Brighton put their FA Cup humbling at the hands of Liverpool behind them with a gritty goalless draw against fellow npower Championship play-off hopefuls Hull. The Seagulls were hammered 6-1 at Anfield on Sunday but showed their resilience tonight by extending their unbeaten league run to eight matches despite the Tigers’ dominance. Manager Gus Poyet made four changes, handing a debut to Manchester City loanee Abdul Razak, while Nick Barmby made just one following the 0-0 draw at Birmingham, winger Cameron Stewart replacing Aaron Mclean

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Hull 0-0 Brighton: Seagulls score zero own goals!

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89 min: Amalifitano, who has been one of the better players on the pitch tonight, curls in another decent cross. Andre Ayew does well to meet it but his header is too soft to trouble Julio Cesar.

85 min: So Marseille appear to be settling for a draw here, having realised that they are not good enough to infiltrate this defence, at least not until Rémy comes back.

Marseille change: Kaboré on, Cheyrou off.

79 min: A chance! An actual chance for Marseille! It came from a fine cross from the right from Amalfitano but Andre Ayew couldn't steer his header on target from eight yards.

77 min: Cambiasso penalised for a fair challenge. He reacts by attempting to eat the ball. That sets an interesting precedent: might the next poor refreeing decision to lead to a player trying to tie himself up with his jersey or insert a corner flag into his nostril?

74 min: Diawara is booked for a clumsy foul. Sneijder delivers the freekick from the left and it falls nicely for Stankovic, who can't arrange his feet quickly enough to get off anything more dangerous than a soft shot straight at Mandanda from five yards. That was Inter's best chance of the game.

Overdue Marseille substitution: Brandao, having had no impact against Inter defenders who were too fast and savvy for him, is replaced by Jordan Ayew.

73 min: Nice dinked pass by Cambiasso to Obi, but Azpilicueta gets back well to prevent the young Nigerian from getting off a shot.

70 min: In case you're wondering whether I am making this game sound unnecessarily dull, let me tell you that none other than Gary Lineker has just tweeted that this is "quite possibly the most boring game I've ever covered." And this from a man who regularly covers England.

66 min: Another Inter booking. They're commiting lots and lots of little fouls, designed, as ever, to abort any momentum that Marseille might generate. This time it's Chivu for a late barge on Amalifitano.

Inter change: Zarate off, Obi on.

62 min: Ferocious snapshot from the edge of the area by Morel. Ferocious, but nowhere near the target.

59 min: Feint signs that Inter are starting to strain to contain Marseille, as Zarate gets a yellow for knocking over A Ayew.

55 min: Stankovic gets a booking for bowling over Valbuena. In fairness to him, at least he gave me an incident to report. "I have just checked into a crappy hotel in Leeds," announces Karl Gibbons, in case any of you were wondering where he is. Or, indeed, who he is. "I'm catching up on the game and glad I haven't missed much. I was interested to see Deschamps this evening as I have not seen him in a couple of years - my, he has piled on the pounds! He is like a modern day Gerard Depardieu (sans peeing on a plane I hope). I can concur that the velodrome is an intimidating place to play. I say this from only being a supporter in the away stand when bolton were in Europe (halcyon days, and I am not even a bolton supporter!)."

52 min: If Loic Rémy is not back for Marseille in the second leg it is difficult to see Marseille scoring in this tie. Mind you, given that he might be back, Inter should consider doing more to nab an away goal tonight. "As a PSG supporter, it is my duty to hate Marseille," foghorns Mister Justin. "But, as I like unfavoured teams by default, I have a moral dilemma. Have you any advice?" In what sense are Marseille unfavoured? They have some of the most passioante fans in the world. Or do you mean that they no longer benefit from the favours that Bernard Tapie used to arrange for them?

49 min: Inter, hitherto solid, fail to cope with a OM corner. And Diawara fails to take advantage, slicing badly wide from 18 yards. "We have a nice expression in Scotland for someone who is particularily tight fisted; 'he could peel a tangerine in his pocket' is that what DD is doing?" wonders Neil Munro. That is indeed a nice expression. Thanks.

