Newcastle United managing director Derek Llambias defends sponsorship deal with Wonga

Newcastle United’s managing director Derek Llambias has launched a staunch defence of the club’s sponsorship by controversial loan company Wonga – a deal which will see the club’s stadium revert to its original name of St James’ Park.

Although the exact figures of the shirt sponsorship deal have not been released, Telegraph Sport understands it will be worth more than £8 million a year over the course of the four-year agreement.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley caused outrage on Tyneside when he decided to change the name to the Sports Direct Arena almost 12 months ago, reportedly to showcase the branding companies would receive in return for naming rights. But Wonga has decided to curry favour by reverting to the traditional name and deflect claims that it is not a suitable commercial partner for a Premier League club.

“I only have reservations about the price,” said Llambias. “I always want the biggest price and they want to try and get the smallest price. We have come to a very good value. It means another player on the pitch.

“They have a community feel about them. The money will be also go to the academy and our foundation. It is our biggest-ever commercial deal and we are happy with it.”

There is nothing illegal about Wonga’s enterprise, but the firm’s charge of 4,214 per cent APR on its internet-based payday loans has been criticised by local MPs, consumer groups and trade unions.

The St James’ Park signs will be put up in time for Newcastle’s next home game against Club Brugge in the Europa League on Oct 25. The money it will bring will give the club more flexibility in the transfer market and will immediately provide £1.5 million to be spent on their academy.

Manager Alan Pardew added: “Getting the St James’ name back is fantastic. It is a clever move in terms of getting fans in a good place.”

Newcastle missed out on being given category-one status this year as part of the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan, but believe they will be awarded the highest grade — and with it £750,000 a year of funding — in the coming months.

Luis Suarez must move on from racism row - Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says Luis Suarez has to "move on" from last season's racism controversy, however difficult the striker may find it.

Suarez was banned for eight games after being found gulity of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Rodgers said: "Luis probably still feels a little bit of injustice about last season, but for me the message is that we have to move on.

"We have to move forward. Let's let it go now, however hard it is."

The incident dominated Liverpool's season, with Suarez refusing to shake hands with Evra before the 2-1 defeat by United in February, and then questioning the "political power" Manchester United have in English football.

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“Opposition fans only give people stick because they're good players - you don't see bad ones getting it”

Brendan Rodgers

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Kenny Dalglish's handling of the episode cost the Anfield legend his job as manager.

Rodgers, who left Swansea City to replace Dalglish in the summer, accepts Suarez is likely to continue to be criticised for the Evra incident when he returns to action.

There were signs that British football supporters are not going to let the striker forget last season when he - and the Uruguayan national anthem - were booed during an Olympic match at the Millennium Stadium.

Suarez described the booing as a "lack of respect", but Rodgers said: "The first point is that opposition fans only give people stick because they're good players - you don't see bad ones getting it."

Suarez's participation in the Olympics came to an end with Uruguay's defeat by Team GB.

Rodgers is looking forward to welcoming the 25-year-old back into the fold with the Reds' season having already begun with Thursday's 1-0 victory over FC Gomel in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round clash.

"It will be fantastic to have Luis coming back, and he is already fighting fit," said Rodgers.

"He will have a couple of days off and join up with us after the weekend. I'm really looking forward to working with him.

"He's been playing games, so he will already be up to a decent level of fitness, maybe even higher really, because he's had more competitive games."

John Terry racism trial: Chelsea captain says Anton Ferdinand's brother Rio would not answer his phone calls

On the third day of his trial John Terry stressed he wanted to speak to police about alleged racist abuse because "there was nothing out there that would show that I had done anything wrong". The Chelsea captain also revealed he tried to contact Rio Ferdinand following the allegations but his alleged victim's brother wouldn't answer.

Case for the defence: John Terry continues to give evidence to the court 

The 31-year-old England and Chelsea defender is accused of calling Anton Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" during a Premier League game on Oct 23 last year.

He denies a racially aggravated public order offence, saying he was sarcastically repeating the slur that Ferdinand mistakenly thought he had used.

Continuing his evidence at Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Terry said: "I knew there was nothing out there that would show that I had done anything wrong.

"I was keen to go forward with my police statement, my FA statement. If I had anything to hide I wouldn't have done that."

He said he made a statement before seeing any film footage of the incident.

"If there was ever any doubt in my mind, I could have held back, soaked it up and thought 'Let's wait until tomorrow, let's see what kind of footage is out there."

Earlier, prosecutor Duncan Penny put it to Terry that he had made a remark about having sex with Ferdinand's girlfriend, in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate's ex-partner. Terry denied this.

