David Beckham WILL continue as England skipper despite the row over his admission that he intentionally got himself booked against Wales.
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson said as much after the 1-0 win in Azerbaijan, that means England lead the group thanks to the only goal of the game by stand-in captain Michael Owen.
"Did I ever doubt that Beckham should carry on as England captain in the future? No way, I have never doubted that," confirmed the head coach.
Nevertheless, despite Beckham's apology, FIFA president Sepp Blatter is sure the Football Association will take action against their captain.
Blatter said: "This is a matter for them (the FA) and I am sure they will take adequate measures. I am sure they will deal with the matter with diligence and intelligence."
Fulham Football Club could be up for grabs if the plans of the Fanyali brothers come to fruition. The Turkish brothers are expected to make an £85 million bid for Fulham and one of them, 34-year-old Halil, speaking form Cyprus, has said: "It's true we are planning to buy the club.
"My brother met the chairman and the financial director to discuss a deal. The club is not doing well but we will turn it around." A Falyil brothers spokesman added: "The brothers offered £85 million and negotiations have been going on ever since."
Newcastle United have once again been linked with a bid for Damien Duff but now that Duff's former Blackburn manager Graeme Souness is 'in situ' at St James' there may now be more chance of the deal going ahead in the New Year.
Souness sold the Irish winger to Stamford Bridge for £17 million but Duff, through injury and occasional selection, might welcome a move to the North East where his arrival could cast an even bigger question mark over the future of Laurent Robert.
Any deal would have to wait until the January transfer window but Souness is expected to have money to spend at that time and Duff would be a popular choice.
Meanwhile a 'not so straightforward' move is almost certain for Chelsea's Adrian Mutu, but the question is when and to which club. The player's agent, Victor Becali, knows it will be difficult to find the striker a club in Januray.
He says: "Mutu wants to leave Chelsea as soon as it is possible. But it will be difficult because he still has three and a half years left on his contract."
Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe faces a 'no confidence' motion at the Saints' Thursday AGM. The Southampton Independent Supporters' Association will lobby shareholders to back a motion against Lowe who has been chairman since 1996.
SISA is unhappy at the instability and managerial turmoil that has seen nine managers in nine years at the club, which is currently third from bottom in the Premiership.
It was a mixed night for Premiership stars who were in World Cup qualifying action.
Thierry Henry scored his first international goal for four months as France won 2-0 in Cyprus, Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored twice in Holland's 3-0 victory over Finland while his Old Trafford team mate Cristiano Ronaldo also netted twice as Portugal thumped Russia 7-1.
But it was a bad night for Birmingham's Jesper Gronkjaer who was sent off as Denmark drew 1-1 with Turkey.