46 min: Something to report! Inter have made a substitution. The injured Maicon has been replaced by Nagatomo.

46 min: We have resumption. Nothing else to report so far, sadly. And no good emails either. The glory, glory nights are truly here.

Half-time: Inter will be plenty satisfied so far. They've mainly kept OM at arm's length while occassionally threatening on the counter-attack, with Forlan and Cambiasso looking especially threatening.

44 min: Inter break. Forlan again peels off the centrebacks and then controls the ball superbly before nipping it out to the overlapping Cambiasso, whose shot is deflected into the arms of Mandanda.

42 min: Cheyrou produces his second absymal freekick of the night, again prodding it meekly into the wall. Zut alors!

41 min: That was less assured by Inter: Sneijder's pass was intercepted in midfield and Valbuena played the ball through to Brandao, who was taken down by Samuel on the edge of the area, giving OM a threatening freekick.

40 min: Inter are defending well and in numbers and Marseille lack the invention to prise them open. Valbuena looks their most likely source of inspiration but the players in front of him are not giving him many options.

37 min: Sneijder threads a dainty ball through to CAmbiasso, who pulls it back from the by-line to Zarate, who attempts to place his shot from 12 yards past the keeper but lacks accuracy, allowing Mandanda to save.

32 min: Valbeuna attempts an overhead cross from the by-line, possibly just to bring some levity to a humdrum game. "I see we're on a youth kick today< warbles Paul taylor. "'Nine of the starting eleven are over thirty'. 'He looks like your weird uncle'. I hope you know your demographic and that it doesn't include anyone old enough to actually BE that weird uncle. Anyhow, aren't all uncles weird, at least in the eyes of their young observers? Mine sure were, we still gripe about the one who … well, I can't really say that online. Plus, the word 'uncle' itself is weird, isn't it? I think it's a type of 'carbuncle', which is gross and to be avoided at all costs." I didn't write either of those things, but you're right about 'uncle' being an odd word. It sounds like something you might suffer if you fell into a dark pit.

29 min: Valbuena curls in a freekick from the right, the officials ignore the fact that about four OM players are offside and Brandao and Diawara conspire to bundle it wide from five yards.

26 min: Diawara clomps down Zarate to concede a freekick some six yards outside the OM area, a little to the left. Sneijder waste it, blasting straight into the wall.

24 min: They may have declared their determination to perform better than in the United game this time last year but OM are currently not looking good enough to fulfill their ambitions. Inter are keeping them at bay without much ado and, as I just said, looking dangerous(ish) on the counter. But it's not much of a spectacle, in truth. Which makes the following email all the more annoying: "In case anyone is wondering, Basel have already been denied by both post and bar," toots Alex Bennett in reference to the other game in this competition tonight (Basel v Bayern). "They look amazing, wide open game."

22 min: Inter, playing on the break, look menacing. And they'd look even ore menacing if Forlan could find a finish to match his shrewd runs. He has just faffed wide from t he edge of the area after being put through by Sneijder.

18 min: Lucio errs. Brandao attempts to profit but errs too. And Inter are able to clear. But OM eventually regain it and Azpilicueta decides to have a pop from distance, his effort droping just over the bar.

16 min: Zarate, who still looks like a member of Spandau Ballet, hurtles down the right to retrieve his own pass, taking Morel by surprise. OM have to scramble to clear the ensuing cross.

14 min: OM are flitting purposefully around the field but they peter out too often when they get near the box.

11 min: Forlan's third touch is almost a goal! Inter moved well down the left before Cambiasso delivered a devislishly inviting cross. Forlan took it first time but failed to direct his shot away from Mandanda, who should not have been given the chance to tip the ball over the bar.

