Football: Brighton setback

Brighton have suffered a major setback to redevelop the Goldstone Ground with local councillors voting against proposals to build a retail park on the site.

Planning permission would have increased the value of the ground by pounds 1.5m to pounds 4m, allowing the club to go ahead with plans to take out a large commercial mortgage to pay off their debts.

Brighton, who are around pounds 2.5m in the red, owe the Inland Revenue pounds 400,000 and face a winding-up order in the High Court next month.

Paul Gascoigne will probably lose his place in the Lazio side for tomorrow's Italian league game against Brescia. The England international missed last weekend's 3-0 win over Ancona because he was with his sick father. Though he returned to play in a tournament against Bruges and Eindhoven in midweek, the Lazio coach, Dino Zoff, considers Gascoigne short of match fitness.

Sheffield Wednesday yesterday agreed to Arsenal's request to postpone their Premier League game scheduled for 27 January - two days after the Gunners face Charlton or Leeds in the FA Cup fourth round.

The Arsenal striker, Ian Wright, would have sat out the match as part of his three-game ban, but will now miss the home match against Liverpool on 31 January.

Darren Beckford, Norwich's record signing at pounds 925,000, has turned down a month's loan at his old club, Port Vale, after the clubs had agreed the deal.