Reggina coach Ficcadenti is sacked

MILAN, Italy -- Reggina, bottom of Italy's Serie A, have sacked coach Massimo Ficcadenti.

Wednesday's 3-1 home loss to Livorno sent Reggina to the foot of the table, without a victory in 10 outings.

The initial reaction of club president Lillo Foti was:"Let me talk to the coach but I think the chances of our relationship continuing are very small."

News service ANSA said on Thursday that Ficcadenti had been dismissed the club had approached 66-year-old former Bologna manager Renzo Ulivieri.

Hamburg's Dutch coach Huub Stevens is a candidates for the vacant manager's position at PSV Eindhoven, according to German media reports.

Stevens has guided Hamburg up to second in the Bundesliga behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich.

Former Dutch international Stevens is thought to be keen to return to the Netherlands and has a clause in his Hamburg contract, which expires at the end of the season, to allow him to talk to his former club Eindhoven if the manager's post becomes vacant.

Stevens' wife Toos has a chronic intestine illness and is being treated in an Eindhoven hospital where she will have further surgery at the beginning of next year and Stevens took time off in March this year to nurse her.

"We don't comment on individual contract details," Hamburg spokesman Joern Woolf told German agency SID.

"We have agreed with Stevens that we'll talk about extending his contract in January or February next year."

Aaron Mokoena could return for Blackburn as early as this weekend after an x-ray confirmed that he had not broken his leg, as was first feared.

He was carried off in a 2-1 League Cup victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday and there were fears he had re-fractured a leg which already has a metal pin in it because of a previous break.

Blackburn's club doctor Phil Batty said it was not clear why Mokoena collapsed as he ran back onto the pitch following treatment for a knock.

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes said: "Mokoena is okay, thankfully," Hughes said. "He got a bang on his leg, where a plate had earlier been inserted.

"As he went back on to the field he felt some pain and it frightened him more than anything.

"I have seen him this morning. He is walking around. He is a little bit sore but we will see how he is tomorrow.

"Obviously it is not as bad as we initially thought but he might have a scan just as a precaution."

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