8 min: Inter striker Forlan has had two touches of the ball so far, both deep in his own half. Meanwhile, do you know Michael Angus? Me neither, but he is determined to tell you how to spend your money. Here's his reasoning: "I'd be putting the old house on Marseille tonight. I've based that on what has to be considered a seriously bad Inter side; the front two have scored one goal between them all season, the highest scoring Inter player on the pitch is Cambiasso with a mighty four goals all season, and nine of the starting eleven are over thirty."

6 min: OM are looking good, fizzing the ball around nicely. Inter's only venture forward came a moment ago when Zarate embarked on a speedy run ... straight into Diawara, who dispossessed him easily.

4 min: Cheyrou produces a pathetic freekick, dabbing it pointlessly into the wall.

3 min: Inter are struggling to contain Marseille's attacking vim at the moment, though Lucio did stretch just enough a moment ago to deflect a Cheyrou shot out for a corner. But from that corner Zarate brings down Azpilicueta to concede a freekick five yards outside the area.

1 min: Marseille produced a dismal damp squib at in the home leg against Manchester United in this stage last year but have started this match as if determined to atone for that. They've launched straight into the attack, though Andre Ayew was was a bit too eager and ultimately fouled Maicon in the Inter box.

7:40pm: Only three sides of the Vélodrome are open tonight due to revamping work but the local berserkers have still managed to create an atmosphere that makes it one of the most intimidaing places to play in Europe (I'd say. I haven't actually played there myself, you understand. Never got beyond Tolka Park really.).

Teams:
OM: Mandanda; Azpilicueta, Diawara, N'Koulou, Morel; Diarra, Cheyrou; Amalfitano, Valbuena, Ayew; Brandao
Subs: Bracigliano, Gignac, Kaboré, Traoré, J Ayew, Fanni, Sabo

Inter: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu; Zarate, Stankovic, Cambiasso, Zanetti; Sneijder; Forlan.
Subs: Castellazzi, Pazzini, Poli, Obi, Milito, Ranocchia, Nagatomo.

Ref: C Cakir (Turkey)

Paul will be here from 7.30pm.

In the meantime, read Gregg Roughley's preview …

Didier Deschamps, the Marseille manager, probably cursed his luck when the draw was made for the last 16 in December. Inter were fifth in Serie A and enjoying a run of three wins that would stretch to seven. Claudio Ranieri, who had struggled to find his feet in an up-and-down start since taking over as manager on 22 September, seemed to be finally getting his ideas across. Fiorentina, Genoa and Cesena had been efficiently swept aside without Inter conceding a goal. Some even whispered that Inter were finding the rhythm and consistency that was a mark of José Mourinho's treble-winning side.

Skip forward two and a half months and they still are consistent. Consistently bad. The 3-0 home defeat to 16th-placed Bologna at the weekend was preceded by a 1-0 home defeat to 19th-placed minnows Novara. And before that Roma handed them their backsides in a 4-0 thrashing at Stadio Olimpico. Their winless streak stretches back five matches. They are now seventh in Serie A, 14 points adrift of the leaders, Milan.

It is fair to say Deschamps is probably feeling a lot more optimistic about the tie now. The bookies have Marseille as favourites, but the Frenchman is having none of it. "We're not in the same category as them but we still have a chance to qualify," he said. "Inter are one of the seven or eight big European clubs whose objective is to be European champions. Our aim was to get to the last 16 in the winter, and then, if we got further, we'd have exceeded our ambitions." Deschamps's caution is understandable. Marseille had their own disastrous run of games at the start of the season. After six matches they were rock bottom. Since then they have steadily improved, climbing to fourth in Ligue 1 – their best position all season – yet they have drawn their past three matches. If they have an achilles heel it is their inability to see out games. In five of their nine draws they have thrown away the lead. And three were goalless.

