Coventry trio are charged by FA

Ron Atkinson, the Coventry City manager, and his assistant, Gordon Strachan, were yesterday charged by the Football Association with bringing the game into disrepute. Liam Daish also faces a similar charge following incidents during the match with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in August.

Atkinson and Strachan were charged after remonstrating from the touchline with officials following a disputed goal, while Daish was sent off by the referee Paul Danson for foul and abusive language during the melee, although his charge relates to an incident after the game outside the referee's dressing-room.

Meanwhile, Sunderland were fined pounds 1,000 after fielding a suspended player, Alex Rae, in a reserve match in pre-season.

The FA will decide shortly whether to charge Ian Wright with misconduct after his hair-pulling incident with Sheffield Wednesday's Regi Blinker. The referee, Mike Reed, did not spot the incident but David Pleat, the Wednesday manager, reported Wright to Lancaster Gate.

Chris Coleman's future at Blackburn Rovers has been put in doubt. The Welsh international was dropped in midweek and will find his way back into the side blocked by Henning Berg and Graeme Le Saux.

Ray Harford, the Rovers manager, confirmed he wants to play Berg in his favourite position of centre-back beside Colin Hendry, while Le Saux continued his comeback by playing for the reserves on Tuesday.

Coleman cost pounds 1.7m from Crystal Palace less than a year ago and will not settle for reserve-team football. Billy McKinlay has also been told he can leave Rovers.

Martin O'Neill, the Leicester City manager, has not given up hope of bringing the Swedish striker Jesper Blomqvist to Filbert Street. O'Neill has watched the Gothenburg player twice but his chances of signing Blomqvist looked bleak when the player was told he had to see out his contract. However, the 21-year-old becomes a free agent in December and O'Neill said: "I'm keeping a close eye on the situation. I don't want to think it's dead and buried."

Doncaster, bottom of the Nationwide League, were yesterday put up for sale, just two days after another Third Division club, Cambridge, were placed on the market. Their Isle of Man-based controlling company, Dinard Trading, has advertised its 51 per cent shareholding in a national newspaper.

Oldham are ready to sign the Trinidad international Leon Lewis. The striker played a trial game on Tuesday and is available for nothing from the Portuguese team Felgueiras.