international Quincy Owusu-Abeyie has been included in hosts Ghana’s preliminary squad of 40 players for next month’s African Nations Cup.Owusu-Abeyie applied earlier this year to Fifa to have his international allegiance changed and the Ghana Football Association said on Tuesday they were still awaiting the decision.Ghana coach Claude Leroy has selected 11 uncapped players including English-born Gillingham striker Chris Dickson.* German giants Bayern Munich join the final scramble for a berth in the Uefa Cup knock-out round on Wednesday as Bolton and Aberdeen bid to bolster the British contingency along with Spurs, Everton and Rangers as the group phase enters its final stretch.Having played all their matches in Group F, Bolton’s hopes of qualification is now out of their hands.The Trotters presently top the group on six points with Greek side Aris Saloniki and Bayern Munich both on five with Sporting Braga on three.Red Star Belgrade are already eliminated having picked up zero points from three games.The English Premier side could still join the Serbs at the exit if Sporting Braga beat Red Star by more than one goal while Bayern Munich draw at home against Aris.Nampa-ReutersI can say that he has missed something beautiful and important,” Lippi told Italian media.”The more difficult task for him now is to make England play like a team as in the last few years they have not given the impression of being a team,” added Lippi, who said Capello may have to drop a big player to improve England’s chances.* AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani hopes new Fifa world player of the year Kaka will sign a fresh contract at the end of the season to ward off future advances from Real Madrid.”The new contract for Ricardo (Kaka) will be signed in June and will run until 2013.Longer contracts in Italy are not allowed,” he told reporters.* Getafe, who host Anderlecht in Uefa Cup Group G yesterday, have agreed to take Valencia midfielder Jaime Gavilan on loan until the end of the season, the Primera Liga clubs confirmed.The 22-year-old also spent the 2005-6 season on loan there when he just missed out on the Spain squad for the World Cup finals in Germany.* Denmark will play Slovenia, the Netherlands and Wales in friendlies next year, the Danish football association said on their Web site (www.dbu.dk).The Nordic side face Slovenia away on February 6, the Netherlands in Eindhoven a week before the European championships begin in early June and Wales in Copenhagen on November 7.* Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic has quit Greek Super League club Iraklis for the second time in five months following a row over the recruitment of new players, the club announced.”I am tendering my resignation due to the disagreements that have emerged on the planning of transfers and the strengthening of the team’s roster,” the club quoted Jovanovic as telling them in his resignation letter.In July, he stepped down as coach when Iraklis were on the verge of bankruptcy but was reappointed a month later when his replacement Vangelis Vlachos was sacked. * Former Dutch Under-20 international Quincy Owusu-Abeyie has been included in hosts Ghana’s preliminary squad of 40 players for next month’s African Nations Cup.Owusu-Abeyie applied earlier this year to Fifa to have his international allegiance changed and the Ghana Football Association said on Tuesday they were still awaiting the decision.Ghana coach Claude Leroy has selected 11 uncapped players including English-born Gillingham striker Chris Dickson. * German giants Bayern Munich join the final scramble for a berth in the Uefa Cup knock-out round on Wednesday as Bolton and Aberdeen bid to bolster the British contingency along with Spurs, Everton and Rangers as the group phase enters its final stretch.Having played all their matches in Group F, Bolton’s hopes of qualification is now out of their hands.The Trotters presently top the group on six points with Greek side Aris Saloniki and Bayern Munich both on five with Sporting Braga on three.Red Star Belgrade are already eliminated having picked up zero points from three games.The English Premier side could still join the Serbs at the exit if Sporting Braga beat Red Star by more than one goal while Bayern Munich draw at home against Aris.Nampa-Reuters