Football: Sugar airs defiance

ALAN SUGAR, Tottenham Hotspur's chairman, yesterday vehemently criticised World In Action, the ITV programme which will tonight broadcast allegations of financial irregularities at the north London club. Sugar said that the events behind claims of the writing-off of loans to players were 'many, many years old'.

'It's clearly old news,' Sugar said on LBC radio yesterday. 'I always thought that the aim of World In Action was to uncover scandals. The events on tomorrow's programme are many, many years old. This is raking up old stories.

'The Inland Revenue are fully aware of all these loans and the FA commission have been given all the information as well.' Sugar added he did not believe Spurs would be relegated or suffer the deduction of points, both possible punishments, 'because the FA tribunal will recognise it is old stuff'.

Steve Coppell beat more than 50 other applicants for the post of chief executive to the League Managers' Association, it was revealed yesterday. John Camkin, the LMA secretary, said that the list included several club managers but Leeds' Howard Wilkinson, the Association's chairman, confirmed Coppell was 'the ideal man for the job'.