Best of the Rest
Diaby ruled out four months:
Marseille midfielder Abou Diaby’s injury woes continued on Monday as he was ruled out for four months following an ankle operation, his club confirmed. The French side said former Arsenal player Diaby underwent an operation in London after complaining of pains in his right ankle for several weeks.
His estimated time out means he is unlikely to return before the end of February. (AFP)
Mariehamn win title:
Finnish minnows IFK Mariehamn hailed their team spirit and work ethic after capturing a stunning first league championship in a thrilling climax to the season.
Dubbed “mini-Leicester” by local media in a salute to last season’s surprise English champions, IFK Mariehamn from the Aland Islands capital — population 11,500 — clinched the title with a 2-1 win over Tampere Ilves.
HJK Helsinki, 27-times champions, finished three points behind after they ended the season with a 0-0 draw against last year’s champions SJK Seinajoki. (RTRS)
New ‘$1 billion’ deal agreed:
England’s governing Football Association announced on Monday it had agreed a new overseas broadcast rights deal for the FA Cup worth a reported $1 billion (919 million euros, £820 million).
The new agreement will run for six seasons starting in 2018/19. Although the FA refused to specify an exact figure, simply saying the agreement was “hugely significant”, the $1 billion figure has been widely reported in the British media.
While concerns have been expressed within English football that the FA Cup has become increasingly less important as a football tournament following the rise of the Premier League, this broadcast deal is evidence of the ongoing global popularity of the world’s oldest senior football knockout competition. (AFP)
Scolari unsure over future:
Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted he was unsure about his future at Guangzhou Evergrande despite guiding the Asian giants to their sixth consecutive Chinese Super League title.
The well-heeled southern team maintained their stranglehold on Chinese football when they went seven points clear with two games to go after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Yanbian Funde. (AFP