Red carpet out for Giggs
RYAN GIGGS’ status in Malta can be gauged by the duty manager of the national airline being on parade at Terminal Four at Heathrow to personally welcome the Manchester United great ahead of his flight to the island, where he will work with ITV on the England game.
Giggs (right) and former United team-mate Gary Neville were guests for the 50th anniversary of the Malta United supporters’ branch. They have both invested in hotels in Malta, but are understood to have sold up. THE England party had popular old stagers Barry Taylor and Peter Barnes back in ambassadorial roles in Malta yesterday — begging the question why the FA had bothered to revamp the now defunct international committee, filling it with club executives who are invariably too busy on club business to travel with England, especially on transfer deadline day.
of the first decisions made by Dan Ashworth when he became the FA technical director was to ban agents from watching junior international games at St George’s Park. But manager Gareth Southgate has been relaxed about middlemen going to SGP this week because of the transfer deadline. Alex OxladeChamberlain’s agents had no problems with access in completing his move to Liverpool. DERBY chairman Mel Morris has been the main protagonist of the Football League’s media rights strategy, even inviting clubs to Pride Park to show them how he could do much better than the £130million a year they will receive from the Sky deal that is yet to be officially announced.
However, in a new confidential list of FL chairmen’s contact numbers sent out to club chiefs and intended only for their use, Morris is conspicuous by not divulging his telephone details.