Alberto Zaccheroni s job as Japan manager is not under threat, despite their recent poor performances.

Japan became the first team qualify for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in June following a 1-1 draw with Australia.

Zaccheroni s men went on to finish top of AFC qualification Group B, but slipped to defeat in all three of their FIFA Confederations Cup matches later in the month.

The 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists suffered losses to Serbia and Belarus in international friendlies this month.

But while the Japan Football Association have admitted that they are concerned by recent results, they are eager not to make any rash decisions.

It is a fact that (the team) did not play well but this is not a time to react nervously, Japan FA technical director Hiromi Hara …

Fabio Capello will go into Wednesday s showdown with Slovenia with his future as England coach on the line after refusing to rule out quitting if his squad go out of the World Cup at the group stage.

A disjointed display in Friday s goalless draw with Algeria has made that a distinct possibility and the Italian has admitted he is at a loss to understand why the biggest names in the Three Lions squad morph into toothless tabby cats when they pull on the national shirt.

Failure to advance from a group that was greeted with the banner headline EASY in The Sun, when the draw was made in December would, for Capello, represent a stain on a coaching career that has been synonomous with success.

The Italian insists he is not contemplating anything other than a win in Po…

Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus wants the club s hierarchy to hang on to the likes of Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan and end any uncertainty over their long-term futures.

Hummels and Gundogan s contracts at Signal Iduna Park expire in 2017 but have both played key roles in Dortmund s revival under Thomas Tuchel along with in-form striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabon international recently affirmed his desire to stay at the club and Reus is eager to ensure other key players remain in Tuchel s squad over the coming years as well.

Reus who committed his future to the club with a four-year deal in 2015 told Welt: If the club wants [to keep Gundogan and Hummels], then they will see to that.

If you want to be on top, you have to invest in the tea…

Malaga have confirmed the arrival of Christian Atsu on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season.

Atsu spent the early stages of the campaign at AFC Bournemouth, but his temporary switch was cut short after he sustained a stress fracture to his shin while on international duty with Ghana.

The winger will now spend the remainder of the season with the Andalusian side, who 12th in La Liga.

Malaga were in the market for a wide player following the sale of Nordin Amrabat to Watford.

Atsu will take part in training with his new team-mates on Tuesday and could feature in Saturday s trip to Eibar.

Malaga will be the fifth club Chelsea have loaned the Ghanaian to since his arrival from Porto in 2013, with the 24-year-old yet to make a senior appea…

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta played down speculation linking star forward Lautaro Martinez to Barcelona and Manchester United.

Martinez s fine start to the season has seen him emerge as a target for LaLiga champions Barca and struggling Premier League giants United.

The 22-year-old Argentina international, whose agent has talked up interest from Barca in the past, has scored seven goals this term.

Asked about rumours that Barca and United are poised to activate Martinez s €111million release clause, Marotta told Sky Sport Italia: This is all media talk.

Our players are happy to be with us and a player must express its desire to leave if he wants to go. We don t tend to sell important players, Inter are a very important club.

Of course, part of t…

Eric Dier scored the only goal as Tottenham edged 10-man Cardiff in a scrappy Premier League contest at Wembley on Saturday.

Dier s goal after eight minutes should have set Spurs on the road to a comfortable victory against a club yet to record a top-flight victory this season.

But that was as good as it got for the hosts, who wasted further goalscoring opportunities and survived periods of sustained Cardiff pressure.

The Welsh club s hopes of snatching a result faded when Joe Ralls was sent off for an appalling challenge on Lucas Moura, with Spurs holding on for the three points.

Keen to bounce back from a 4-2 Champions League defeat at home to Barcelona on Wednesday, Spurs made a flying start.

A Davinson Sanchez header from a corner landed at …

Football s governing bodies must do more to protect referees amid a considerable rise in abuse that has often been met with a silent response.

That was the message from Ref Support chief executive Martin Cassidy, who referenced issues with Bruno Fernandes, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andrew Robertson in the Premier League this season.

Fernandes appeared to make contact with an assistant referee in Liverpool s 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United, while Mitrovic was banned for eight games after pushing Chris Kavanagh.

Robertson was another involved in an altercation with an official, when assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis seemingly made contact with the Liverpool left-back with his elbow, though the official faced no further punishment after an investigation.

…

Manchester United are interested in signing Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that France international forward Mbappe , and that Premier League club United are among the clubs keen on securing the services of the 23-year-old forward.

Mbappe is one of the best forwards in the world and has been brilliant for PSG over the years. The youngster signed a new deal with the defending Ligue 1 champions only in the summer of 2022 after intense speculation linking him with a move to last season’s La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.

The forward has made eight starts and one substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG so far this season, scoring eight goals in the process. Mbappe has sc…

Leon Britton has struggled to get used to having Garry Monk as his boss but believes the Swansea City head coach is a natural leader.

Britton had a short spell with Sheffield United in the 2010-11 campaign, but aside from that the midfielder and Monk have been team-mates for around a decade.

Monk was charged with the task of replacing Michael Laudrup earlier this month after the Premier League club parted company with the Dane.

Britton, who is just three years younger than his new head coach, admits that it is strange to be playing under Monk rather than alongside him.

But the former West Ham man has no doubts that the defender is cut out for the top job at the Welsh club.

The Englishman told the club s official website: It s always going to be strange at f…

The Netherlands have slipped out of the top 10 of FIFA s world rankings for the first time since July 2002.

Louis van Gaal s side were beaten 2-0 by France in Paris last week, with the 2010 World Cup finalists looking lacklustre throughout their international friendly at the Stade de France.

After a dominant performance in their qualifying group for Brazil 2014, the Dutch have failed to win any of their three games since, having also drawn with Japan and Colombia in November.

And, after being a constant presence in the top 10 of FIFA s rankings for almost 14 years, Van Gaal s team have now dropped to 11th, with Belgium replacing them in 10th.

Marc Wilmots has guided Belgium to their first World Cup since 2002, and the country is back in the top 10 after dropping…