It's National Pub Football Week - hurrah!!

Footy fans are being actively encouraged to go to the pub this week as part of "the biggest initiative in the history of the UK pub industry": 6th to 13th September is National Pub Football Week.

Next week sees a number of important qualifying matches for Euro 2004 and fans are being encouraged to watch the matches in their local.

Pub chains Punch, InnSpired, Unique Pub Company and Pubmaster are taking part in the promotion and more than 20,000 watering holes are expected to take part.

Manufacturers including Guinness, Smirnoff, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola and John Smiths have created offers for the week including price cuts, competitions and giveaways. Four Four Two magazine is offering complimentary beer vouchers and Budweiser is giving away Premiership tickets via the event's official website.

The official launch for the event was held earlier this week at Westminster, featuring Gabby Logan, Viv Anderson, Norman Whiteside and Gordon McQueen.

Planning already underway for similar events to coincide with the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal next July.

Barclaycard to end sponsorship of Premier League

Barclaycard is reported to be about to announce that they will no longer be sponsoring the Premier League after the current season ends next May.

But if they do remove their sponsorship, we can already tell you who the new sponsors will be: Barclays Bank.

The parent company, Barclays plc, is in negotiations with the Premier League about extending the current deal which concludes at the end of the season after three years.

A spokesman for the bank confirmed to Marketing Week magazine that they are considering changing the deal from next season. The spokesman said "We have always said the sponsorship is a long-term investment. We are looking at renewal terms - but whether it is as Barclays or Barclaycard remains to be seen."

It's thought that the company now considers the promotion of its core brand name to be more important than promoting Barclaycard, giving the Barclays name greater global exposure.

Man City: 9 out of 10 Reyna friends recommend it

Recently departed midfielder Claudio Reyna has defended his eleventh-hour move to Manchester City when he was on the point of signing for Fulham.

Cottagers' boss Chris Coleman last week told of his anger when he heard that Reyna had had a change of heart even after being photographed wearing a Fulham shirt: "As far as I was concerned yesterday he was a Fulham player. Then two hours later I take a phone call saying there was a snag in the deal. Four hours later he was a Man City player. He was with me at the training ground yesterday and then later that night he was a Manchester City player - I am bitterly disappointed by the whole incident."

But Reyna hit back today, saying he had every right to consider all offers available to him.

'Captain America' told ESPN today, "'I understand why Fulham were upset because I was in deep discussions with them and I didn't join. I got a call from Kevin Keegan and then I had a decision to make.

"I spoke to a lot of people and nine out of 10 told me City was the best place to go. From a footballing perspective there wasn't much in it but I have made the right choice."

And Reyna revealed that whilst publicly, he was fully expected to be playing for Sunderland this season, the club had told him relatively early that he could leave. "'Sunderland had told me I could speak to other clubs virtually as soon as I reported for pre-season training."

Reyna's new boss, Kevin Keegan, backed up his new man's sentiments. "He hadn't signed a contract and he wasn't registered, so he was perfectly entitled to talk with who he liked.

"We weren't even in the market for him until 11am last Thursday (Aug 28th) when the chairman put the money up.

"I immediately spoke to his agent, who said he was reluctant to contact Claudio. I just pointed out that he should be told Manchester City were there for him. "

Gerremoff? No, keep em on!

FIFA is set to reinstate the rule banning players taking their shirts off as part of goal celebrations, two years after the rule was relaxed.

A FIFA sub-committee is due to meet next month and it's thought they will vote to reinstate the rule which means that removal of shirts will become a mandatory cautionable offence, punishable with a yellow card.

The organisation has defended the move, saying it is taking into account that with matches being screened worldwide, Muslims are often offended by seeing bare chests.

Earlier this year, players were told they were allowed to remove their shirts during goal celebrations provided the vest they wore underneath did not display any messages or slogans.

Thornton "almost certain" to be fit for next match

SAFC medics have looked at the knee problem that forced Sean Thornton to withdraw from this weekend's Irish U21 team - and say that it's not as serious as first thought.

The problem initially happened during the match against Preston and Thornton initially joined up with his Republic colleagues earlier this week ahead of tonight's televised match. But the injury became aggravated during training and he eventually withdrew and returned to Sunderland so that the club's own physio team could run the rule over his injury and assess the damage.

But the news from the physio's room is good - initially thought to be ligament damage, the injury has been diagnosed as simply a minor strain - and Sean is almost certain to be available for selection for the league match against Crystal Palace on Saturday 13th.