Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Real Sociedad 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen | Champions League match report
Benfica 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain | Champions League match report
Viktoria Plzen 2-1 CSKA Moscow | Champions League match report
FC Copenhagen 0-2 Real Madrid
Galatasaray v Juventus called off after heavy snow in Istanbul
Olympiakos 3-1 Anderlecht | Champions League match report
Man Utd 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Central Coast Mariners handed tough Asian Champions League draw
James Holland happy to experience Champions League the hard way
Bayern Munich 2-3 Man City
Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City – as it happened
Manchester United v Shakhtar Donetsk – as it happened | John Ashdown
Arsène Wenger warns Arsenal to keep Napoli's Gonzalo Higuaín at bay
Den Bosch deny promising fake sheikh that they would ban gay players
Gerrard to return for Liverpool in four weeks
Range of bets on offer for any sports event creates dangerous climate
Match-fixing could 'damage' sport
Sports integrity: a perfect opportunity | Editorial
Collymore calls in police over 'racist' tweets
Champions League: Bayern Munich v Manchester City - in pictures
Champions League: Manchester United v Shakhtar Donetsk - in pictures
Celtic supporter bans puts dampener on Barcelona game for Neil Lennon
Benítez fights his Napoli critics
England v Italy at 2014 World Cup on BBC as ITV gets other group games
Brentford hand Warburton manager's job and hire McParland as overlord

Real Sociedad 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen | Champions League match report

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:05 PM PST

Bayer Leverkusen secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League when Ömer Toprak struck in a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad in the final round of Group A matches.

The Bundesliga team's victory lifted them above Shakhtar Donetsk into second place after the Ukrainian side were beaten 1-0 at the group winners, Manchester United.

Leverkusen were deserved victors at the Anoeta against already eliminated Sociedad, with the midfielder Gonzalo Castro and forward Stefan Kiessling hitting the post either side of Toprak's goal four minutes after halftime.

United top the group on 14 points, with Leverkusen second on 10 ahead of Shakhtar on eight. Sociedad, who have scored one goal and conceded 10, have one point.

The Basques were appearing in Europe's elite club competition for the first time in a decade and hoped to sign off with a win in front of their fans in chilly San Sebastian.

However, it was the German side, coached by the former Finland and Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia, who started strongest.

Castro's free-kick ricocheted off the inside of a post in the 11th minute before their captain, Simon Rolfes, headed over when well placed in the 23rd.

The Sociedad goalkeeper, Enaut Zubikarai, produced a good save to deny Kiessling early in the second half but Toprak rifled in from close range from the resulting corner.

Sociedad had a few half-chances in the final 20 minutes without seriously troubling the Leverkusen keeper, Bernd Leno.

Benfica 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain | Champions League match report

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:03 PM PST

Benfica got the better of a makeshift Paris Saint-Germain side with a 2-1 comeback win on Tuesday thanks to goals from South Americans Lima and Nicolás Gaitán but it wasn't enough to secure a passage to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Benfica needed to better Olympiakos's result in Athens but the Greek side beat Anderlecht 3-1 to claim the runners-up spot in Group C and consign third-placed Benfica to the Europa League.

PSG go through as group winners with 13 points, three ahead of both Olympiakos and Benfica, who lose out on their inferior head-to-head record against their Greek rivals.

The visitors' Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani slotted home the opener eight minutes before half-time at the Estádio da Luz.

Benfica levelled with a penalty from Lima after PSG's Champions League debutant Kalifa Traoré brought down Silvio in the box, and Gaitán rewarded Benfica for a stronger second-half display with the winner after 58 minutes.

Already assured of a place in the last 16, PSG fielded a second-string lineup, resting top marksman Zlatan Ibrahimovic and centre backs Thiago Silva and Alex.

Benfica punished the French champions' vulnerability in defence, none more so than when Gaitán fired home the winner from close-range after centre-back Zoumana Camara failed to clear.

"It was a dream of our president and of all Benfica fans to reach the [Champions League] final in our stadium, and our objective was to go through the groups but sadly the win was not enough. Still, it is one that the fans deserved," Lima said.

Viktoria Plzen 2-1 CSKA Moscow | Champions League match report

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:46 PM PST

Viktoria Plzen scored two late goals to beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 on Tuesday, securing third place in Champions League Group D and extending their European campaign.

With the Czech side looking destined to finish bottom of the group, substitute Tomas Wagner rifled home the winner in the 90th minute to send Plzen into the Europa League thanks to a superior head-to-head away goals record against the Russians.

By the end CSKA were down to nine men after Alan Dzagoev was dismissed following a second-half tangle with Václav Procházka and Pontus Wernbloom was dismissed in the final moments.

Plzen created more chances but nearly paid the price for their inability to finish when CSKA's Ahmed Musa broke free of his marker midway through the second half to head Keisuke Honda's drifting cross past Plzen keeper Matus Kozacik.

But with CSKA down to 10 men Plzen finally broke down CSKA's defence in the 76th minute when Daniel Kolar headed in a cross from their captain, Pavel Horvath, to draw level.

Plzen continued to push forward and Wagner fired home after latching on to a Frantisek Rajtoral cross at the far post.

The game marked the Plzen manager Pavel Vrba's last game in charge before taking over the Czech national side. Bayern Munich finished top of the group depite being beaten 3-2 at home by Manchester City, who had also already qualified for the knockout stages.

FC Copenhagen 0-2 Real Madrid

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:40 PM PST

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score nine goals in the group stage of the Champions League as he helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory against FC Copenhagen.

Real, who had already secured top spot in Group B, took the lead when the Croatia playmaker Luka Modric curled the ball into the top-right corner in the 25th minute.

Ronaldo, who was not involved during the first 45 minutes, scored three minutes into the second half after pouncing on a ball headed on by Pepe. The Portugal forward had a penalty saved in the final minutes.

