Hoddle's future still not clear

Football

Glenn Hoddle, the Chelsea manager, met his club chairman Ken Bates and director Matthew Harding for a two-hour clear-the-air meeting at Stamford Bridge last night, but he left without comment on his future.

Hoddle initiated the discussion because of his fears over the club's future direction. His contract expires in the summer but there has been no indication of him signing a new agreement with the club he took to the semi-finals of the FA Cup this season.

Rangers continued their pursuit of Gianluca Villa when they met the player last night. The 31-year-old Italian, whose contract with Juventus expires at the end of the season, gave no hint after the meeting that he might be considering signing a contract reported to be worth pounds 1.75m over three years. "We just talked," he said.

Premier League chairmen have named Sheffield Wednesday's Dave Richards as the man they want to succeed Sir Bert Millichip as Association chairman when he retires at the end of the season.

n Germany are likely to be told by Uefa today they will have to kick off their Euro 96 campaign without Jurgen Klinsmann and Steffen Freund, because their one-match bans for collecting two yellow cards in the qualifying competition will stand.