Cacau out for three months

Bundesliga club Stuttgart says striker Cacau will be out of action for at least three months after injuring his left knee in training.



Stuttgart says the Brazil-born Germany striker ruptured his cruciate ligament in training on Wednesday.



Club doctors hope Cacau can avoid surgery.



"This is really bitter for us and I feel very sorry for him. We will do all we can to support him and hope that he doesn't have to undergo an operation," Stuttgart sports director Fredi Bobic said.



The club has won only one of seven games this season and is 15th in the 18-team top division.

Hart resigns as Canada coach

Stephen Hart has resigned as Canada football coach, two days after the team was eliminated from World Cup qualifying with an 8-1 loss at Honduras.



Canadian football Association president Victor Montagliani announced Thursday that Hart had quit.



Canada needed a tie or win to advance to next year's six-nation finals in North and Central America and the Caribbean. The seven-goal loss was its largest margin since an 8-0 defeat at Mexico in 1993.



Hart was hired in December 2009. Including an interim stint in 2006-07, he managed Canada to a 20-15-10 record.

The top stories from papers and websites - 18 October 2012

• England players were given sleeping tablets before delivering a dozy performance in Poland.


• Furious FA chiefs are threatening to boycott matches in Serbia following the England Under-21s' night of terror in Krusevac.


• John Terry is expected to finally admit defeat in his year-long fight to clear his name in the Anton Ferdinand racism scandal.


• Luka Modric has put his shirt on his old Tottenham pal Gareth Bale joining him at the Bernabeu.


• Brendan Rodgers will discover today if Pepe Reina has joined his list of Kop crocks.


• Federico Macheda is set to quit Manchester United.


• Blackburn still want Tim Sherwood as boss - despite a rebuff from Spurs.


• David Bernstein has been told he must step down as FA chairman next year.


• West Ham are ready to offer full-back Guy Demel a new contract.


• Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has been told he can head to the Premier League for £20million.


• Manchester City will try and lure Roma midfielder Danielle de Rossi with a third bid of £30million in January.

• Wayne Rooney admitted dozy England need to wake up if they are to qualify for the World Cup.


• The FA were fuming last night as they faced a rap linked to the disgusting racist scenes in Serbia.


• Mario Balotelli has hit back at Manchester City chief Brian Marwood for criticising his conduct.


• Birmingham fear being forced to sell starlets Jack Butland and Nathan Redmond if takeover talks collapse.


• Reading have handed Indian midfielder Brandon Fernandes a trial.


• Blackburn are set to drop their chase for Tottenham coach Tim Sherwood.


• Mick McCarthy is top of Burnley short-list to take over at Turf Moor, but the Clarets face competition from Bolton to land him.


• Crystal Palace have told Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City that Wilfried Zaha will cost at least £20million.

• Luka Modric has told Gareth Bale to quit Tottenham and join him at Real Madrid.


• Barcelona have launched a stinging attack on Manchester City and warned them to forget about signing Sergio Busquets.


• Newcastle manager Alan Pardew believes bad boy Nile Ranger will never learn his lesson.

• England nodded off in Poland yesterday and dropped two vital World Cup points after some players needed sleeping tablets to cope with the game's 20-hour delay.


• The Football Association have threatened to stop playing matches against Serbia in the wake of disgraceful scenes of racism and violence that marred England Under-21s' 1-0 win in Krusevac on Tuesday.


• Manchester City winger David Silva will have a scan on his injured hamstring today but is almost certainly out of next Wednesday's crucial Champions League game at Ajax.


• Blackburn hope Tim Sherwood will demand that Tottenham give him an opportunity to hold talks over the managerial vacancy at Ewood Park.

• England's dreams of reaching Brazil 2014 are in the balance following a sloppy stalemate as it emerged several players took sleeping pills to minimise the disruption when the World Cup qualifier was put back 24 hours.


• The FA were last night charged by UEFA for their part in the mass brawl in Serbia as the Under-21s racism row escalated.


• Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni was last night told his position was safe.


• Luka Modric gave Gareth Bale a Real Madrid shirt on Tuesday and he now wants him to join him in Spain.


• Craig Levein will have to defend his record as Scotland manager if he is to keep his job.


• Nile Ranger has been told by Newcastle boss Alan Pardew his future is at stake unless he cleans up his act.

