Football: Spitting spat signals end for Milosevic's stay at Villa
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Your support makes all the difference.Aston Villa have punished Savo Milosevic for spitting in the direction of his own fans on Saturday by putting him on the transfer list.
Following mounting pressure from supporters, Brian Little, the Villa manager, discussed the incident which happened during the match at Blackburn with club chairman Doug Ellis after watching video evidence.
Little said: "The player regrets his actions which are not acceptable to this club. He has been placed on the transfer list with immediate effect and we will now get on with the job of concentrating on Saturday's FA Cup tie with West Bromwich Albion."
Little must now decide whether to include Milosevic for that match or try and replace him quickly, as the deadline for new signings for their Uefa Cup tie in March is 31 January. Villa meet Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals and the sale of Milosevic would leave Little with just Stan Collymore and Dwight Yorke, who is still not completely fit, as his main attacking options.
Faustino Asprilla has completed his transfer back to Parma, signing a three-and-a-half year deal with the Italian club for a fee of around pounds 6m. Newcastle paid pounds 7.5m for the Colombian when he moved from Parma to Tyneside two years ago.
One Parma player who may be moving to England is left-back Antonio Benarrivo, who was watched by Roy Hodgson, the Blackburn Rovers manager, at the weekend. Hodgson is understood to be keen to tie up the deal quickly.
Tony Adams, the Arsenal captain, came through his first match for a month yesterday and looks set to return to action in the Gunners' FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
The England defender, who made a convincing return in Arsenal reserves' 1-0 victory over Chelsea, said: "There's no pain. I feel great. It was important to get 90 minutes under my belt and also to get in a few tackles."
Paul Williams has been given a one-match suspension by the Football Association for his dismissal in Saturday's Premiership match with Arsenal at Highfield Road. In his report, referee Steve Lodge called the challenge on Dennis Bergkamp "serious foul play", but said it was in the category of "denying a goal-scoring opportunity", which carries just a one-game ban.
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