Sporting Digest: Football

WATFORD were yesterday fined pounds 10,000 by the League for an illegal approach to Glenn Roeder and ordered to pay Gillingham pounds 30,000 compensation.

BRITAIN'S four home associations have too much weight in the body that controls the laws of the game, Sepp Blatter, Fifa's general secretary, said yesterday. 'Times have changed and the internationality of the rule- making authority should be widened,' he said. Blatter, who also deplored the 'awful' technical standard of certain English clubs, said the move could be made by Fifa's congress next year.

KEVIN MORAN will miss the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifier in Northern Ireland next week because of a hamstring injury.

GIANLUIGI LENTINI, the world's most expensive footballer, is ready to return for Milan three months after surviving a high-speed car crash. The 24-year-old forward, a pounds 13m buy from Torino last year, will be on the substitutes' bench in today's Italian Cup third-round tie against Piacenza.

SOUTH AFRICA will bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals following hints from Fifa, football's world governing body, that the African continent could stage the tournament.

ROMANIA SQUAD (v Wales, World Cup Group Four, Cardiff, 17 November): Prunea (Dinamo Bucharest), Stingaciu (Steaua Bucharest), Tene (Gloria Bistrita), Blid (Progresul Bucharest); Petrescu (Genoa), Belodedic (Valencia), Selymes, Munteanu (both Cercle Bruges), Popescu (PSV Eindhoven), Kadar, Pana, Moldovan (all Dinamo Bucharest), Pirvu, Dobos, Prodan, Vladoiu, Ilie, Gilca, Panduru, Stan, Lacatus, Dumitrescu (all Steaua Bucharest), Bratianu (Dacia Unirea Braila), Lupescu (Bayer Leverkusen), Hagi, Sabau (both Brescia), Stinga, Craioveanu (both Universitatea Craiova), Raducioiu (Milan), Ceausila (Sportul Studentesc).

ITALY SQUAD (v Portugal, World Cup Group One, Milan, 17 November): Pagliuca (Sampdoria), Marchegiani (Lazio); Baresi, Panucci, Costacurta, Maldini, Albertini, Donadoni, Simone (all Milan), Benarrivo (Parma), Lanna (Roma), Mussi (Torino), D Baggio, R Baggio, Conte (all Juventus), Evani, Mancini (both Sampdoria), Stroppa (Foggia), Casiraghi, Signori (both Lazio), Fontolan (Internazionale).

FRANCE SQUAD (v Bulgaria, World Cup Group Six, Paris, 17 November): Lama (Paris- St Germain), Martini (Auxerre); Blanc (St Etienne), Boli (Marseille), Desailly (Marseille), Lizarazu (Bordeaux), Petit (Monaco), Roche (PSG), Deschamps (Marseille), Guerin (PSG), Le Guen (PSG), Pedros (Nantes), Sauzee (Atalanta), Cantona (Manchester United), Djorkaeff (Monaco), Ginola (PSG), Papin (Milan).