Goals may be a problem again on Wednesday night after a thigh injury ruled out their much sought-after forward Loïc Rémy. The Brazilian striker Brandão, who has recently recovered from injury, is likely to start at the tip of a front three with André Ayew on the left and Morgan Amalfitano on the right. Mathieu Valbuena has been moved into a deeper creative role in recent weeks and it is his success in this position that may determine whether Marseille assume control. After disappointing in a 0-0 draw with Manchester United at this stage of the competition last season, Marseille have promised to play with much more energy against Inter. The home fans at a raucous Stade Vélodrome will expect nothing less.

If Inter are to have a hope of reversing their fortunes, Ranieri needs to find a way to get the best out of Wesley Sneijder. Since the Holland international's return from injury he has been used as a winger and a striker but not in his preferred position – as a lone trequartista behind two strikers, where he has thrived in the past. But Ranieri believes this is not an option. "With Sneijder playing behind two strikers, we lose a man in midfield," he said. "Losing the battle in midfield often means losing a match." With Marseille playing only three in midfield Ranieri could afford to let Sneijder pull the strings and get their toothless attack firing again. In a pre-match training session Ranieri paired Diego Forlán and Giampaolo Pazzini in attack. This would be an odd choice. Forlán has not scored since September, while Pazzini is without a goal in over a month. The only Inter player to score in recent weeks is Diego Milito. With his job perhaps riding on success in Europe, the Tinkerman needs to live up to his name and find the right formula fast.

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Commuting into and out of Ukraine for the tournament's group games is Fabio Capello's final legacy for England

One of Fabio Capello's final acts as England manager was his perplexing decision to base the team in the Polish city of Krakow during Euro 2012, even though all England's group games were subsequently drawn to take place hundreds of miles away in Ukraine.

Markiyan Lubkivskyi, Ukraine's Euro 2012 tournament director, suggested that England may come to regret choosing Krakow's modestly equipped Hutnik Municipality Stadium, the home of a fourth division Polish side, as their distant training headquarters this June. "I only wish that this decision will not influence the successful performance of the English team," Lubkivskyi told the Guardian. "Training facilities are very good in Ukraine; the quality of our pitches is excellent."

In the wake of Capello's departure the Football Association expressed immense faith in its choice of Krakow, a lively party city in which England's players should not succumb to the "boredom" suffered at their secluded Rustenburg base during the last World Cup in South Africa. Elsewhere in Europe, however, that decision is widely regarded as misplaced, not to mention somewhat geographically illiterate.

England face a 930-mile excursion to Donetsk – a slightly longer journey than that between London and Krakow – where they meet France on 11 June, before returning to Poland immediately afterwards. They then head 540 miles to Kiev to play Sweden before embarking on another near 2,000-mile round trip to Donetsk to face Ukraine on 19 June. Should England win the group their quarter-final would be in Kiev, while finishing runners-up consigns them to a third jaunt to Donetsk.

France will be based at Shakhtar Donetsk's training headquarters. One of three top-class sports complexes in the eastern Ukrainian city, it is regarded as among the best in Europe. Indeed Eduardo, the former Arsenal striker now with Shakhtar, has described its nine pitches, state-of-the-art medical centre, restaurant and five-star hotel accommodation as being at least the equal of the facilities he enjoyed in north London.

Sweden, unlike England, took the precaution of booking bases in Poland and Ukraine before December's draw while retaining the option of cancelling the less geographically appropriate one, and they are borrowing Dynamo Kiev's ultra-modern training ground in the capital.

Under tournament rules Capello had until the end of January to make a last-minute change of base but he said he had "absolutely no intention" of staying in Ukraine. The downside of such dogma is that commuting from Poland not only involves lengthy plane journeys, but the need for temporary overnight pre-match accommodation.

While Kiev boasts a wide selection of hotels, Uefa's decision to block-book the five-star Donbass Palace hotel in Donetsk dictates England's only option is the more modest Ramada, built in the Soviet era. "There are some issues here with transport and hotels but training facilities are the one area where Donetsk is genuinely up there with the best in Europe," said Alexander Atamanenko, chief executive of Shakhtar Donetsk's Donbass Arena. "When I saw the photographs of England's training camp in Poland, I was surprised."