Though Real had more possession, Copenhagen caused them problems on the counter-attack but ended up bottom of the group.

The visitors tested the Copenhagen goalkeeper, Johan Wiland, whose saves included pushing away a low shot by Ronaldo with his fingertips. Toward the end of the first half, a header by Copenhagen's Thomas Delaney finished in the Madrid net but the goal was disallowed by the German referee, Felix Brych, due to a collision with the Real goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.

Madrid were in now complete control of the game, led by Ronaldo and backed by a solid defence. Ronaldo hit the post in the 75th minute, while Gareth Bale missed another opportunity for Madrid's third goal in the 82nd minute as he surged into the box.

Seconds before the final whistle, Wiland punched away Ronaldo's powerfully-struck penalty kick.

Galatasaray v Juventus called off after heavy snow in Istanbul

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:36 PM PST

• Players taken off in 32nd minute of Champions League game
• Game to be played to a finish from noon GMT on Wednesday

Galatasaray's Champions League Group B match against Juventus will be resumed on Wednesday after it was abandoned due to heavy snowfall, Uefa said on Tuesday.

"The Uefa Champions League Group B fixture between Galatasaray and Juventus will be played to a finish on Wednesday after Tuesday's match was abandoned due to snow," Uefa said on its website.

The game was suspended in the 32nd minute at the Ali Sami Yen with the score 0-0.

"The match was abandoned for tonight. The referee, in consultation with the team captains and coaches, agreed that the conditions were no longer playable," Uefa Media Officer Amanuel Abate said.

"The match will be played tomorrow. Weather conditions have been quite extreme."

Portuguese referee Pedro Proença ordered both teams off the pitch to allow the lines to be cleared by groundstaff, but the match was eventually called off after a 20-minute break.

"The referee made this decision to protect the footballers' health, because it was hail rather than snow and he thought it threatened the players' wellbeing," said Galatasaray board member Sükrü Ergün.

He added that the remainder of the game was likely to take place at 2pm on Wednesday.

"UEFA officials will reassess the situation on Wednesday morning, the timing may change, but the game will start no later than 3pm on Wednesday."

Juventus need a point to join group winners Real Madrid in the last 16, while a Galatasaray victory would see them claim second place and a spot in the knockout stages.

Olympiakos 3-1 Anderlecht | Champions League match report

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:33 PM PST

The Olympiakos forward Javier Saviola scored twice in a 3-1 win over Anderlecht, who finished with eight men after two late dismissals, as the hosts reached the Champions League knockout stages despite missing two penalties.

The 32-year-old Argentinian opened the scoring after 33 minutes with a clinical finish but Olympiakos were punished on the counter-attack after losing concentration when Sacha Kljestan finished off a flowing move to level for the Belgians.

Saviola missed a penalty at the start of the second half after Anderlecht's Cheikhou Kouyate was dismissed for collecting a second yellow card for a handball but the striker then scored from close range for his second goal.

There was late drama as Anderlecht's Fabrice N'Sakala and goalkeeper, Silvio Proto, were sent off for picking up two yellow cards. Vladimir Weiss had earlier also missed a penalty for the home side before Alejandro DomÃnguez succeeded with their third spot-kick to complete the scoring in added time.

Man Utd 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:25 PM PST

• In pictures – the best images from Old Trafford

David Moyes will have felt the sweet surge of relief at the final whistle. This had become the game he dare not lose after consecutive 1-0 defeats to Everton and Newcastle United suffered by his Manchester United side here.

Fifty-one years had passed since United last experienced three defeats on the bounce at Old Trafford. In the days leading up to the Cuban missile crisis, Manchester City, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers all left the United cathedral victorious and, with the fierce scrutiny on Moyes, for that record to be ended by Shakhtar Donetsk would send the crowd home with further doubt regarding Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.

The strike that gave United a first victory of December was a scrappy Phil Jones 67th-minute effort, though that hardly matters as thoughts turn to Sunday's trip to Aston Villa and trying to bridge the seven-point deficit to City and a Champions League berth.

"We had a disappointing five days here at Old Trafford," Moyes mused before kick-off. "Prior to that we'd been on a healthy run and we now need to work hard to put together another sequence of good results. We are fully aware that we need to play better but on several occasions we have lacked a little bit of good fortune."

The XI Moyes sent out featured no Robin van Persie, who was on the bench, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck and Marouane Fellaini, all of whom did not make the squad, alongside long-term absentee Michael Carrick, who has an achilles injury.

Tonight was about the result and the performance, following the flat displays against Everton and Newcastle. Given the choice, though, Moyes would plump for victory to ease the pressure and allow breathing space as he attempts to plot a course through the hectic festive programme.

There was scant sign of tension from the manager as he strode to his seat or in the opening move put together by his team, though this would prove the falsest of dawns. Adnan Januzaj roved forward, passed to Shinji Kagawa, and he swept the ball over to Ashley Young only for the sequence to break down when Rafael da Silva mis-hit a cross.

Phil Jones, again partnering Ryan Giggs in central midfield, was next up to punch a hole in the visitors' rearguard but his weak shot was comfortable for Andriy Pyatov to collect.

Moments later the case of deja vu all over again that would last until halftime began as United fell asleep, and the Ukrainian side came close to taking the lead. The sideways stuff that points to the concerning malaise that is inhibiting the side caused Januzaj to give the ball away. Jones chose the wrong Shakhtar runner, so Taison could slip Alex Teixeira in beyond Rio Ferdinand and after the visiting captain left the defender flailing the finish beat David de Gea but was marginally wide of the left post.

Giggs, who joined the small band of footballers aged 40 to feature in the competition with this appearance, became the latest player in red to dawdle when he lost the ball, allowing Teixeira to again skate through and create more worry.

This term's sole shining light for Moyes has been Wayne Rooney, and the forward's 25-yard free-kick was the closest his team had come to a goal. Yet after this brushed the side-netting the alarm was again sounded as Ferdinand lost the ball to Teixeira. He surged down the left before crossing, but though Fred got off a shot the attempt was blocked.

