These are rarely obvious at the time but as Terry Venables yesterday announced that Alan

These are rarely obvious at the time but as Terry Venables yesterday announced that Alan Shearer, his leading striker, was the latest England player to be struck down, there was a glimmer of hope. The union’s TV stance, adopted at last Friday’s meeting of the full committee, is understood to have been opposed by no less than Cliff Brittle, chairman of its executive.The Welsh would probably be in a position to go it alone too but have, with undisguised piety, resolved to stick with the less-blessed Scots and Irish. The match has been reduced from four days to three with the old rivals meeting on Monday under the new Benson and Hedges Cup regulations. “We have to believe in Higuita’s sincerity and we have to keep moving forward.”Higuita became known for his eccentric playing style, including his amazing “scorpion-kick” save against England at Wembley earlier this season.Fabio Capello, the Milan coach who is close to his his fourth Italian league title in five years, may leave the club at the end of the seasonAccording to published reports, Capello is close to joining Real Madrid. Italy’s largest sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said that a three-year contract, giving Capello four billion lire (pounds 1.7m) a year, would be signed early next week.Gazzetta quoted Real Madrid’s president Lorenzo Sanz as saying “Capello will be the next coach of Real Madrid.” Capello said recently he will decide his future on Monday.On Saturday Milan can clinch the title by winning at Torino as long as Juventus, who trail Milan by nine points, fail to beat Internazionale in Milan.Elections in Italy on Sunday will decide whether Silvio Berlusconi, the television mogul and Milan president has succeeded in his attempt to regain the premier office as leader of a centre-right coalition.A victory for Berlusconi would result in a renewal of the popular high- spending policy of the Milan club. “We believe that all unions will be able to benefit from our decision and that the Five Nations will remain inviolate.”This piece of wishful thinking makes Hallett sound as if he had never heard of the Five Nations’ indignation. In any case the RFU is divided on this, as it is on how to deal with its own recalcitrant senior clubs.

The breakaway by England from the existing arrangements could have implications for British Lions tours. The other unions of the Five Nations’ committee will now be obliged to reappraise the positions generally.”Yesterday the RFU, having on Monday refused to recognise its Five Nations position was under any threat, remained disbelieving that it had come to this. The RFU secretary, Tony Hallett, launched a defence of the union’s position based on the financial realities created by professionalism and the patronising supposition that the other unions would also be better off as a result of England’s opt-out.”In the new, increasingly commercial world created by the International Board, the RFU believes it has a responsibility to its constituent bodies and clubs in membership for maximising its own TV revenue,” he said. “This break by England was considered wholly unacceptable by the FNC, who insist that the conduct and sale of rights, including broadcasting rights, are to be retained by the committee,” it said.”The other member unions of the committee will now be requested to consider the future format of the Five Nations’ Championship and additionally the question of relationships at all international representative levels.

There is another meeting, also in Dublin, on 27 April when another attempt at an unlikely settlement will be made.The RFU’s status as a subsidiary host union for the 1999 World Cup was excluded from yesterday’s statement. A severance of relations with England would make next year’s tour to South Africa either implausible or impossible.The non-English home unions – France has always made its own arrangements with French TV – reached their potentially momentous decision at last Sunday’s meeting in Dublin but chose to delay saying so for 48 hours. Broadcasters are set to pay at least pounds 150m this time.If this continues, England will soon be seeking annual fixtures with South Africa and Spain. The ramifications could also affect the British Isles touring team, the one other institution that is governed by the home unions in combination. Without England.This is the combined Welsh, Scottish and Irish riposte to the Rugby Football Union’s unilateral decision to seek its own television deal when the current pounds 27m Five Nations contract with the BBC runs out next March. The others turned down the RFU flat when it sought to change the present four-way even split to a 60 per cent share of the new contract because it had “more mouths to feed”.

Rugby Union

STEVE BALE
England’s apparently inexorable progress out of the Five Nations’ Championship was sharply accelerated yesterday when the Five Nations’ committee – of which the English are in increasingly uneasy membership – announced it would consider changing the format of the championship. Marcus Babbel and Marcel Witeczek put Bayern 2-0 ahead before Ivan de La Pena pulled one back for Barcelona in the 88th minute.Ajax go into today’s European Cup semi-final second leg against Panathinaikos in the Olympic stadium in Athens trailing 1-0 and without their injured striker Patrick Kluivert.. The only previous French team to achieve the feat was Bastia in 1978.In the two-leg finale, they will face Bayern Munich, who produced a surprise 2-1 victory in Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium for a 4-3 aggregate victory. Bordeaux continued a remarkable European adventure that started in the Intertoto Cup in June when they beat Slavia Prague 1-0 yesterday to reach the Uefa Cup final.