While the FA is adamant England's reportedly sub-standard training pitches in Krakow will be repaired before their arrival and the sparse medical facilities totally revamped, the feeling they have chosen badly persists. "We are surprised by England's decision," said Borys Kolensikov, Ukraine's deputy prime minister. "We may be a former Soviet country but in terms of sports infrastructure, ours is better than many in Europe."

Lubkivskyi is determined to alter the sort of negative perceptions of Ukraine presumably harboured by Capello. "Today our readiness is around 90% but I can confidently say that, at the start of the tournament, Ukraine will be 100% ready.

"The championship is an opportunity to make a leap in quality of life, for our citizens and visitors. New roads, infrastructure, comfortable transport, high-speed trains, new modern airports, reconstructed train stations, new hotels and so many other things will change the face of our country and be implemented for the tournament."He is also proud that, with Poland, Ukraine is implementing a Respect Diversity programme in conjunction with Football Against Racism in Europe. This involves more than 80,000 police officers and stewards having anti-discrimination training. "Hundreds of inclusivity zones will be created," Lubkivskyi said. "Spaces open and accessible to all, regardless of ethnic or national background, gender, disability or sexual orientation."

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There was merriment as well as a little achievement. A surge of three goals in the last quarter of an hour swept Manchester City into the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will take on Legia Warsaw or Sporting Lisbon. This contest was serious enough for Rolando, the visitors' centre-half, to be sent off with a second yellow card for dissent. He had protested, wrongly, that the substitute Edin Dzeko had been offside when giving City a 2-0 lead after 76 minutes.

The firepower is to be enhanced, too, now that City will rehabilitate Carlos Tevez, who is no longer estranged. The ambitions of the victors are in proportion to the great sums at their disposal, but this is also a club coming to terms with expectations. It should not be forgotten that, where major honours are concerned, City have collected just one League Cup and one FA Cup in the past 36 years.

Regardless of the current means, the squad can still look tentative, even if there were flourishes here. Progress in the Europa League must have value, despite the thoughtless sneers, if it adds to the confidence. No side can doubt its impact when it takes the lead after 19 seconds, with Sergio Agüero the scorer.

It was critical to the impact of Roberto Mancini's line-up that Yaya Touré, the creator of the opener, took the field at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations. "I've tried to find another Yaya in the squad but there is no one," the City manager admitted before that tournament started. That predicament will have to be addressed in the next round since Touré will miss the first leg through suspension.

The Agüero goal had its origin in a sloppy clearance by Nicolás Otamendi that went to Nigel de Jong, but the punishment initiated by Touré's pass to the scorer was ruthless and adroit. Mancini's side had a buoyancy because of Touré and although a 2-1 victory in Porto from a goal down in the first leg had been an excellent result, there was a certain grind to a display that brought half a dozen bookings.

City could afford to be carefree here and there was, for instance, no angst when Agüero hit the bar after the goalkeeper Helton had rushed out of his area and been unable to get to the ball first. Any openings that presented themselves to Porto tended to be bungled and the general proficiency of their play counted for little. Virtually everything flowed in City's favour.

Porto, indeed, were the ideal contestants, since they were good enough to test City without raising the possibility that they could actually beat them. The visitors were watched by their former manager, André Villas-Boas. He had hurried back from the Champions League defeat at Napoli for his present club Chelsea. Porto were in trouble here, but Villas-Boas might still have felt a pang of nostalgia on occasion.

Little worked for Porto, however, and Maicon accidentally landed a kick to the head of Otamendi, who was substituted. Following the interval, a fragile Porto were breached by a second City goal, with Agüero setting up Dzeko. The scorer and his fellow substitute, David Pizarro, then combined before David Silva finished. The last strike came with a shot from Pizarro himself, his first goal for the club.