By the break United had moved up a gear as first Rooney then Young (twice) had chances but these were spurned. The poorest came when Young pick-pocketed Darijo Srna but the winger's lob over Pyatov was spooned wide when the better option was to square for Rooney to slot into the empty goal.

All of this meant that 258 minutes had passed since United last scored as they embarked upon the second half. While that strike was Rooney's 57th-minute penalty in the 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the month, he could only watch as Yarolsav Rakitskyiy nearly did the trick for Mirceau Lucescu's team, though the attempt was off target.

Moyes had said the plan was to give Van Persie 20 or 30 minutes if needed, as he continues to regain match fitness following a groin problem. The manager required little time to ask the Dutchman to warm up and before he threw him on was heartened by Kagawa's volley and a Rooney sand-wedge over Pyatov: each of those was unlucky not to make it 1-0 to United.

Then came Jones's strike. Van Persie's corner bounced once and the 21-year-old left Pyatov with no chance.

With this win United remain unbeaten in Group A and finish top – their best return since the 2007-08 victorious campaign –ahead of Monday's knockout-phase draw.

Jamie Jackson

Central Coast Mariners handed tough Asian Champions League draw

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:21 PM PST

The Mariners will play the Japanese champions and last year's runners-up in the Asian Champions League

James Holland happy to experience Champions League the hard way

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:55 PM PST

Jack Kerr: The Australian midfielder is gaining valuable experience with Europe's best, and hopes it boosts his World Cup chances

Jack Kerr

Bayern Munich 2-3 Man City

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:54 PM PST

• Pictures: the best images from City's win in Germany

Well, that was unexpected. Manchester City staged a remarkable turnaround in Bavaria, not only coming from behind to beat Bayern Munich but producing a performance of great assurance at times against a Bayern team that began like aristocrats but faded terribly as City took the points to finish second on goal difference in Group D.

James Milner made two and scored one at the home of the European champions and along with Javi García, another dominant influence, drove a weakened City forward through a final hour that saw them come from 2-0 down to win deservedly 3–2. It is a result and a performance that will give Manuel Pellegrini enormous confidence for the knockout stage.

The Allianz was its usual boisterous midweek self on a chilly night, with City's travelling minority – no doubt still warmed by the mass-tactical Glühwein ingestion staged from mid-morning onwards in Marienplatz – crammed into the top tier of another full house.

Always at best a half-dead rubber, this was a match that City needed to win 4-2 or better, or by three clear goals, to top Group D. With this in mind and with the home crowd celebratory rather than hostile before kick-off, a good start seemed essential.

Instead a much-changed City dished up a terrible one, kicking off and almost immediately giving the ball to Franck Ribéry before conceding an early corner thanks to a terrible piece of ball control by Joe Hart. With five minutes gone Bayern, who had utterly monopolised the ball, opened the scoring with a horribly simple goal.

Dante's lofted pass down the centre found Thomas Müller all alone, his chest control took him away from Aleksandr Kolarov and the finish was rolled past Hart. Müller styles himself as Der Raumdeuter, or the space interpreter. City's early marking suggested he was in for a long and arduous night of free jazz-style exploration.

Five minutes of Bavarian tiki-taka later Ribéry hit a post from an acute angle and from the corner that followed City managed to leave Mario Mandzukic in so much space he had time to control, turn and sidefoot past Hart.

At that stage it looked as though the final score was simply a matter of how far Bayern were willing to press the point, making a mockery of Pep Guardiola's fears in the build-up that his players would treat it as a Freundschafts-speil-charakter (the excellent German word for friendly).

And yet, to City's credit they did regroup in a half that saw Bayern's levels drop and García and Fernandinho get a grip on that revolving midfield. In truth it is a measure of Bayern's current state of almost embarrassing good health that guarding against complacency is as much Guardiola's brief as fine-tuning his team.

On Sunday Bayern had held their annual Christmas Party at the swanky Teatro restaurant – complete with top musicians, jugglers, puppet shows and 200 very special guests – and celebrated what Karl-Heinz Rummenigge called "a year of superlatives", crowned by domination in Europe, a record turnover and a general sense of thrilling well-ordered generational ascent.

Next week they travel to the Club World Cup in Morocco before resuming in the Bundesliga on 25 January. Little wonder training was said to have something end-of-term-ish about it this week.

On paper there was even something startling about Bayern's lineup: essentially a back four with Mario Mandzukic up front and in between whatever the collective term is for an excess of attacking midfielders (a buffet, a feast, a debauchery?), with Thiago Alcantra and Toni Kroos filling the nominal defensive roles.

Pellegrini also made tactical changes, playing Edin Dzeko as a lone striker in front of a five-man midfield with Milner, Micah Richards and Hart all included. You can tell it is a weakened team these days at City. The Englishmen get a game.

As the half wore on and City began to enjoy some possession, Milner drew a save from Neuer with a fine volley. And on 28 minutes they pulled a goal back: Milner, having a good game, headed back Jesús Navas's cross for David Silva to prod home.

City could feel encouraged at half-time, if not by the 2–1 scoreline then by the manner of its arrival – and by the sight, at times, of Guardiola gesticulating on the touchline as City pressed higher up the pitch, leaving space behind them, but getting closer to Ribery, who had been almost alarmingly unhurried on the ball.

After the interval City continued to press with Silva, playing up alongside Dzeko, showing Bayern by no means have the monopoly on craft. City began to dominate possession before winning a penalty on 59 minutes as Milner ran on to Silva's pass and was bundled over by Dante.

