Honours: Veteran football manager Bobby Robson is knighted

Bobby Robson, who guided England to the World Cup semi-finals 12 years ago, celebrates a knighthood today as the national team face Denmark for a place in the last eight of the competition.

Sir Bobby, 69, steered Newcastle United to fourth in the Premiership last season and a place in the Champions' League. He won the FA Cup as manager of Ipswich Town in 1978 and was appointed England boss in 1982. He resigned after the 1990 World Cup and then had a successful career at club level with PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona. He returned to his native North-east in 1999.

The present England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, who has known him for more than 20 years, said: "If there is one person who deserves this, then it's Bobby Robson. I have always admired him."

Clive Woodward, coach of the England rugby union team, is appointed OBE. Since he took over in 1997, England have won the Six Nations twice and have defeated South Africa and Australia within the past year.

Jason Leonard, who has won 98 caps for England and is the most capped forward in rugby union history, has been created MBE. The curling gold medallists Debbie Knox, Fiona MacDonald, Rhona Martin, Margaret Morton and Janice Rankin have been created MBEs. Their last-gasp victory against Switzerland at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City was watched by a late-night television audience of almost six million.

Also appointed MBEs are the former Celtic captain Tom Boyd, who appeared 72 times for Scotland and is their fifth most capped player of all time, and the British athletics star Paula Radcliffe, the world cross-country champion, who recently won the London Marathon in a record time.

Hope Powell, coach of the England women's football team, is created OBE, while the transatlantic rower Debra Veal is appointed MBE.