14 October 2005 Manchester United Duo Extend Contracts Manchester United defender John O'Shea and midfielder Darren Fletcher have extend their contracts until 2009. Keane Announces International Retirement "The time has come to concentrate on domestic football. Like all football supporters in the country I am disappointed that the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup finals. I feel the time has come when I should retire from international football and concentrate on domestic football for whatever remains of my career." Roy Keane 13 October 2005 Manchester United Shelve Casino Plans Manchester United have been forced to drop plans to build a casino at Old Trafford after Blackpool was awarded the only available franchise. 12 October 12 Bladder Attacks Footballing Greed FIFA President Sepp Bladder has attacked what he has called the 'pornographic' amounts of money in the game : "Unfortunately, the haphazard way in which money has flowed into the game, reminiscent of a misguided, wild west style of capitalism - is having some seriously harmful effects. What makes this a matter for concern is that, all too often, the source of this wealth is individuals with little or no history of interest in the game, who have happened upon football as a means of serving some hidden agenda. Having set foot in the sport seemingly out of nowhere they proceed to throw pornographic amounts of money at it. What they do not understand is that football is more about grass roots than idols." Speaking of grass roots Bladder failed to explain how clubs who operate at grass roots level are supposed to pay €342,000 for the chip in ball technology, developed by Adidas who, conveniently signed a €268 million euro contract with FIFA last year. Technology which was hailed a success at the U17 World championships despite the fact no official report was published. Zoro Hits Out At Racist Fans Messina defender Marc Zoro has revealed racism is still rife in Italian football : "I have been playing in Italy for three years and I see this happening almost daily, particularly when I'm in the north or the centre of the country, playing against clubs like Lazio, Roma, Verona and Treviso. It happens less in the south of Italy but I have problems all the time. All this makes me really sad. It's not easy for me and it hurts. I don't deserve this. To shout racist insults and to throw things at the players is just savage behaviour. And sometimes it's even worse. Christian Manfredini (Lazio midfielder) is whistled by fans of his own club. If a fan loves his club, he can't have this kind of attitude." "It's deplorable that this happens in a country like Italy, which has one of the best football championships in the world and where football is so important. It's clear that the international football community takes a very dim view of this, and my Messina team-mates are very supportive. Once, in a match against Treviso, the whole team blackened their faces in a show of solidarity." Nesta Dismisses PS2 Claims Milan defender Alessandro Nesta has dismissed claims by the Italian press that his recent hand injury was caused by playing too many videogames : "I must admit I was surprised by the theory that my passion for video games caused the injury. Frankly, I don't believe that the two are related, especially as it's only a hobby." Hitzfeld Planning Comeback Former Bayern Munich and Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is planning a return to management after the World Cup. Hitzfeld, one of two coaches to have won the European Cup with different clubs (Ernst Happel won with Feyenoord & Hamburg) won't be short on offers : "I am coming back into management. I will start to manage again on July 1 2006. My time-out is over and my batteries are charged." 9 October 2005 Gerrard Out of Poland Clash Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of Wednesday's WCQ (World Cup Qualifying) match against Poland. Gerrard strained a muscle during Saturday's WCQ match against Austria. Both England and Poland have qualified for the World Cup finals but will be fighting out to top the group. Gerrard is expected to be out of action for 2-3 weeks. Gallas Looking to Leave Chelsea "I have to admit I don't know if I'll be at Chelsea next season. I have six months left to take my decision but I'm 28-years-old and maybe it's time for me to look elsewhere. Maybe I need a new challenge. I've been at Chelsea since 2001 and, of course, I've enjoyed it but I've got five or six more years before the end of my career and the choice I have to make is a huge one. There are some massive clubs out there who might prove tempting to me. I remember when a France team-mate (Desailly)told me once 'When you wear the AC Milan shirt, it shows you have succeeded'. That makes you think." - William Gallas Voller Gets Mate A Job Michael Skibbe has been appointed permanent coach of Leverkusen. Skibbe takes over from Voller who himself was a temporary replacement for Klaus Augenthaler who was sacked last month. Skibbe was Voller's assistant when he was German national team coach.