Kolarov rolled the kick into the corner and City were level. Within three minutes, as Bayern continued to look oddly dazed, they were in front. Navas crossed from the right, Jérôme Boateng air-hacked his attempted clearance and Milner finished brilliantly, taking the ball down on the run and passing the ball back beyond Neuer into the far corner. City had scored three times without reply in the space of 26 minutes at the home of the European champions. "Football's coming home," sang the travelling fans, drolly. And by the end, it was noise form City's fans that filled the stadium as Bayern's European annus mirabilus ended on a false note.

Barney Ronay

Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City – as it happened

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:47 PM PST

Manchester City came back from two goals and a first-15-minutes humbling down to beat Bayern Munich

Simon Burnton

Manchester United v Shakhtar Donetsk – as it happened | John Ashdown

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:35 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Manchester United eased the pressure on David Moyes and top the group thanks to Phil Jones's second half strike

John Ashdown

Arsène Wenger warns Arsenal to keep Napoli's Gonzalo Higuaín at bay

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:20 PM PST

• Manager says game in Italy may define Arsenal's season
• 'Priorities are simple: first, qualify and, if possible, top'

Arsène Wenger says Arsenal face one of the defining matches of their season against Napoli and that qualification to the Champions League last 16 would give them a lift before the Premier League fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea.

The manager has brought his strongest available squad to southern Italy and he indicated that he was loth to make too many changes to the team that drew 1-1 at home to Everton on Sunday. Arsenal must avoid a three-goal defeat to ensure they advance but a draw would guarantee that they did so as group winners.

Arsenal would almost certainly face more fearsome last-16 opponents as runners-up but Wenger's message was clear: focus on the details, play the football that has made them England's best team and keep a key element of the season alive into the new year.

"Will the next three games define our season? Tomorrow's game certainly [will]," he said. "It is to be in the Champions League or not. The other two games will not definitely … we are five points ahead and the championship is a marathon. We will be in the race, no matter what happens but they [City and Chelsea] will hopefully show our strength. Napoli is a decider, that is for sure.

"Our priorities are simple: first, qualify and, if possible, top. If we finish top, it's even better. We can't afford to do anything [regarding rotation]. I rotate a little bit sometimes [but] never more than two or three because stability is important. We'll have to keep [Gonzalo] Higuaín quiet he is very dangerous and the more we can play outside of our box, the easier that will be. We have to be at our best. An average performance will not be good enough."

Arsenal have made special security provision for their 700 travelling fans, in light of the violence between supporters that marred Napoli's last home Champions League tie, against Marseille. The club will provide coaches to transport the fans to and from the stadium.

David Hytner

Den Bosch deny promising fake sheikh that they would ban gay players

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:51 PM PST

• Dutch TV show PowNews offers investment in sting
• 'We never went seriously into it,' says club official

The players of Den Bosch have been having enormous fun posing for photographs with towels wrapped round their heads this week but the hilarity provoked by football's latest "fake sheikh" sting may not quite extend all the way to the boardroom.

PowNews, an often provocative Dutch television show, decided to explore precisely how far football clubs in the Netherlands would go to secure funding from rich Arabs.

After approaching officials at nine teams they received apparent encouragement from two executives at Den Bosch, currently 14th in the 20-team Eerste Divisie, Dutch football's second tier.

An undercover PowNews video now widely available on the internet shows the fictitious Dubai-based "Al Massir Group" – represented by "Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulaziz al-Massir" – negotiating with the club over a potential £40m investment.

Den Bosch claim they were in on the joke all along but discussions between the fake sheikhs and two relatively junior employees, William Lord, the safety co-ordinator, and Guido van der Kamp, who works in the commercial department, were duly filmed in secret. The recording shows the latter pair proving extremely open to the idea of not only sacking their coach, Ruud Kaiser, but allocating separate entrances for men and women at the stadium, banning gay players from the club and barring alcohol sales.

The lure of Middle Eastern money was seemingly such that a potential name change to Dragons Den Bosch, a switch in kit colour and even the suggestion that "black [market] money" be used to fund transfers were all deemed perfectly acceptable notions. Meanwhile Zeljko Petrovic, most recently Guus Hiddink's old assistant at Anzhi Makhachkala and before that the No2 to Avram Grant at West Ham United was suggested as Kaiser's replacement.

The sting has shocked many in the Netherlands but Fred van der Horn, a Den Bosch director, is adamant he and everyone at the club were merely joining their television colleagues in having a bit of fun. "We already knew it was a joke," he said. "We played a game; we never went seriously into it."

It seems some squad members possibly thought otherwise. Commenting on the squad's "towel-head" pictures, Benjamin van den Broek, Den Bosch's captain, said: "We, as a group of players are ready to take over. Ha-ha."

Email correspondence subsequent to filming – written in English and released by the TV company – suggests the playing staff's suspicions may not be quite without foundation.

Following a full fortnight's worth of correspondence with lower-level club executives, the Den Bosch president, Maarten de Gruyter, finally intervened, raising a red flag. "Although anxious to improve the overall level of our club by partnering up with a respectable and influential foreign investor, we're also very restrained in changing our club traditions," De Gruyter wrote.

He then expressed surprise at being unable to find any information on the al-Massir Group anywhere and concern that neither the Dutch embassy in the United Arab Emirates nor his Dubai-based business associates were aware of their existence or, indeed, the sheikh's.

"There were email exchanges but we never took them seriously," Van der Hoorn said. "We were on to them." He did, though, acknowledge that Kaiser is owed an explanation, along with Den Bosch's players. "We will have to remedy this," he said. "If the board decide I have to leave my post, I will accept that."

Louise Taylor

Gerrard to return for Liverpool in four weeks

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:38 PM PST

• Captain to miss festive period with hamstring injury
• Joe Allen praises Liverpool's ruthless streak at Anfield

Steven Gerrard hopes to return for Liverpool in four weeks having been ruled out of the club's demanding festive programme with a hamstring injury.

The Liverpool captain will miss away fixtures at Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Chelsea, plus home games with Cardiff City and Hull City, after scans confirmed he strained a hamstring during the 4-1 defeat of West Ham United on Saturday.