• Serbia's prime minister appeared to deepen hostilities with England following the rancorous Under-21 international that ended in racist abuse and violence, suggesting that England's players and coaching staff could face criminal charges for their part in clashes after the game.

• Brazilian club Corinthians do not want to sell midfielder Paulinho to Chelsea.

• Juventus have joined AC Milan in the chase to sign Manchester United midfielder Nani.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Tottenham winger Gareth Bale will soon be playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid, former Wales player Mickey Thomas has told BBC Sport.



- Luka Modric has revealed that he wants Gareth Bale to join him at Real Madrid. Spurs winger Bale, 23, has emerged as one of the most sought-after players in world football.



- Ashley Cole could be set to stay in the Premier League after PSG closed the door on a move. Manchester rivals City and United have been keeping an eye on Cole's situation.



- The agent of versatile Arsenal defender Johan Djourou admits his client could be sent out on loan in January.



- Continued speculation linking Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao with a January move to Chelsea or Manchester City has left club president Enrique Cerezo "really angry."



- Liverpool are ready to step up their interest in Palermo playmaker Josip Ilicic in January, according to Calciomercato.



- Hamburg winger Son Heung-Min, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has emerged as a target for Borussia Dortmund, according to Bild.



- Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers could further his youth revolution with a swoop for Dutch hotshot Jurgen Locadia, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.



- Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is open to the idea of a January switch to Juventus, according to Italian newspaper Tuttosport.



- Chelsea youngster Gael Kakuta is attracting interest from Anderlecht, according to talkSPORT.



- Manchester City's hopes of signing Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi could be dashed by former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.



- Swansea City are considering reviving their interest in ADO Den Haag midfielder Jens Toornstra, reports Voetbal International.



- Inter Milan have joined Liverpool and Everton in the chase to sign Germany starlet Lewis Holtby, according to Sky Sport 24.



- Arsenal and Tottenham could be set to cash in on stories of money troubles at Sevilla - with January moves for Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo, according to talkSPORT.



- Brazilian outfit Corinthians have rubbished reports suggesting they would listen to a big-money offer from Chelsea for Paulinho.



- The agent of Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Marcelo Brozovic claims his client is interesting Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and a number of clubs in Italy.



- Sky Sports understands Bristol City have signed former Bolton defender Nathan Battersby on a short-term deal.

Trapattoni remains Republic boss

Giovanni Trapattoni is to remain as manager of the Republic of Ireland after being given the backing of the Football Association of Ireland.



The 73-year-old Italian was left fighting for his job after Friday's 6-1 home defeat at the hands of Germany.



The board chose to wait until Wednesday to meet and discuss Trapattoni's future, not wishing to upset preparations for Tuesday night's match against the Faroe Islands.



The Irish duly delivered a 4-1 win in Torshavn to keep alive their hopes of finishing second in Group C and qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, enough to convince the FAI board that now is not the time for change.



A statement from the FAI read: "The Board of the FAI met today and discussed Ireland's performances in the World Cup Qualifying campaign to date and the prospects of achieving qualification for Brazil 2014.



"The Board agreed that convening a meeting between the Germany and Faroe Islands matches and/or commenting on the Germany game or the manager's position prior to Tuesday night's game would have been totally inappropriate.



"Following today's discussions the Board, while disappointed like everyone with the poor result and performance against Germany and understanding the frustration of some of our supporters, believes the current position in the group means that qualification for Brazil in 2014 remains a realistic and achievable prospect and reaffirmed that Giovanni Trapattoni is to remain in charge of the national team.



"The Board recognises the depth of feeling surrounding the team, the performances, the results and the manager, reflecting the passion which everyone in Irish football has for the game and will continue to work closely with the manager."



Trapattoni's contract with the FAI runs to the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

The top stories from papers and websites - 17 October 2012

• Manchester City are lining up a summer swoop for Barcelona's Sergio Busquets - his release clause is £121m.


• Fernando Torres has admitted there was a time when he did not care if Chelsea won or lost.


• Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni left the Faroe Islands clinging to his job following a 4-1 victory.


• West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te is out until the New Year following shoulder surgery.


• Coventry have sacked Richard Shaw six weeks after assuring him his job was safe.


• Burnley youth coach Terry Pashley is in temporary charge after the exit of Eddie Howe.


• Shay Given admits Darren Bent is frustrated at his Aston Villa axing.

