Miserable England players have turned to comfort foods as they prepare for their crucial World Cup qualifiers, directly challenging the authority of boss Fabio Capello.

The hardman Italian has introduced a strict regime which forces the national squad to go up to eight hours without food after training sessions.

But top stars have smuggled bags of crisps and chocolate bars into their rooms as they fight hunger pangs, according to reports.

Sources say the uncompromising 62-year-old's fasting plan - which applies only when they play for England - backfired in the recent drawn friendly with the Czech Republic, causing a lethargic performance.

According to reports, the diet plan even saw one player - believed to be Rio Ferdinand - vomit at half-time during the friendly.

The source said: 'One senior player started suffering stomach cramps and was sick all over the dressing room floor. This isn’t about the players being greedy. But suddenly they were going long periods with nothing to eat and their systems couldn’t cope.'

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp would relish the chance to manage a Great Britain football team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Organisers are hoping a side will be entered, although the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Football Associations object to the plan.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been the name touted for the role but he has distanced himself from the idea.

Londoner Redknapp has taken the opposite stance.

'I'm absolutely flattered that my name is being mentioned about managing the Great Britain team,' he said.

'Would I take it if they offered it to me? Absolutely, I would be a fool not to.

'I've had some great managerial jobs during my career but there is no doubt this would be the icing on the cake.

'The fact it is being held on my old stamping ground in East London makes it even more appealing.'

Manchester United have stunned rivals Hull City by taking Nick Barmby's 14-year-old son from under their noses at the KC Stadium.

Jack Barmby, one of the brightest talents in British football, has joined United after his father Nick urged him to quit Hull for Old Trafford.

Barmby, 34, is fulfilling a lifelong ambition by playing for Hull in the top flight and his son's decision has come as a surprise to the Hull board.

However, they cannot prevent Barmby Jnr leaving. United have been tracking Barmby's son for two years but they did not expect to sign him before he was 16.

Hull are not entitled to any compensation for the player because he was too young to sign for them.

Barmby, who is a left midfielder like his father, made his debut for United's academy side last Saturday.

If Argentina beat Nigeria in the Olympic final, Javier Mascherano has vowed to dedicate his gold medal to Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

He said : "He is a very important person in my life."

Newcastle United footballer Joey Barton is being sued for damages by a teenage boy he attacked during a night out.

Burnley FC have launched an urgent inquiry after a parachutist crash-landed onto Turf Moor and delayed kick-off by almost an hour.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis thinks his squad will be galvanised by the news that one national bookmaker is already paying out on his team to be relegated.

Pulis said: "We all know there's a long way to go.

"I personally think it will galvanise everyone around the city, not just the players but the supporters too."

Stoke lost 3-1 at Bolton on Saturday to add weight to the view of those pundits who are tipping them for an immediate return to the Championship.

David Beckham has joined other England football stars to call on young people to stop carrying knives.

Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and David James spoke to launch an anti-knife campaign called It Doesn't Have to Happen.

Beckham said: "We can help people, we can help youngsters because, we've got a voice that kids listen to."

The government says more than 2,500 arrests have been made and 1,600 knives have been seized since June under its action plan to tackle knife crime.

Over 55,000 people have been stopped and searched under the measures.

London 2012 officials have lost the element of surprise for their eight-minute show at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Reports that David Beckham will take part are correct.

Beckham will appear on the top of one of London's red double-decker buses and kick a football into the crowd when London gets a chance to tell the world what the next Games will be like.

It's been rumoured for some time that Beckham - who in 2005 was in Singapore as part of the bid team when London won the 2012 vote - would take part, but London 2012 are disappointed that the news has leaked out more than a week before the ceremony on Sunday August 24

Police are trying to find vandals who damaged a £40,000 sports car belonging to a suspended Premier League referee.

FIFA have ordered Adrian Mutu to pay Chelsea £13.68million in compensation after being tested positive for cocaine while at Stamford Bridge.

Mutu, 29, failed a drug test in 2004 and was banned for seven months before moving to Juventus and Fiorentina after getting sacked by Chelsea.

Mutu's lawyer, Cristian Sarbu, claimed earlier in the summer that his client was told to pay £9.6million by FIFA and that the Romania striker would be contesting the ruling.

Fabio Capello has revealed that he warned Dean Ashton he must lose weight if he wants to further his England career.

Footballer Steven Gerrard has angered his neighbours after building a £350,000 two-storey gym complex at the bottom of his garden.