Liverpool feared the 33-year-old could be sidelined for six weeks with the problem, meaning he would be absent until Aston Villa's arrival at Anfield on 18 January, but the England captain is expected to recover inside a month. Gerrard is targeting a return for the FA Cup third-round tie against Mansfield Town or Oldham Athletic on the first weekend of January or, should Brendan Rodgers avoid a risk in the cup, the following week's Premier League trip to Stoke City.

Gerrard has featured in every league game this season for second-placed Liverpool and his absence represents a major blow for Rodgers, who is already without the striker Daniel Sturridge until the new year with an ankle injury and the left-back José Enrique until February.

Liverpool's midfield options could be diminished further for Sunday's visit to White Hart Lane with Jordan Henderson feeling the effects of the foul that resulted in Kevin Nolan's dismissal for West Ham at Anfield. Henderson's foot has been in a protective boot since Saturday but, despite the England international struggling with a badly bruised ankle, Liverpool remain hopeful he will recover in time to face Spurs.

Gerrard's injury is likely to lead to a recall for Lucas Leiva, who lost his regular starting role following the recent defeat at Hull City. The Brazilian midfielder's place was taken by Joe Allen as Liverpool responded with emphatic home defeats of Norwich City and West Ham and, following his first back-to-back league starts for 12 months, the Wales international believes he can start to show why Rodgers paid £15m to sign him from Swansea City.

Allen said: "I've struggled with different injury problems but you'd hope that they're behind me now and I can focus on getting out there and playing more and more. The manager has just told me to be ready for when my opportunity comes and to get back to my best. That will come with game time. Nothing has changed really. But everything comes together with playing time, so I'm looking to getting a string of games and showing what I can do."

The midfielder also praised the ruthlessness that has helped Rodgers' team become the second-highest goalscorers in the Premier League this season. "I think every now and again, you have a minor setback," added Allen. "But we're getting much more consistent and ruthless with our performances. We're clinical. We're putting teams away quite comfortably at times, which is a great thing to have. It does make it more daunting for the team coming to Anfield."

Andy Hunter

Range of bets on offer for any sports event creates dangerous climate

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:26 PM PST

Westminster summit needs to have been more than a mere forum to exchange platitudes about corruption in sport

Hard on the heels of revelations that highlighted the vulnerability of non-league football to match-fixing a second wave of arrests has now suggested the related issue of spot-fixing ascends very much higher up the league pyramid.

It is a problem of which there have been occasional glimpses, enough to provide an uneasy sense that spot-fixing may be more prevalent in the dressing room than had been thought.

Matt Le Tissier's claim in his 2009 autobiography that he took part in a failed betting coup in 2005 when he attempted to kick the ball out early for a throw-in was treated almost as a light-hearted jape at the time.

It did not look so amusing three years later when another former Southampton player, the Norwegian Claus Lundekvam, claimed there was a spell when the team would do it "almost every week" and "made a fair bit of money". Lundekvam said at the time that among the players they would often influence the first corner, first throw or first yellow card as a "bit of fun", although his team-mates from the time denied the allegations and Le Tissier said his own experience was a one-off.

Now the suggestion has reared its head again, in much more serious fashion. Yet the allegations against those arrested – including the Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell, two Tranmere Rovers players, a former Portsmouth defender and an Oldham Athletic player – are more complex than they might appear.

As Ed Hawkins, author of a gripping book on the scale of the problem in cricket (Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy), has pointed out, there is no way of wagering large sums of money on outcomes such as a yellow or red card on the legal betting markets in Britain. All are tracked by the major bookmakers and, increasingly, by monitoring firms on behalf of the biggest sports.

Any substantial bet of more than, say, £200 would immediately arouse suspicion and could lead to the market being pulled. Nor is there any evidence that it is possible to place bets on yellow or red cards in the $500bn grey and illegal market in Asia and the Far East.

Three things may come into play when a footballer accepts tens of thousands of pounds to get a yellow or red card. He may leap at an opportunity to earn some easy money and not be too concerned with the reasons why it is being offered; there may be an element of simple loose-lipped braggadocio; or a "fixer" may have been attempting to prove he could affect the actions of a player on the pitch in order to prove his influence.

In the fallout from the prosecution of the Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – when the argot of illegal backstreet bookies in Mumbai and Singapore crashed into Southwark crown court via the Long Room – the fact that no bet was actually placed was often overlooked.

Here, too, the nub of the matter was the fact that Butt's agent, Mazhar Majeed, was trying to prove to an undercover journalist (the same one involved in the DJ Campbell case) that he had the players under his control.

The reason the case was so insidious, and sent such shockwaves around the world, was that it showed the casual ease with which players were prepared to disregard the sanctity of the game. As with a yellow card in football, those involved probably convinced themselves that a no-ball made no difference to the outcome of the match. But for those watching, the purity of the sporting contest is everything.

In football, too, it is what these revelations represent – rather than any gains they may or may not have produced – that shocks so profoundly.

The picture painted by the Sun investigation plays to much wider concerns about the culture surrounding footballers and the globalised, highly remunerated, transitory world in which they, their agents and their entourages operate.

Regardless of the protestations of domestic bookmakers that any volume of unusual bets on an individual would be picked up and the market pulled, sports bodies remain alarmed that they have no control over what bets are offered. They are likely to use the current high-profile allegations as support for their argument that the broad range of bets on offer on every single game creates a dangerous template for the illegal market and creates temptation within the legal one.

For all that they can offer education to young players to warn them of the dangers and monitor the legal markets, sports bodies will argue that they should have the power to limit the range of bets offered on their sport – as well as some mechanism to reclaim a small percentage of the bookmakers' profits to help fund the fight against corruption.

It is an argument that the bookmakers, who believe they have proved the problem is almost exclusively driven by illegal rather than legal markets, will do all they can to rebuff.