• Roberto Mancini has identified Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets as his next big-name signing.


• Jermaine Pennant has assured Wolves fans he is delighted to be at the club after tweeting he was "gutted" to leave Stoke.


• Fernando Torres did not care whether Chelsea won or lost last season when he was out of the team.


• Roy Hodgson fears another shambles after last night's England match with Poland was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch.


• Craig Levein's job is hanging by a thread after Scotland suffered another defeat.


• Arsenal defender Johan Djourou is a £6m January target for Napoli.


• Liverpool have dismissed the idea of making a £20m move for Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge in January.


• Bolton are ready to pick from a managerial shortlist of Dougie Freedman, Mick McCarthy or Graeme Souness.


• Tim Sherwood wants a face-to-face talk with Blackburn's owners before agreeing to manage the club.

• England will play their World Cup qualifier against Poland today after a rain-lashed night in Warsaw.


• Ricardo Vaz Te is out for the rest of the year after keyhole surgery on his dislocated shoulder.


• Roma's Daniele De Rossi is back on the Manchester City hitlist.


• Liverpool would be interested in Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge only if they could take him on an initial loan period in January.


• Owen Garvan has opened talks with Crystal Palace on a new deal to see off interest from his old club Ipswich.


• Edgar Davids has snapped up former Ajax youth coach Ulrich Landvreugd to work alongside him at Barnet.


• Shay Given admits he is frustrated after being axed by new Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert.


• Joey Barton has been involved in another training ground bust-up and warned about his conduct in France.


• Birmingham boss Lee Clark fears he could be sacked if the club get new owners.

• Arsenal have arranged a behind-closed-doors practice match with a Chelsea XI to help speed up Jack Wilshere's return to first-team football.


• Shay Given has vowed to regain the number one jersey at Aston Villa.


• Senegal have been kicked out of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after Saturday's qualifier with Ivory Coast in Dakar was abandoned due to crowd trouble.


• West Ham's Ricardo Vaz Te will be out of action for up to three months after surgery on his dislocated shoulder.

• Referee Howard Webb wants to end his career at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.


• Prospective Port Vale owner Paul Wildes' £1.25m bid for the club is awaiting approval from the Football League.

• Chelsea target Neymar has revealed that he wants to learn English – sparking frenzy of speculation.

• Manchester United midfielder Nani is being targeted by AC Milan as the Italian giants look to secure a cut-price £12m deal next summer.

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- AC Milan are stepping up their efforts to land Manchester United winger Nani, according to reports in Italy.



- Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo believes that Radamel Falcao will not leave the club in January, even if a club meets his release clause.



- Injured Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi could be set for a move to Inter Milan in January, according to his agent.



- AC Milan are ready to flog Kevin Prince Boateng to Bayern Munich to fund their move for Manchester United target Kevin Strootman, according to talkSPORT.



- Galatasaray chief executive Lutfi Aribogan has revealed out-of-favour Arsenal left-back Andre Santos is on the club's wishlist but says there has been no contact with the Gunners.



- Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to see off competition from both Manchester clubs and Real Madrid by offering Ashley Cole a £150,000-a-week three-year deal worth £23m, according to Dailymail.



- Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, who has been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid, should join Jose Mourinho's side if he moves to Spain, former Los Blancos striker Davor Suker has told BBC Wales.



- Chelsea are showing interest in signing Lazio midfielder Senad Lulic, according to talkSPORT.



- Jermaine Pennant is relishing the chance to get his career back on track at Wolves after joining the Championship side on loan.



- Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, believes he can become a better player by remaining in Amsterdam.



- West Ham keeper Stephen Henderson has completed his three-month loan move to Championship club Ipswich.



- Santos midfielder Felipe Anderson is aware of reports linking him with AC Milan, but claims no contact has been made.



- Sky Sports understands Bristol City have signed former Bolton defender Nathan Battersby on a short-term deal.



- Barcelona Andres Iniesta wants to end his career at the club - dashing any feint hopes Manchester City had of signing the midfielder, according to talkSPORT.



- Arsene Wenger has asked to be kept informed of any developments involving Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, according to reports in Spain.



- Liverpool have dismissed the idea of making a £20million move for Daniel Sturridge in the January transfer window.



But Reds boss Brendan Rodgers would be interested in a deal for the England striker if he is allowed to take him on loan to begin with, according to Dailymirror.