Mjallby protests innocenceJohan Mjallby has protested his innocence after being arrested with two other Celtic players following the alleged theft of a photographer's camera during a Christmas party. Mjallby, Joos Valgaeren and Bobby Petta were detained overnight by police on Tuesday and bailed without charge on Wednesday after the incident in Gateshead.
The Swedish daily newspaper Expressen yesterday quoted Mjallby's wife, Jennifer, as saying her husband had told her by telephone: "I am completely innocent. I was having a party, that's what a Christmas party is all about. But I am no criminal. I don't understand why I had to stay in jail for 18 hours."
Celtic are currently carrying out their own investigation into the incident .
There was better news for the club last night when Martin O'Neill was named as the Bank of Scotland Manager of the Month by a panel of journalists.
Leeds director speaks out
Allan Leighton, one of Leeds United's most powerful directors, has broken his silence over their disastrous start to the season, describing "a club divided" by friction between the fans, the manager and the chairman.
Leightosaid results under Terry Venables are having a detrimental effect on the entire club both on and off the field. "We've been a club divided, in a strange way, and I don't know how that's happened," Leighton said yesterday. "We've had the fans versus the manager versus the directors versus the chairman. There have been rumours of people not getting on on the playing side and that's bad.
"The only way you get out of these situations is by grinding your way out of it. There's no magic, no wand and it doesn't suddenly come right. "
Leighton said Leeds' failure to reach the Champions League last season cost them £20 million and that failing to qualify for Europe this time round is unthinkable. He added: "We have a squad and payment system which is there to provide Champions League football. We haven't got Champions League football and that is why we have got to cut our cloth accordingly."
Birmingham fined
Birmingham City have been fined £25,000 by the FA after pleading guilty to two misconduct charges relating to the crowd disturbances that marred their 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa in September.
Fans ran on to the pitch to celebrate Birmingham's goals and one supporter was subsequently given a prison sentence after coming on to the playing area to confront the Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United have launched an internal inquiry into the crowd trouble that marred Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
The referee Eddie Wolstenholme has reported that Tommy Black was pelted with objects from an area reserved for home fans as he attempted to take a corner. An assistant referee was also struck on the ear by a coin flung from the stands.
The FA has launched its own investigation into the incident, having already fined United £2,000 last month and warned them as to their supporters' future conduct after home fans invaded the pitch in the wake of the 2-1 League Cup defeat of Leeds. The Yorkshire derby with Rotherham was also interrupted by crowd trouble in September.
Viana ruled out
Newcastle United's Portuguese midfielder Hugo Viana will be out of action for the next 10 weeks as he prepares for shoulder surgery today.
Viana, who will turn 20 in January, dislocated his shoulder in a training ground collision at the club earlier this month.
Rivaldo's revenge
Former Barcelona forward Rivaldo says the troubled Catalan club should sack coach Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman is under intense pressure because of Barcelona's dismal form in the league.
"The solution is to change the coach," the Brazilian told Marca. "If that happens the players and fans will recover their enthusiasm again. I am not saying this just to be spiteful, it is simply the case that I do not like the way he works."
In Brief . . .
Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has given money to help save Swiss league club FC Aarau from bankruptcy. Hitzfeld, who coached Aarau from 1984 to 1988, has given the club the bonus - "a five-figure sum" - he received in 1985 after they beat Neuchatel Xamax 1-0 in the Swiss Cup final.
Como president Enrico Preziosi has blamed the referee for crowd violence that forced his club's Serie A match against Udinese to be abandoned on Wednesday.
"A biased referee is a clear indication of how sick football is," he said. "When I went to speak to the fans, they asked me to withdraw the team - I should have done it. I wouldn't have left the referee with the satisfaction of suspending the match."
The game was halted in the 67th minute when referee Massimiliano Saccani awarded Udinese their third penalty of the night. As Como supporters tried to break down metal barriers and invade the pitch, Como's Brazilian defender Juarez was hit on the head by a missile.
The Italian FA are expected to award a 2-0 win to Udinese, slap Como with a fine and impose a limited ban on the Como ground.
Serie A outfit Brescia have emerged as the latest club to make an approach for Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso.
The Italian has also been linked with English Premiership sides Fulham and Newcastle over the past few days.
But the player's agent, Andrea D'Amico, revealed the Scottish Premier League leaders had so far not been tempted to do business.
Carlisle's home FA Cup tie with Scunthorpe was postponed last night because of a frozen pitch at Brunton Park.