City never treated this match as a chore. If there is an appreciation that trophies have been lacking until last season, the present squad seem keen to pack the cabinet. This outing, too, will have reminded City of the value in the flair they occasionally suppress in the Premier League.

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• Chief executive David Lampitt among those made redundant
• Decisions described as 'essential' to ensure the club survives

The administrator at Portsmouth has made 33 staff redundant, including the chief executive David Lampitt, and asked the players to defer their wages, in an effort to keep the financially stricken club in business.

Staff at all levels, from Lampitt and his two fellow directors to coaches at the club's academy, were laid off by Trevor Birch, of the accountant PKF, which described the measures as necessary "if the club is to continue to exist".

The employees were distressed and several were in tears after they were told in meetings that their jobs had been cut with immediate effect. Portsmouth fell into administration last week for the second time in two years, owing £2m in unpaid tax, after the owner who had been bankrolling the club, Vladimir Antonov, was arrested for alleged bank fraud in Lithuania.

Birch said the savings he is making, which also include asking some staff to work part-time instead of full-time, amount to approximately £400,000 a month. Describing the cuts as a "difficult decision" and "painful for everyone involved with the club", Birch said they were "essential" to ensure the club survives, even just to the end of this season.

"Our initial analysis of the club's financial position has revealed that the situation is more serious than many people had expected," he said. "As things stand, there is a serious risk that the club could run out of cash within the next couple of months."

Redundancies were expected and are routine when any business collapses into insolvency, and directors are often laid off when it becomes run by an administrator. However at Fratton Park there remains shock at its fall so soon after Antonov took over and promised to bankroll new spending. That led to what Birch described as Portsmouth having "a Premier League cost base but only Championship income".

Birch, however, is understood to be furious that £800,000 of the club's money held by the club's previous administrator, Andrew Andronikou of Hacker Young, had not been released to him. Andronikou said £600,000 has now been sent back to Portsmouth, on the day the redundancies were made.

"The balance [£200,000] has been retained to cover our fees, lawyers and counsel fees," Andronikou said, adding he would have been prepared to defer those fees had he been appointed administrator until the club was sold.

Birch said of the challenge ahead: "Portsmouth's survival depends on us being able to find a buyer for the club before the money runs out."

On Tuesday evening he held a meeting with the Pompey Supporters Trust, which has been organising and fund-raising, in partnership with some wealthy individuals, to harness a genuine effort to take over the club itself. Birch said of his contact with the supporters trust: "I am very happy to have entered into a very constructive dialogue with them."

Lampitt, the former FA head of regulation who saw Portsmouth into the Antonov takeover, said he respected the decision to make him and the other staff redundant. "The priority is for the club to survive," he said.

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Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has signed a three-and-a-half year contract extension with the Carling Cup finalists.

Read More:
Wembley-bound Cardiff hand boss new deal

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These matches in which the Premier League's top clubs see Naples and die expose a real problem for English football

He is already the first foreign manager in the Premier League whose command of English is too extensive for his own good, and now we know that André Villas-Boas also appears to possess elegant handwriting. The sheet of hotel notepaper that found its way on to the Gazzetta dello Sport's website in the hours before Tuesday night's match — presumably fished out of a waste basket by a member of the Grand Vesuvio's housekeeping staff — is so beautifully inscribed that it could almost be framed and hung in the Moscow art gallery that Roman Abramovich bought for his girlfriend.

The leaf of paper contained a notional Chelsea formation: rather an interesting one, given that it had Daniel Sturridge at centre forward, flanked by Ramires and Juan Mata, with no sign of Didier Drogba or Fernando Torres. Sturridge, who yearns for a central role, would have been delighted had it been for real. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be fiction, or at least a passing fancy. Neither John Terry nor Frank Lampard, both included in the sketched-out team, made it into the actual starting line-up, for different reasons. Drogba started, with Sturridge out wide and struggling to make an impression on the game.

