Football in Brief: Vertonghen deal still on; England-Scotland match set; Yankey pays off for England; 'Club 12' takes Gers' place

Vertonghen deal still on

Jan Vertonghen's agent insists his client's move to Tottenham is still on despite the sacking of Harry Redknapp.

Vertonghen, whose contract at Ajax expires next summer, has made it clear he wants to move to White Hart Lane despite interest from other Premier League clubs and Vertonghen's agent Mustapha Nakhli insists the move is "very close".

"Nothing has changed at all. He is coming to Tottenham for the club and not for the manager," Nakhli said. "Managers come and go. Of course Jan is sorry that Harry Redknapp is no longer there but he is going for the club.

"We have a good relationship with [the chairman] Daniel Levy. He wants the deal to happen."

Scotland match set

England will restart football relations with Scotland next year in a revival of the game's oldest international fixture.

The Football Association announced that the two countries, who first played each other at the West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Partick, Glasgow, in 1872, will meet in a friendly at Wembley to mark the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations.

The game - on Wednesday August 14, 2013 - will be the 111th time the two countries have faced each other.

They used to square up annually in the home championship but withdrew from that competition after 1984, citing waning spectator interest, crowded fixture lists and hooliganism.

The sides last met in 1999 when Scotland won 1-0.

Yankey pays off for England

An opportunist free-kick from Rachel Yankey won England ladies a crucial 1-0 win over Netherlands at Salford City stadium yesterday.

In the 67th minute, with the Dutch defence hesitantly organising their wall, Yankey took full advantage and sent a quick free-kick past the Dutch goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

The result means that England are now just two points behind the group leaders Netherlands, but have a game in hand.Hope Powell's side now travel to Slovenia on Thursday looking for a win that would send them top of Group Six, meaning they would need to just beat Croatia in September to seal a place at Sweden 2013.

'Club 12' takes Gers' place in new SPL fixture list

Rangers are set to be left off the fixture list for the forthcoming Scottish Premier League season, with "Club 12" taking their place, as the uncertainty at Ibrox continues.

The Glasgow club, champions in 2010-11 but now facing an uncertain future, announced the news yesterday on the eve of the publication of the SPL fixtures.

The punishment for Rangers being liquidated and the establishment of a newco Rangers is still to be determined and they could yet be demoted from the Scottish Premier League to the Scottish Football League.It remains uncertain if Dunfermline, relegated from the SPL last term, or Dundee, runners-up to promoted Ross County in the Irn-Bru First Division, would occupy the "Club 12" slot should Rangers be denied a place in the competition.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

iBet: Mercedes and Hamilton to roar in Monaco

Monaco is a street circuit where driver ability is more important than anywhere else and if we take ...

by Gareth Purnell

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: It sounds sadistic, but the team live for the mountain stages

Three weeks ago as I drove off the Eurostar, I remember thinking what a very long time it was until ...

by Martin Ayres

iBet: Rose has the ammunition for Wentworth

McDowell did brilliantly to land the World Match Play title in Bulgaria last week, but it’s a format...

by Gareth Purnell

       

Day In a Page

James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again