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April Fools Day Rumours: Man Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham,

Apr 1, 2008 West Ham News

THE SUN: Liverpool chiefs last night vowed to crack down on thug fans who allegedly attacked Everton ace Phil Neville in a spite-filled Mersey derby. Police are probing claims by Everton bosses that the 31-year-old defender was punched in the back as he took a throw-in. Neville - brother of Man U player Gary - was also said to have been spat on and subjected to vicious verbal abuse. And a Liverpool spokesman said last night: “If it is proven we will take appropriate action.” Also: Warring Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have asked not to be seated together for the Euro clash at Arsenal…Rennes defender John Mensah wants to join Portsmouth.

DAILY MIRROR: Striker Mauro Zarate insists he will stay loyal to Birmingham if he keeps them in the Premier League - despite interest from Newcastle and Spurs. The 21-year-old took time to get off the mark after joining on loan in January but now has three goals in two games. His club in Qatar, Al-Saddin, want £20million for a man whose impact has been compared by Blues boss Alex McLeish to Carlos Tevez at West Ham. Also: Gary Megson will not be sacked if Bolton are relegated…West Ham are set to launch a summer raid for unsettled Lazio midfielder Valon Behrami.

DAILY MAIL: West Ham are set to launch a summer raid for Lazio midfielder Valon Behrami. The Swiss international, who is yet to sign a new contract with the Italian club, has been linked with a move in recent weeks. And West Ham, who recently appointed Italian Gianluca Nani as director of football, are currently in pole position to sign the 22-year-old. Also: Sven Goran Eriksson faces a battle to convince Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra he is the right man to lead the club into the future.

DAILY EXPRESS: Sir Alex Ferguson last night stepped up his crusade to ensure flair players are not kicked out of English football. The Manchester United manager believes the horrific injury suffered by Arsenal’s Croatia striker Eduardo will make a sea-change in attitudes in our game. And he reckons English referees will follow the example of their European counterparts by clamping down heavily on reckless injury-threatening tackles.

DAILY STAR: Embarrassed FA officials are refusing to panic over the possibility of England boss Fabio Capello being charged with perjury. The tough-talking ex-Juventus boss is involved in a court case in Italy surrounding his time in Turin. And now the Italian prosecutor yesterday demanded that Capello be put on trial for allegedly withholding evidence when he appeared on Monday. Also: Sir Alex Ferguson last night told Chelsea to stop moaning and get on with their re-arranged fixture commitments.

DAILY TELEGRAPH: In a move that threatens to tarnish one of Jose Mourinho’s proudest achievements, Porto were last night under investigation by the Portuguese League on suspicion of fixing two domestic matches in the 2003-04 season - the same campaign in which the former Chelsea manager turned the club into champions of Europe.

THE TIMES: Fabio Capello, the England manager, is furious after being threatened with prosecution for allegedly withholding information and giving false testimony during the trial of Luciano Moggi, the former Juventus general director.

THE GUARDIAN: The England head coach, Fabio Capello, is to be investigated for allegedly withholding evidence in a trial linked to Italy’s 2006 Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.

THE INDEPENDENT: Fabio Capello’s England assistant Franco Baldini was the subject of an extraordinary Mafia-style threat in a Rome court yesterday from Luciano Moggi - the man at the centre of Italian football’s match-fixing scandal.

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Tags: April Fools Day News Stories, Arsenal v Liverpool, Everton, Fenerbahce vs Chelsea, Roma v Man Utd, rumours, West Ham News