Hoddle On Becks, Gazza and Sicknote
Neville Fears Hoddle Axe
Ince On Gazza
Harry Pratt's England Verdict
McCarthy On Teenage Sensation Keane
Scotland Draw Boosts Hoddle
Play-off Special - Peter Reid On Why Sunderland Will Win Promotion
Bowen & Kinsella On Charlton's Chances
Banks Wants Price Probe
Kluivert Wants Premier Move
United Target Breaks Leg
Laudrup Cash Wrangle
TV And Radio
World Cup News Round-up
Trivia
Bollocks!
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Monday 25 May 1998
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 News 5 
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WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN: Only 17 Days To Go!
NO GO GIANFRANCO
GIANFRANCO ZOLA'S slender hopes of making France 98 were dashed yesterday when Italy coach Cesare Maldini called up Parma's Enrico Chiesa as his insurance policy for struggling Alessandro Del Piero.
The Juventus striker pulled a groin muscle in last Wednesday's European Cup final defeat by Real Madrid, and Chelsea hero Zola had been hoping he might win an international reprieve after being left out of the 22-man finals squad that Maldini announced last week. But Maldini insisted: Zola's had a tough year. Chiesa is in better shape than Zola and he's capable of many things. That's why I went for him. But I have been frank and had to ask him if he felt up to working with us with the possibility of having to go home if Del Piero got better.
"Anyway, I hope Del Piero recovers his form, and if not, we'll already have an alternative solution without being forced to call someone back from their holidays."
IRANIANS STUN INTER
NEW Iran coach Jalal Talebi saw his team fire in four goals in 16 second-half minutes to stun Inter Milan 4-1… just four days after the touring nation were walloped 7-1 by Roma. That defeat earned Tomislav Ivic the sack, but Teheran newspapers were already proclaiming Talebi as a saviour after goals from Kia Mahdvi and Karim Bagheri and a double strike by Ali Daei shocked the Italians, who had taken a first-half lead through Alvaro Recoba.
But Talebi insisted: The team is only at 75 per cent. We're not ready for the World Cup finals yet.
FINALISTS ARE CZECH MATED
FINALISTS Japan and Paraguay were left embarrassed as non-qualifiers the Czech Republic edged out both to win the Kirin Cup in Tokyo. The Czechs' 1-0 defeat of Paraguay was the only non-draw in the three-team tournament.
Said Japanese coach Takeshi Okada: "This was a good learning experience for us. But we really have to focus our efforts once we start camp in Switzerland."
HEIMO WINNING FITNESS FIGHT
AUSTRIA midfielder Heimo Pfeifenberger looks likely to be fit for his country's opening game, against Cameroon on June 11, after overcoming a thigh muscle injury. The 32-year-old was rated very doubtful for the finals but has sailed through all the squad's training sessions and said: I'm still feeling some pain but that should be gone by the Cameroon match.
BRAZIL HAVING A BLAST
ONE unlucky motorist will rue the day he left his car overnight outside the Saint Denis hotel where Brazil are staying. Police, fearing a terrorist attack, used explosives to blow the driver's door off so they could check for explosives.
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TODAY'S FOOTBALL ON TV AND RADIO
PICK OF THE DAY
My Summer With Des, BBC1 9.00pm Arthur Smith a funny man who, strangely, died on his arse the last time the 365 boys saw him in action tweaks the formula of his superb An Evening With Gary Lineker for this comedy drama, set around Euro 96. Starring Men Behaving Badly's Neil Morrissey and Rachel Weisz (who may or may not be an item) with John Gordon Sinclair and Des Lynam (who, sadly, aren't).
BBC1
7.30pm Gary Lineker's Golden Boots The silver-haired crisp thief talks to Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals for France in 1958, a tally that Teddy Sheringham is on course to beat in France 98, judging by Saturday's performance.
ITV
2.10am World Football Lesser of the global round-up shows.
CHANNEL 5
12.55am Live and Dangerous Featuring American football. But not the kind that's any good.
CNN
8.30am World Cup Weekly With Terry Badu and his engaging Americanisms. Expect a discussions of England's worrying dee-fence.
EUROSPORT
9.00pm Eurogoals That'll be goals from Europe, then.
SKY SPORTS 1
6.00am Football League Review Yesterday's Mariners-Cobblers clash replayed.
10.00am Futbol Mundial Impressive global round-up show.
10.30am Sky Sports Centre Bank Holiday Special Like Disney Time, but with sport.
6.00pm Sky Sports Centre (repeated at 10pm and midnight) Heaps of footy news as Sky count down to the tournament they won't have any pictures from.
SKY SPORTS 2
2.00pm First Division Play-off Final Charlton and Sunderland contest this year's battle to see who will be down by Christmas. Our money's on Peter Reid's men, although Charlton's PA announcer and his box of old punk records would be a superb addition to the Premiership.
8.00pm Football League Review Down the pub/supermarket this afternoon? Here's your chance to watch the above.
RADIO 5
3.00pm The Monday Match Alan Green dodges more controversy as the Addicks take on the former Rokerites.
TRIVIA
CONGRATULATIONS, then, to the proud fishing folk of Grimsby. To celebrate, can you tell us which football legend was in charge of the Mariners between 1951 and 1953?
Yesterday we asked you which legendary wide man was omitted from much of England's 1950 World Cup campaign. The answer was Stanley Matthews.
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BOLLOCKS!
"I WAS proved innocent as I knew I would be," Alan Shearer told the News Of The World yesterday. But does the sentence that followed this bold claim sound like the words of a man who didn't deliberately kick out at Leicester's Neil Lennon? "You have got to look after yourself. Football's a physical game - you get kicked, so what?"
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