Terry said Ferdinand's brother Rio, with whom he played at the heart of England's defence, would not take his call in the aftermath.

Terry, Chelsea's most successful captain, tried to phone the Manchester United defender to discuss media reports of the allegations because he did not have Anton Ferdinand's phone number.

Mr Penny, describing the allegations against Terry as "big potatoes", said he could have spoken to the alleged victim.

He said: "You might have got in touch with Mr Ferdinand and said 'Help me out here – this is going completely nuts'."

Terry, wearing a dark suit and pink tie, said he spoke to Jamie Morallee, who helped both players out with property investments in the same street.

Terry said: "I did attempt to call Rio and he wouldn't take my call, I didn't have Anton's number."

Mr Penny countered Terry's account that he issued a statement quickly because he had nothing to hide by saying: "In the game of PR it's very important to get your story out quickly, isn't it?"

It is expected Terry's Chelsea and England team-mate Ashley Cole will give evidence today.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie confirms he won't sign a new contract with Arsène Wenger's side

Manchester City are ready to bid £20 million for Robin van Persie after the Arsenal captain issued an extraordinary statement in which he outlined his desire to leave and openly questioned the club’s direction under Arsène Wenger.

Summer wonder: Robin van Persie is also a target for Juventus 

Arsenal reacted on Wednesday night by saying that they were “confident” that Van Persie would see out a contract which does not expire until next summer but, privately, are furious that their star player should go public with such a provocative statement.

They were given no prior warning that Van Persie was planning to speak out, with Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis especially seething over the conduct of Kees Vos, the Dutchman’s agent.

Arsenal are well aware that Vos was a guest at the Etihad last season of Brian Marwood, the Manchester City director of football administration, and they believe that Van Persie is being badly advised.

Telegraph Sport revealed in May that Van Persie was not willing to extend his contract and, late on Wednesday afternoon, he confirmed on his website that he would definitely not sign a new deal.

He then went on to say that, during a meeting with Wenger and Gazidis, it had “become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward”.

Van Persie’s statement is being interpreted as a blatant attempt to force a move this summer and, while Arsenal have received no bids or inquiries, the clear suspicion is that he is now actively trying to generate an auction among Europe’s leading clubs.

The desire of Manchester City and Juventus to sign Van Persie is no secret but, according to sources, Manchester United are also now interested. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea will also consider their position.

City want to find buyers for some of their existing strikers, including Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, before finalising a deal for Van Persie. As with Samir Nasri last summer, United’s problem would be to match both the wages and transfer fee that City can offer. They have also not paid a transfer fee for a player over the age of 28 since Dimitar Berbatov four years ago.

Wenger now faces the nightmare of a repeat of last summer’s saga when his captain, then Cesc Fàbregas, was also desperate to leave. Fàbregas was eventually granted his move to Barcelona and Wenger must now weigh up the advantages of a quick sale and no prolonged uncertainty or acrimony against the damage to his team from losing Van Persie.

Only this week, he referred to Arsenal’s dependency on Van Persie and said that he wanted to keep the Dutchman at “all costs”.

One advantage this summer is that Wenger has already recruited two potential replacements in Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. Both, however, are unproven in the Premier League and are likely to need a season to fully adapt.

Wenger’s initial reaction on Wednesday night was that the club should hold Van Persie to his contract unless there is an extraordinary offer.

He also sanctioned a statement from Arsenal that suggested they would still try to persuade him to stay for another season. “We have to respect Robin’s decision not to renew his contract,” said the club statement.

“Robin has one year to run on his current contract and we are confident that he will fulfil his commitments to the club.”

The situation will come to a head in 10 days’ time, if not sooner, with Van Persie expected back for pre-season training on July 16 and then due to travel with Arsenal to Malaysia for the start of their summer tour on July 21.

Van Persie, though, said that the decision not to extend his contract was based on sporting and not financial considerations.

“As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the Boss [Wenger] and Mr Gazidis after the season,” said Van Persie. “This was a meeting about the club’s future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.

“I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

“Out of my huge respect for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward. As soon as Mr Gazidis is back from his two-week holiday in America further meetings will follow.”

Arsenal on Wednesday night denied, however, that Gazidis was on a two-week holiday.

Mikel Arteta to miss end of Arsenal season through injury

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta will miss the remainder of the season with ankle ligament damage.

The Spaniard picked up the injury during Arsenal's shock 2-1 defeat by Wigan on Monday and left the Emirates Stadium on crutches.

While subsequent scans have revealed no break, the ligament damage is serious enough to rule the 30-year-old out of Arsenal's four remaining matches.

The Gunners still have Chelsea, Stoke, Norwich and West Brom to play.