Nor does there yet seem to be enough of an understanding of the link between the gambling culture that thrives among Premier League players with huge salaries and the money flowing into the sport from bookmakers, and the integrity problems the game now faces. Sporting Chance, the charity which helps sports people with problems, has spoken of problem gambling as the great hidden epidemic within the game and it does not take a great leap of imagination to picture the pressure some of those players may face or the company they may keep.

All those involved must hope that Westminster "summit", which inevitably recalled a similar event after football's spate of high-profile incidents of racism that ended with many fine words but not too much appetite to tackle the underlying issues, is more than a mere publicity exercise.

Owen Gibson

Match-fixing could 'damage' sport

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:17 PM PST

• Culture secretary warns of 'permanent damage' to sport
• FA secretary claims spot-fixing 'isn't a big issue'

A whistleblowing hotline is among tools being considered to tackle match-fixing following an emergency meeting yesterday between representatives of the five biggest sports and the government in the wake of a spate of high-profile arrests.

The culture secretary, Maria Miller, warned that sport risks being "permanently damaged" if the threat posed by match-fixing is not adequately dealt with and warned those tempted to cheat that they will be "caught and punished" by the new National Crime Agency following the meeting.

Miller called the summit following the arrest of six people, including Blackburn striker DJ Campbell, by the NCA following an investigation into alleged spot-fixing in football and a newspaper sting.

Five of the men arrested are footballers: Campbell, the Oldham winger Christian Montaño, the Tranmere defender Ian Goodison, the former Portsmouth defender Sam Sodje and his brother Akpo, who also plays for Tranmere. All have been bailed until next April.

Last week two players from non-league Whitehawk FC were among those charged after a separate investigation into a Singaporean match-fixing ring.

Although some individual governing bodies, including the Football Association, have their own anonymous hotlines,there is a feeling that running a centralised reporting system could help make those who wanted to report illegal approaches or provide evidence against others feel more at ease.

Since its formation in 2009, the National Anti-Doping Agency has been running an anonymous hotline that has been directly responsible for helping to build cases against cheats. A new national hotline could also help sports cross-check information and provide a single point of contact for the Gambling Commission and the NCA.

There have been calls from some within sport for the government to go further and fund the creation of a pan-sport integrity unit, funded by the proceeds of offshore bookmakers who will have to be licensed and pay tax in the UK if they operate here under the new Remote Gambling Bill.

However, it is understood that the creation of a new body was not on the agenda at this meeting, which was attended by representatives from the governing bodies of football, cricket, tennis and the two rugby codes as well as the Premier League, the Football League and the British Horseracing Authority.

The FA, which has come under fire from some within the game for not being seen to take the issue seriously enough, risked further criticism by saying there was a consensus that it "isn't a big issue" though stressing there could be no room for complacency.

"I think the general consensus around the room was this isn't a big issue. The intelligence that we have says this isn't a wide-scale issue at the moment but, again, we don't want to be complacent," said the FA general secretary, Alex Horne.

"It's clear that, as Britain, we are very proud of our sporting product, of the sport that we play in this country and we all want to do all we can to protect the integrity of that sport.

"We are never complacent on this issue and there's a lot we can learn from other sports.

"Some of the education programmes that cricket have put in place are very far advanced, and the integrity unit that the BHA have in place is very far advanced, so there's lots of learnings that are open to all sports."

He said that the focus from the recently constituted NCA was welcome. Previously the decision on whether to investigate and charge those suspected of fixing lay with individual police forces.

"We really welcome the recent impetus from the NCA. I think that is going to be a really important body for all of us in reminding people that these are criminal activities and the criminal nature of activities shouldn't be under-estimated and all power to the NCA." Maria Miller, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said the sports had committed to work together to tackle match fixing, in the wake of a series of high profile cases across the world.

"Match-fixing is a real threat to the integrity of sport. If fans don't trust what they see, the integrity of sport will be permanently damaged," she said.

"British sport is a world-class product and we want it to stay that way. The NCA have shown that they will act and charge those that corrupt sport and the message is clear to players that are tempted to go down that road in Britain - you will be caught and punished."

Meanwhile, in Paris, Unesco signed an agreement to work with the Doha-based International Centre for Sport Security to work on developing an international response between governments and law enforcement agencies to the issue.

At Portsmouth, the new manager Richard Barker spoke to his players to reiterate their responsibilities and to underline that if they were to be approached then they should immediately report it.

Owen Gibson

Sports integrity: a perfect opportunity | Editorial

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:15 PM PST

The danger is that the less a sport appears to be regulated, the more it appeals to those looking to make money

There is a special place in hell reserved for those who cheat at sport. A contest where the fans cannot be confident that everyone on the field is playing to win is a contest that has lost its heart. To deliver anything less than an utterly honest performance betrays an unspoken contract. And yet since sport began, the pursuit of victory has been matched by the temptation to win whatever it takes. The same basic instinct has, for just as long, been met by having a flutter on the result. And that has always made for a combustible mix of ingredients.

No wonder the report from Rick Parry, the former Liverpool chief executive, on the integrity of sport – commissioned back in 2009 by the Department for Culture, Media And Sport – described betting as a perfect opportunity for those up to no good. All the more so now, in the age of the internet and novel forms of peer-to-peer betting. Yet once again, the Football Association is failing to meet the challenge. Even after a fortnight of scandals that have crept from non-league to senior league players, the FA general secretary Alex Horne emerged from Tuesday's meeting with the DCMS secretary Maria Miller to say cheating was not widespread. It is both astonishing and alarming that he can sound so sure.