Whether Villas-Boas had left the paper behind in the knowledge that it would be found, as a kind of black propaganda to fool his opposite number, will probably never be known — assuming he really did write it, of course, although the use of the names "Ash", "Studge" and "Raul" (for his compatriot Meireles) indicated authenticity. After the match the manager explained that his eventual choice of midfield combination was determined by a desire to include two players, Ramires and Meireles, in defensive positions, leading to the exclusion of Lampard. Clearly he was looking for a more dynamic energy than the English veteran can now provide. But, like so much else the young manager has tried over the past six months, it did not work, and Chelsea were overrun by the devoted workers in Napoli's midfield: the perceptive Gokhan Inler and the prodigious little Walter Gargano, assisted by two adventurous wing-backs in Christian Maggio and Juan Zúñiga.

Like Manchester City before them, Chelsea found themselves up against something more than just a team, or even the spectators inside the stadium.

In the unified passion that encouraged the home side it was possible to see the special benefits that can accrue from being a city's only representatives. In Naples there are no divided local loyalties, as there are between the fans of Roma and Lazio, Milan and Internazionale, Juventus and Torino, or in Manchester, Liverpool and London. It was as if Newcastle, Leeds or Stoke were mounting a challenge in the knock-out stages of the European Cup: a very special kind of exhilaration.

These matches in which the Premier League's top clubs see Naples and die also expose a real problem for English football, which is that of absentee owners. There in the tribuna d'onore was Aurelio De Laurentiis, the film producer who saved Napoli from extinction a few years ago, taking pleasure and pride in his creation and, as another goal went in, accepting a smacking kiss on the lips from a woman who may have been his wife.

England's big clubs should be so lucky. How often are the Glazers, Stan Kroenke or Sheikh Mansour seen at matches, sharing the fans' joy and pain? Or even Abramovich, who does turn up sometimes but skipped Tuesday night in Naples.

What we may be glimpsing, as the Premier League suddenly struggles to make its customary impact at the highest level of European competition, and in three weeks' time may find itself without a representative in the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 1996, are the consequences of a willingness to sell the family silver. There is no longer a genuine relationship between the very top of such clubs and the base of their traditional, local support. When things are going well, it doesn't seem to matter much. It is in bad times that the nature of the bond, which lacks intimacy and true empathy, can threaten stability.

Perhaps Villas-Boas will turn it around at Stamford Bridge on 14 March, but it is hard to be optimistic about his prospects. Had Ashley Cole not blocked Maggio's shot on the goal line in the 89th minute, there would have been no doubt about the outcome of the tie. As it is, there is just enough room for hope.

From where, though, are they going to get the goals needed to overcome a 3-1 deficit, particularly since few would bet against the chance of Edinson Cavani or Ezequiel Lavezzi contriving an away goal to match the one Mata gave Chelsea in Naples?

Drogba is no longer the intimidating force of old, Fernando Torres has exhausted his credit, Nicolas Anelka has left, Salomon Kalou appears to have been discarded, Lampard's 20-goals-a-season form is behind him, and Mata can hardly be expected to fill the void by himself.

Perhaps that beautifully composed aide-mémoire held part of the answer in its hint of a real commitment to Villas-Boas's famous "project", which involves resetting the compass of a team currently adrift amid conflicting tides. Daniel Sturridge will certainly think so.

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Joey Barton has used his Twitter account to give his followers a preview of the new England kit. QPR midfielder Barton poses alongside a tailor’s dummy that is wearing the all-white shirt, and marked his tweet with a ‘newengkit’ hashtag. The strip, with the Three Lions and manufacturer’s logo in red and red piping at the collar, was due to be unveiled at next Wednesday’s friendly against Holland at Wembley

Continued here:
Photo: Barton reveals new England kit on Twitter

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Clubs will work with specialist police officers to tackle racist and homophobic abuse on forums and social networking sites

Premier League clubs have promised to work closely with specialist e-crime police officers to clamp down on racist abuse on internet message boards and Twitter aimed at footballers, pundits and fans.

