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Gullit might be Beckham's next coach but Galaxy silent

LOS ANGELES: Retired Dutch star Ruud Gullit might be the new coach of English star David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy, a Wednesday Sky Sports report said, but the Major League Soccer team had no comment.

The British television report indicated that Gullit, an analyst for Sky, would take over the team from pre-season training next March.

Gullit, 45, was World Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989 while with AC Milan. His playing career also included stops at Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Sampdoria and Chelsea.

As a manager, Gullit has guided Chelsea and Newcastle in the English Premiership and Feyenoord of the Dutch league.

The Galaxy's coaching job opened up on Monday when the team announced that Frank Yallop was departing to guide an MLS expansion team starting next season in San Jose.

Chelsea loses keeper Cech with torn calf muscle

LONDON: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will miss Sunday's Premier League match at home to Everton and could be out for longer with a calf muscle injury, missing the Czech Republic's last two Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Cech came off at halftime in Chelsea's Champions League match away to Schalke 04 on Tuesday with Thursday's early editions of British newspapers saying he would be out for a month.

Chelsea said on its website (www.chelseafc.com) that Cech "looks set to miss Sunday's game against Everton... A scan today (Wednesday) revealed the Czech international has a small tear in his calf muscle."

Cech said on his personal website (www.petr-cech.cz): "I am very disappointed to be missing the next few games for both Chelsea and for my country."

Czech Republic, who has already qualified for the Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland, is at home to Slovakia on November 17 and away to Cyprus four days later in Group D.

Valderrama gets 10-match ban, fined for bank-note protest

BOGOTA: Former Colombia captain Carlos Valderrama, now assistant coach of Atletico Junior, was banned for 10 games and fined on Wednesday for his conduct during a game last week.

Valderrama was sent off in the first half of Junior's Colombian championship match at home to America for a protest in which he waved a 50,000 peso bank note at referee Oscar Ruiz.

Valderrama then approached the referee at halftime, shouting and gesticulating angrily, and publicly criticized him afterwards.

The Colombian league Dimayor said in a statement on its website that a disciplinary commission had banned Valderrama from the touchline for 10 games. He was also fined 11.27 million Colombian pesos ($5,552).

Junior was also given a one-match home ban following crowd trouble during the second half of the match in Barranquilla. America won 3-1.

(China Daily 11/09/2007 page23)