It didn't take the internet and betting exchanges to put crooked sportsmen and crooked bookies in touch with one another, but they have opened up an ocean of possibility that poses real challenges to the regulatory authorities. The thirst for something to make a book on no longer has to work on the relatively distant possibility of being able to influence the outcome of a match (although there have been some spectacular recent cases, usually involving corrupt referees as well as players, where just that has happened). Bets can be made on any number of lesser events, some of which may have little or no influence on the result at all. All that's needed is another punter ready to bet on the same thing. In turn that hugely expands the possibilities for the crooked player. It moves betting, say, on the timing of a yellow card from the random to the fixable. Payouts can be huge. The FA, like the governing bodies of cricket and tennis, has set up a sports integrity unit which, among other things, monitors market movements. In theory it should pick up any significant activity and treat it as a reason to investigate, but although it nailed the Accrington Stanley fix at the end of last season, its critics despair of its lack of energy. The danger is that the less a sport appears to be regulated, the more it appeals to those looking for an opportunity to make money.

That's why other sport organisations look admiringly at horse racing. The BHA is perceived as having rescued the industry from an existential threat after 11 jockeys, owners and other insiders were found to have fixed races. It is now a noisy, high-profile and highly active guardian of the sport's integrity. It can't claim to have stamped out corruption, but it certainly doesn't tolerate it. It is a very different style of approach to the small, tentative steps taken by other authorities. That makes yesterday's agreement to promote a cross-sport integrity body all the more welcome.

But it needs the will to tackle the job. Some fear the tight relationship between big gambling organisations and the sports which generate so much of their income will weaken resolve. Television advertising has grown sixfold since 2007. Live betting, where bets are placed while matches are in play, opens another dimension. The Football League is even sponsored by a gambling organisation. In the US, where for most of the 20th century many sports were dogged by corruption, it has been illegal to bet on sport in most states since 1992. It may not be the right answer – it may just drive betting underground – but when gambling on sport damages not just the sports themselves, but some of society's most vulnerable individuals, it must be taken seriously. The FA insists there's little evidence of fixing, but as any judge would tell them, absence of evidence is never evidence of absence.

Editorial

Collymore calls in police over 'racist' tweets

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:12 PM PST

• Former striker retweets 'offensive' messages
• Collymore also derides Twitter's legal team

Stan Collymore has said he is taking legal advice after being inundated with a stream of offensive and racist messages on social media.

The former England striker, whose clubs included Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, spent part of Tuesday retweeting what he considered to be abusive messages from several users. The pundit and broadcaster, who often uses the social media platform to highlight prejudice and mental health issues, posted several "screen grab" images of messages sent to his account. He told his near-half-a-million followers: "To those who continue the 'bants' today, and are enjoying their jolly japes, a few pics coming up especially for you. Enjoy court." Collymore also hit out at Twitter's legal team as "not fit for purpose".

He later added: "Taking advice from QC as to legality of UK soc media sites not enforcing age verification/hate speech rules & their legal responsibilities."

Staffordshire police confirmed it is investigating alleged criminal behaviour in relation to offensive, racist messages sent via Twitter to the former footballer.

Champions League: Bayern Munich v Manchester City - in pictures

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:04 PM PST

The best images from the Allianz Arena where City faced current Champions League holders Bayern Munich

Jonny Weeks

Champions League: Manchester United v Shakhtar Donetsk - in pictures

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:04 PM PST

The best images from Old Trafford where David Moyes saw his Manchester United side beat Shakhtar and qualift as winners from Group A

Jonny Weeks

Celtic supporter bans puts dampener on Barcelona game for Neil Lennon

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:52 AM PST

• Celtic fans caused £10,000 damage at Motherwell
• Scott Brown returns from suspension against Barça

Neil Lennon admits the suspension of unruly Celtic supporters was inevitable after the trouble at last Friday night's Scottish Premiership game at Motherwell but offered a robust defence of the club's support as a whole.

The manager was speaking before his team's final Champions League fixture against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Wednesday night which has, in part, been overshadowed by off-field issues involving some Celtic supporters. The club suspended 128 fans from their games and relocated 250 Celtic season-ticket holders following damage caused to seats at Fir Park.

Smoke bombs and flares were also thrown during their 5-0 win at Motherwell, and the Scottish Professional Football League described the scenes as "shameful" and promised an investigation.

Political banners displayed at Celtic's Champions League game against Milan last month have led to the club being called to a disciplinary hearing by Uefa but Lennon tried to put it all in context.

"I think there was an air of inevitability about it [action taken by the club] and they have dealt with it as quickly and decisively and the best way they think going forward," he said.

"It just put a negative on it," he added, referring to the win at Motherwell and the 7-0 victory over Hearts that preceded it. "Look, our supporters are the best in the world bar none. We have had a few problems of late which the club are trying to deal with as swiftly and as best they can.

"But that is not going to take away from the fantastic support we have – not just in Britain but around the world – and the great relationships our supporters forge with other clubs and the respect both sets of supporters have for each other here."

Lennon, whose side are guaranteed to finish bottom of Group H and whose European campaign consequently finishes on Wednesday night, will be without the suspended Emilio Izaguirre but the right-back Adam Matthews is contention after recovering from shoulder surgery which kept him out for seven weeks.

The captain Scott Brown returns after missing the past three European games through suspension after a clash with Barcelona's Neymar at Parkhead in October.

Lennon said after Celtic's 1-0 defeat in Glasgow: "I don't think Neymar does himself any favours by the way he behaves at times." He stood by his comments before the rematch, although he was liberal in his praise of the Brazilian.

"We wont treat Neymar any differently from any of the other 10 or 11 world-class players Barcelona have in their team," he said. "It was the first time I saw Neymar play live and I was very impressed and I think he will be a wonderful addition to the Barcelona team.

"I think he is very talented but I stand by what I said on the evening, I did think he made more of the contact than necessary. However, Scott knows that he is in the wrong and he has served his punishment and I think he is looking very much forward to playing.

"I wouldn't say he [Neymar] is doing it all the time at all; I think it was exaggerated in that instance. It is not a major criticism of the player. I think he is going to light up the football world over the next five to 10 years."