Arsenal run-in

21 Apr	Chelsea (h)
28 Apr	Stoke (a)
5 May	Norwich (h)
13 May	West Brom (a)

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With Jack Wilshere also out for the season, Abou Diaby struggling for match fitness and Yossi Benayoun ineligible to face Chelsea on Saturday as he is on loan from the Blues, manager Arsene Wenger has been left with a selection headache.

Aaron Ramsey is the most likely to come into the side in place of Arteta, with Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Song making up the rest of the Arsenal midfield.

Wenger has warned his players of the importance of the match against Chelsea, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in position to take advantage of any Arsenal slip-up in the race to finish in the top four to gain a Champions League place
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Former World Cup referee Clive Thomas criticises standards

A former top-level British referee has criticised modern officials following a string of controversial decisions in the Premier League over Easter weekend.

Ex-World Cup referee Clive Thomas said: "I've lost faith in referees. I think refs are missing things."

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QPR manager Mark Hughes and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez both spoke out after key incidents went against their sides in the battle to avoid relegation.

"You should have confidence that referees will get key decisions right," said Hughes after the final whistle. "Just lately a lot of managers have lost faith in them."

Welshman Thomas, 75, refereed at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, and the 1976 European Championships.

And he reckons Hughes is "100% right" to question referees' abilities following the dismissal of Shaun Derry during Rangers' 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Thomas said: "We haven't got our act together at all.

"I don't see that the referees of today are even in the right positions to give right decisions. That concerns me.

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“

"Referees today are concerned, it seems, far more about what the assessors think of them, and are not thinking how to referee a game.

"It never worried me what the assessors would say."

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli was sent for two bookable offences in the defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, but much post-match coverage focused on a challenge on Alex Song which went unpunished.

Thomas said: "That tackle was a disgrace. The studs were up and went on the player's leg. He should have been sent off then but he wasn't.

"The referee was right there. If he didn't see it, why didn't he see it? That would be my concern if I was the referee.

"I was far better than modern refs. British referees were better than they are today.
"

Alan Pardew admits 'silly things got said' in Martin O'Neill spat

The Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, left, gestures towards Sunderland's Martin O'Neill during the Tyne-Wear derby.

Martin O'Neill's first Tyne-Wear derby did not end with the traditional drink in Alan Pardew's office after the two managers became embroiled in some unseemly touchline exchanges.

"I think I shall go and climb on the bus," said O'Neill, after he was asked if he and Newcastle's manager were poised for a friendly chat. "I wanted to have a glass of wine with Martin but I'm told he's gone," said Pardew. "Silly things got said on the bench, it got out of hand and it was unsavoury but it happens.

"It's a passionate game but maybe I could have been a bit more grown-up about it. Maybe Sunderland's bench handled it better. If one or two of us stepped over the line I'll apologise for it."

Newcastle's manager evidently said something provocative to his Sunderland counterpart as he leapt towards O'Neill, celebrating wildly, after the home side won a second-half penalty missed by Demba Ba.

"I've never done that before," conceded Pardew whose goalkeeping coach, Andy Woodman, was sent to the stands by the referee at half-time. "It looks terrible but it was just sheer relief we'd got a penalty. Unless you're a manager or a player you don't understand the pressure of this game, a lot of emotion was involved. I was really frustrated."

Pardew, who claimed Lee Cattermole's idiotic lunge on Cheik Tioté after just 45 seconds had been "premeditated", rebutted O'Neill's suggestion that members of Newcastle's backroom staff had visited Mike Dean, the referee, at half-time. "I can tell you it's completely untrue," he said. "None of our staff are allowed in the ref's room. It's not right."

Cattermole, the Sunderland captain, was sent off for directing foul and abusive language at Dean after the final whistle. "Lee can't be doing that, he should leave it to me," said O'Neill. "But Lee's mitigating circumstance is that he felt too many decisions had gone Newcastle's way in the second half. They should count themselves lucky to have finished with 11 men. Cheik Tioté should have been sent off."

O'Neill said he had "no complaints" about Stéphane Sessègnon's red card for elbowing Tioté before enthusing about the occasion. "The derby was absolutely everything people have told me – the hostility, the fervour, everything. It's two points slipped through our fingers but, in a perverse way, I enjoyed it."

Pardew had high praise for Shola Ameobi, scorer of the equaliser, and Hatem Ben Arfa whose half-time introduction changed the game's complexion. "I love Shola to bits, the chance couldn't have fallen to a better person," he said. "He brings important qualities passed down from his parents to this club. Some of Hatem's play was breathtaking; it was his best 45 minutes for us. I have to find a way of getting him in my team."