London - Tottenham Hotspur defender Ledley King pulled out of the England squad for matches against Slovakia and Ukraine because of injury.

King has a chronic knee problem that makes it difficult for him to play two matches in succession.

The FA said that King would miss the friendly with Slovakia on Saturday, as well as the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on April 1.

Madrid - Valencia striker Juan Mata was called up Tuesday to replace the injured Andres Iniesta in Spain's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games against Turkey.

Iniesta will be out of action for around two weeks after pulling a muscle in his right thigh in Barcelona's 6-0 thrashing of Malaga on Sunday.

He is hoping to be fit for Barca's Champions League quarter-final first leg clash against Bayern Munich on April 8.

Copenhagen - Europe's governing football body UEFA said on Tuesday that they had confidence in the preparations for the 2012 European Championships.

Preparations for the 2012 Euro, which will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, have been dodged by controversy, with speculation that Ukraine could lose the right to host the showpiece of European football.

Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Bundesliga club Schalke 04 refused to comment Tuesday on a media report that coach Fred Rutten was set for dismissal.

"We won't be commenting on this but will be working," general secretary Peter Peters told German Press Agency dpa.

Schalke club bosses were meeting Rutten on Tuesday for "routine" talks which took place after every league match, Peters said.

Germany's mass circulation Bild newspaper reported Tuesday that Rutten, 42, would be dismissed this week.

London, Mar. 24 : Troubled former England football star Paul Gascoigne has revealed how he turned to TV chat show host Richard Madeley to “see if I was making sense”.

Gazza, who is recovering after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, confessed he used to ring Richard at 3 a. m. and send him texts because he felt “so lonely inside”, Sky News reports.

The ex-England star turned to Richard, 52, who he had met several times, because he knew he would listen.

London, Mar 24: University eggheads have unveiled a formula for the perfect spot kick – leaving no excuse for footballers who’re prone to fluffing penalties.

Researchers, who studied hour after hour of footage to reach the conclusion, say the formula promises 100 per cent success.

According to them, the shot should be 65mph or more, which requires a run-up of five to six paces, commencing from the edge of the 18-yard line — approaching the ball at an angle of 20 to 30 degrees.

And it must cross the goal line at exactly 0.5m below crossbar and 0.5m inside either post.