Hughes settles case after year out

Michael Hughes has won his battle to be compensated by Birmingham for a year-long exile from club football, according to the Professional Footballers' Association.

The Northern Ireland international has received a "satisfactory settlement" to his dispute with the Premiership club, who he claims reneged on an agreement to sign him from Wimbledon last year. The PFA's chief executive, Gordon Taylor, who acted on his behalf, said: "A satisfactory settlement has been mutually agreed. We're satisfied."

Hughes played three matches for Birmingham on loan in March 2002, but was injured before the club won promotion and the transfer fell through. But Wimbledon refused to take him back and Hughes went unpaid by either club last season while the dispute over who held his registration dragged on.

Now with Crystal Palace, Hughes, 32, attended an independent arbitration hearing in London with his legal team this week, where he accepted Birmingham's offer.

Portsmouth have revealed plans for the expansion and re-orientation of Fratton Park. The capacity of the stadium will rise to 35,000 while the pitch will be rotated to a north-south orientation. The redevelopment will take place in four phases, with the first and second taking the capacity to 28,000 before an extra 7,000 seats are added.

* Arsenal's Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord will play in a memorial match for Marc-Vivien Foé next month. Foé died of a heart problem shortly after collapsing during Cameroon's Confederations Cup semi-final in June.