FA charges Cole as Campbell misses Old Trafford trip

Ashley Cole has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association in relation to an incident during Arsenal's 3-2 defeat at Southampton on 23 November.

The England left-back has been charged under rule E2 which refers to insulting and/or abusive language or behaviour to a match official. He has 14 days to respond.

The referee on that day, Paul Durkin, infuriated Arsenal's players when he sent off Sol Campbell for a challenge on the Saints striker Agustin Delgado and awarded a penalty even though it appeared that the England defender had made contact with the ball before the player. The FA yesterday rejected Campbell's appeal against the dismissal, which rules him out of Arsenal's Premiership trip to Manchester United on Saturday.

The FA also rejected an appeal by Chelsea's Celestine Babayaro against his sending-off for violent conduct on 23 November at Bolton. The Nigerian will now serve a three-match ban.

Terry Venables has survived Leeds United's latest setback – a 2-1 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic on Sunday – but sources at Elland Road suggest he is one more defeat from the sack. Leeds' weekend trip to Fulham now looks likely to be the crunch game in Venables' Elland Road career, and will quickly be followed by a Uefa Cup tie against Malaga.

No successors have yet been considered, but the word within the club is that Eddie Gray would step up and be given time to turn round the team's fortunes. Gray is currently third in the pecking order, behind the assistant manager Brian Kidd, but his standing among the supporters might help Leeds in their hour of crisis.

Artim Sakiri – the Macedonian player who embarrassed David Seaman during England's 2-2 Euro 2004 qualifier at Southampton – arrived in England yesterday in a bid to sign for West Bromwich Albion. Sakiri is under contract to Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia, but has a get-out clause allowing him to move to England.

Alan Shearer will definitely miss Newcastle's Champions' League trips to Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen after deciding not to appeal against his two-match ban. Shearer was punished after being convicted on video evidence of elbowing the Internazionale defender Fabio Cannavaro during last week's 4-1 Group A defeat.

Newcastle also confirmed that, as they did with Craig Bellamy, who was sent off five minutes into the same game for kicking out at Marco Materazzi, they will deal with Shearer internally if they feel there is a case to be answered.

West Ham are making a move for the veteran Tottenham striker Les Ferdinand, but face competition from their old manager, Harry Redknapp, who is now with Portsmouth, for his signature.

The West Ham manager, Glenn Roeder, has inquired about Ferdinand as a standby striker and plans to take him to Upton Park when the transfer window opens in the New Year. Ferdinand will be free to leave Spurs in January.

Roeder requires cover for the injury-prone Frédéric Kanouté but, at promotion-chasing Portsmouth, Redknapp is trying to outmanoeuvre his old club. Redknapp is more willing to offer Ferdinand a longer-term contract, with the former England striker hoping to land an 18-month deal.

The Bolton Wanderers manager, Sam Allardyce, has invited two Argentinians – the striker Luis Enrique Rueda and the centre-half Julian Edgardo Maidana – for trials. The 30-year-olds, who play for Racing Club of Argentina, completed their domestic seasons at the weekend and are due to arrive at the Reebok this week.