ITALIAN COACH?
Bulgaria’s men’s volleyball team will most likely have an Italian as its new coach, succeeding Martin Stoev. Silvano Prandi - who is currently manager of Bulgarian volleyball player Vlado Nikolov - is favourite out of a dozen candidates to become the national coach. This week’s discussions took place with the president of the Volleyball Federation Dancho Lazarov to make a final decision on who would be chosen.

SALARY CAP
The UK’s premier league is to introduce a salary cap and help stall wages which are spiralling out of control. With the looming financial crisis and banks collapsing in America and Western Europe, premiership clubs will feel the full impact. Already Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are affected. Liverpool’s construction of a new ground is stalled indefinitely, whereas West Ham will probably part ways with Gudmundsson as Iceland’s biggest bank Landsbanki faces bankruptcy. Many teams may face administration.

FAIR PLAY
Uefa is planning to introduce from next season “financial fair play” whereby teams facing administration or with financial debts will be refused entry into the tournament. This means that giants such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as local sides like Levski Sofia and CSKA Sofia, might not be able to participate in the tournaments. Uefageneral secretery, David Taylor has announced that Uefa is likely to introduce the drastic measure and that no team will be shown favouritism.

PRIZE MONEY
The Australian Open has increased its prize money to $15 million for 2009, in spite of the global financial crisis. Organisers have decided that the increase was overdue; the men’s and women’s winners will split among themselves $1.11 million, which is $250 000 more than last year (or 18 per cent). Steve Wood, manager of the organisers’ committee, “Our business is growing constantly, we have assured sponsors until 2009 and the rest will re-new their contracts shortly.