Benítez fights his Napoli critics

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:45 AM PST

• Spanish coach under pressure after side's inconsistent run
• Arsenal bring strongest available squad with last 16 in sight

Rafael Benítez told one of those Rafael Benítez parables on Tuesday lunchtime as he prepared for his Champions League date with destiny and Arsenal. The Napoli manager introduced the man who leads his donkey by the nose and is asked by another man why he does not ride on its back.

He proceeds to lift his child on to the donkey, Benítez continued, and he meets another man. "Why is your child on the donkey, rather than you?" comes the question. The moral of the story, to give it its topical spin, is that no matter what the manager of Napoli chooses to do, there will always be criticism.

Benítez is under pressure. After an excellent start to his Napoli career, in which the stand-out result was the 2-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, there has been the sound of grumbling over the past month or so and it became very loud indeed after Sunday's 3-3 home draw against Udinese, which left Napoli eight points off the Serie A pace-setters, Juventus.

The television pundits in Naples were tough on Benítez and he was also put on the spot on Tuesday before Wednesday's match against Arsenal. The primary charge put to him was why he would not deviate from his 4-2-3-1 formation, which has not looked secure defensively.

Benítez smiled as he answered with his man-and-a-donkey schtick which, to English ears, seemed to come from the same book as his priest on a mountain of sugar, and white liquid in a bottle has to be milk.

There was a bit of tittering from the audience and it has to be said that in this city of nostalgia and football passion, where Diego Maradona will always be king and everybody is an expert, Benítez retains popular support. There is the recognition that with a new manager and many summer signings, there has to be a period of adjustment.

But the critics are chipping away. In the big away games, they note, namely Arsenal and Dortmund in the Champions League, and Juventus and Roma in Serie A, the team was comfortably beaten. Napoli were dismal in the first half at Arsenal on 1 October, when they allowed the tie to get away from them.

The defenders, by common consent, are not good enough and, if Benítez has struggled to get his messages across to them, it is probably for just that reason: they are not good enough. Yet there is an element of surprise that a tactician like Benítez has not made the tweaks to plug the leaks. Napoli have conceded 14 goals in their last six matches and, to any Italian, defensive neglect is criminal.

There have also been the unhelpful comparisons with his successful predecessor, Walter Mazzarri, who left to join the Spaniard's old club, Internazionale. Napoli face Inter at home on Sunday.

Benítez's arrival, together with the signings, had fired expectations, particularly after last season's second-placed Serie A finish. Though Edinson Cavani had departed for Paris St-Germain, Gonzalo Higuaín arrived from Real Madrid and so did José Callejón and Raúl Albiol. The trio cost £51m.

Higuaín, who almost joined Arsenal, has 10 goals in 18 appearances. There was additional fresh quality in Pepe Reina, Pablo Armero and Dries Mertens.

In the eyes of the supporters, Napoli showed their Champions League pedigree in 2011-12, when they nearly knocked out the eventual winners, Chelsea, in the last 16. If only, they still say, Ashley Cole had not somehow cleared Christian Maggio's effort from off the line in the first leg, when Napoli led 3-1.

The Group F draw was considered in Naples to be a disaster but the opening win over Dortmund had the fans dreaming. Now they need a miracle – either a three-goal victory against Arsenal to make sure that they advance or a better result than Dortmund manage in Marseille.

The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, has taken no chances, bringing with him his strongest available squad, and he is aware of the importance of topping the group, which Arsenal would do with a draw or better.

The big beasts lie in wait for the runners-up. Arsenal would exit if they lost by three goals and Dortmund won.

For Benítez there is only one way to play with this Napoli team but it is his way; he will travel with the donkey as he sees fit. Champions League progress, against the odds, would smooth the path.

David Hytner

England v Italy at 2014 World Cup on BBC as ITV gets other group games

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:39 AM PST

• England's opening match against Italy will be shown on BBC
• ITV will broadcast games against Uruguay and Costa Rica

England's first World Cup game, against Italy, will be shown on the BBC after the corporation agreed a deal with ITV, which will show the other two group games.

The broadcasters confirmed the split of matches on Tuesday, with ITV also showing the tournament's first game, between the hosts, Brazil, and Croatia on 12 June.

England's opener against Italy on 14 June was originally scheduled to kick off at 9pm local time but that was moved as UK and Italian broadcasters were concerned about viewing figures as kick-off would have been at 2am in the UK and 3am in Italy. It has been brought forward to 6pm local time.

BBC coverage begins with Spain against Holland, a repeat of the 2010 final, and it will have first pick of the round-of-16 and semi-finals, while ITV has first pick of the quarter-finals. Both ITV and BBC will show the final.

The BBC head of TV sport, Philip Bernie, said: "We're very pleased with our selection of matches which includes England's highly anticipated opening match with Italy along with their crucial first knockout match, if they proceed, and the first pick of the semi-finals."

ITV's director of sport, Niall Sloane, said: "The World Cup begins on ITV for UK viewers next year and we're looking forward to showing live two of England's three group matches as well as two of Brazil's, including the tournament's opening game between the hosts and Croatia in São Paulo."

Brentford hand Warburton manager's job and hire McParland as overlord

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST

• Sporting director moves over to fill Uwe Rösler's shoes
• Frank McParland to fill Warburton's old job

Brentford have made a double appointment in the wake of Uwe Rösler's departure for Wigan. Mark Warburton has been named as the League One club's manager, initially until the end of the season, and Frank McParland, a former head of Liverpool's academy, has been brought in to fill Warburton's previous role as sporting director.

The Brentford chairman, Cliff Brown, told the club's website: "Mark Warburton knows Frank well and we are happy they can work together. The important thing for us when appointing a new management team was continuity, building on all that has been achieved this season and in the past two and a half years."

Warburton joined the club in 2011 as a first-team coach before moving upstairs, where he took overall responsibility for the football side of the club.

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Wednesday, 11 December 2013

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:35

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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