Fabio Capello has dismissed concerns about Wayne Rooney being pictured drawing on a cigarette.

Capello said of his playing days: “Many of my friends among the players smoked,”

“It's a part of life and, with Rooney, a part of his private life, too. It really depends on whether he is smoking five, or 20.”

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is a big fan of new signing Fabricio Coloccini's haircut.

Some building projects can take years to get off the ground.

But when Roman Abramovich is involved, things tend to move a little more quickly.

Some 13 weeks after the Russian oligarch asked Kensington and Chelsea council for permission to build to build a £150million home, the scheme has already been rubber-stamped in its entirety.

Building will start immediately on the development, spread across two stucco-fronted properties running over eight floors in Lowndes Square, behind Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.

Mr Abramovich's new home will include eight bedrooms, a cinema/entertainment room, an indoor heated pool and a steam room.

Experts said yesterday that his plans were approved so speedily because he employed a reputable architect to work closely with council conservation officers.

Although he has properties in several countries including Russia, the size of this British development has led to speculation that he may be planning to settle down, or at least spend more time here, with his girlfriend, Russian heiress Daria Zhukova.

At 6:00pm on September 18th, 2008 , William Giummarra will attempt to juggle his way to feeding millions of children around the world, whilst also setting a new Guinness World Record.

During the 2004 Mascot Grand National charity event, held at Huntingdon Racecourse, AFC Telford's mascot, Benny Buck, entered the race despite some adversity.

In a bizarre move, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has called up an ineligible player for their forthcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is in the squad for the games against South Africa in September and Sierra Leone in October.

Cole, who has a Nigerian father and Sierra Leonean mother, has played for England at under-21 level.

But he cannot switch allegiance to Nigeria as he is now 24 years old.

Fifa allows players who have represented one country at junior level to switch to another country, but the statutes of world football's governing body state that this can only happen if they are still under the age of 21.

West Ham United have decided to retire the No6 shirt in honour of their former captain and England great Bobby Moore.

Italian champions Inter Milan have been ordered to pay a Napoli fan €1,500 for 'existential damage' caused by banners calling Naples the 'sewer of Italy' displayed at San Siro last October.

Italian news agencies said on Tuesday that a Naples court had ordered Inter to pay the fan, identified only by initials, compensation and legal costs for insults which refer to a refuse crisis that left garbage rotting in Naples' streets.

'Ciao cholera sufferers!' read another of the banners seen at the Oct. 6 game which the fan's lawyer, Raffaele Di Monda, said had made his client feel 'indignant and deeply hurt'.

Inter, who won the game 2-1, had already been punished by the Italian league with the closure of the sections of San Siro where the banners had been shown for the following home match.

The club fought against the lawsuit arguing that the Naples court did not have jurisdiction.

D1 Model Management and Sky together voted fans of Liverpool FC the most attractive in the Premier League.

Portsmouth bottomed the table, with the ugliest fans.

Dean Cleary-Patterson, from D1 Model Management explained the judging process:

"We typically take into account a whole range of aspects of a person's appearance, from the symmetry of their features to the glossiness of their hair. It's interesting to know we might need to start scouring the stands of Anfield to find our next big name!"

It's still unclear whether a curly-perm and a bushy moustache were part of the criteria.

David Beckham has acquired a few new friends during his year in LA, and now he's got another high profile pal to add to the list.

Footballer Wayne Rooney has said he is "blameless" after he was questioned by police for allegedly spitting at a paparazzi photographer.

The England and Manchester United star has been interviewed under caution after the incident in Hanway Street, central London, on Tuesday evening.

The 22-year-old was leaving a restaurant with his wife Coleen when the incident happened.

He was spoken to by police at a neutral venue but was not arrested.

A spokesman for Mr Rooney said: "Wayne was interviewed by police in connection with an alleged minor offence involving a paparazzi photographer who had been persistently invading his and Coleen's privacy throughout the evening.

"This included the photographer following the couple into a restaurant from which he had to be evicted.

"Wayne was happy to co-operate fully and to give a clear version of the events in which he believes he was blameless."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We received a third party allegation that a photographer had been spat at by an individual outside a restaurant in Hanway Street.

"Officers established the incident occurred at approximately 10.20pm on Tuesday evening.

"The alleged suspect, a 22-year-old male, was spoken to by police.

"He was not arrested and did not attend a police station. Inquiries continue."

In law, deliberately spitting at someone is an offence of common assault.