Short Soccer
Sydney eager to sign veteran Del Piero
Australian club Sydney FC are reportedly trying to sign former Juventus and Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero as their marquee player for the coming season. Del Piero, 37, spent 19 years as a key player with Juventus but became a free agent in May and Sydney FC are keen to entice him to the domestic A-League. "We're going to go for it as hard as we can," the club's chief executive Tony Pignata said. "The board is 100 per cent behind this. We believe he's the perfect marquee player. To get a player of his stature would be huge, and we know that. This is not a gimmick, it's deadly serious." AFP
Belgian Dembele set to join Tottenham
Fulham have accepted Tottenham's bid for Belgium playmaker Moussa Dembele as Andre Villas Boas' side look for a replacement for Luka Modric. Dembele, 25, is regarded as a near like-for-like replacement for Modric, who completed his transfer from north London to Real Madrid on Monday. Reuters
Schwarzer poised for 100th Australian cap
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, 39, is poised to become the first Australian to win 100 international caps after being named in the Socceroos squad for their World Cup qualifier against Jordan next month. The could reach the figure in a September 6 friendly away to Lebanon, five days before the fourth-round group B clash. Reuters
Cagliari face battle to stage home games
The venue for Cagliari's first home Serie A match of the season is still unknown after authorities refused to grant approval for their new home. The Sardinian side have moved to the Is Arenas stadium, about 5km from the city and planned the play their first game against Atalanta on Sunday. Reuters