It was one of several initiatives to emerge from a No 10 summit convened to discuss racism and homophobia within the game that also included a new scheme to encourage more coaches and managers from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The meeting brought together football governing bodies, ministers, campaign groups and ex-players to discuss discrimination in the sport in light of recent high-profile incidents involving Liverpool's Luis Suárez and England captain John Terry.

Suárez was banned for eight matches by an independent FA tribunal following an incident involving Manchester United's Patrice Evra. Terry is due in court in July on a charge of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, which he denies.

After the meeting, David Cameron, the prime minister, paid tribute to the progress that had been made since the 1980s to eradicate racism on the pitch and in the stands. But he added that there should be no complacency.

"We must address problems which could, if left unchecked, threaten to undo much of the hard work that has been done," he said.

"Football must do more to be inclusive, in order that the beautiful game is truly open to all players, managers, coaches and supporters. Today's announcements mark a further step towards this goal. We will continue to work in partnership to confront discrimination within the sport."

The government promised to invest £3m in the FA's new St George's Park national coaching centre in order to help broaden access to people of all backgrounds.

A new bursary scheme funded by the football authorities will help meet the cost of Uefa coaching licences and provide mentoring opportunities at Football League and Premier League clubs.

The meeting was attended by the FA chairman David Bernstein, as well as representatives from the Football League, the Premier League, the Professional Footballers' Association and the League Managers Association.

Campaign groups including Kick It Out, Show Racism the Red Card and the Gay Football Supporters' Network were represented, as well as former players including John Barnes, Paul Elliott and Graeme Le Saux.

Amal Fashanu, the niece of the late Norwich City striker Justin Fashanu who recently made a BBC documentary on the subject of football and homophobia, also attended.

Elliott, the former Chelsea and Celtic defender who has become a prominent campaigner, said the debate was "very productive and engaging".

He added: "What was evident there was leadership and the collective effort by football. Cameron is more than well justified in bringing all these parties together. The important thing is that we don't rest on our laurels and look to the challenges ahead."

The Premier League said it would work with the Metropolitan police e-crimes unit to better monitor the levels of racist abuse on Twitter, other social networks and internet message boards and prosecute offenders where possible.

The government also called on football authorities to take more proactive action to combat homophobia in its response to a recent select committee report.

Following the summit, Football League chairman Greg Clarke signed a government charter to tackle homophobia and transphobia on behalf of its 72 clubs. The Premier League signed the charter last year.

Meanwhile, José Mourinho was the subject of a complaint by a gay rights group after he allegedly used a Spanish homophobic insult about match officials. The Real Madrid manager was accused by the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) of referring to officials as "maricones", which translates as "faggots" in English, before the Champions League tie against CSKA Moscow.

Louise Englefield, co-president of the EGLSF, called on Uefa to take action over the comments, which were shown on the Spanish television channel Quatro.

She said: "Homophobia is unacceptable from anyone in football, much less from one of the game's most senior figures. We are deeply disappointed that Mr Mourinho is casually using homophobic terms of abuse in his workplace."

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• Manchester City manager has 'no problem' with Tevez
• Argentinian has not played for club since September

The Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said on Wednesday he had "no problem" with Carlos Tevez and the striker could be considered for selection in "two or three weeks".

Tevez said in a statement released by City on Tuesday night that he was "sincerely and unreservedly" sorry for his actions in taking an unauthorised three-month leave of absence from the club. The Argentinian also withdrew his appeal against a fine of six weeks' wages.

Tevez has not played for City since he was accused of refusing to warm up during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich on 27 September. However, after Wednesday's 4-0 defeat of Porto booked City's place in the last 16 of the Europa League, Mancini said Tevez would be available once he deems him match fit.

The Italian told ESPN: "One week after Munich I called him to my house and said, 'Carlos, apologise to everyone and it's finished'. I have no problem. I think he needs two to three weeks to train, then some games."

Latest World Football News