England coach Andy Flower is confident injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will sign the incremental contract he was awarded on Friday for the next 12 months. Flintoff, 31, who is recovering from knee surgery and is not expected to be fit until February at the earliest, did not qualify for a full central contract as he has retired from Test matches. Signing the incremental contract would give Flower a say in when and where Flintoff plays. Flower said: “First up I would like to see him fit again because we don’t know how long that is going to take. I don’t think there are going to be huge negotiations over what type of games he plays. ‘Fred’ will be available for one-day international and Twenty20 cricket for England. Simple as that.”
■SOCCER
Bilardo backs Maradona
Diego Maradona’s faltering reign as Argentina coach would only be ended by the arrival of either Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary, team manager Carlos Bilardo said on Friday in a bizarre exchange with reporters. “If Jesus Christ returned or the Virgin Mary, then I’d accept it. Otherwise, no,” Bilardo said. Maradona skippered Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title when Bilardo was coach, but the 48-year-old has come under intense pressure with the team’s 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign threatening to fall apart. Since he took over, Maradona has overseen four defeats in six qualifiers, two of which came in the last week against Brazil and Paraguay.
■SOCCER
Capello to keep WAGS out
Wary of the distractions accompanying soccer players’ celebrity lifestyles, England coach Fabio Capello will only allow players’ partners to visit the squad for a single day after each game at next year’s World Cup. Seeking to avoid a repeat of what defender Rio Ferdinand called “a circus” when the glamorous wives and girlfriends — the so-called WAGS — stayed near the players at the 2006 tournament in Germany, Capello is set to take a tougher stance than his predecessors. “I hope we will be there for a very long period, but the players will have one day with their family, with the girls and with their friends,” Capello said. “We are there to play football, not for a holiday.”
■SOCCER
Viduka set to return home
Former Middlesbrough and Newcastle United striker Mark Viduka is returning home to live in Australia, his agent told an Australian Web site yesterday. Uncertainty had surrounded the former Socceroo’s future since Newcastle were relegated from the English Premier League last season. The 33-year-old had been linked with a possible move to English clubs Portsmouth, Fulham and West Ham United, but his agent, Steve Kutner, ruled out another contract in Europe. “I can confirm that Mark will not be seeking another contract in England or Europe and is coming home to Australia to live,” Kutner said.
■RUGBY UNION
Scrumhalf Kelleher arrested
Former All Blacks scrumhalf Byron Kelleher was arrested after allegedly being involved in a drink-fueled scuffle following a road accident in the early hours of Friday morning, it was claimed. The ladepeche.fr Web site said Kelleher, who plays for French side Toulouse, injured his shoulder in the altercation, which occurred at around 3am, and could be out of action for up to two months. Kelleher, 32, was released from custody on Friday afternoon, Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet said.
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