John Terry, captain of Chelsea, fears that he will be “haunted forever” by his fatal miskick in the penalty shoot-out of the Champions League final against Manchester United. The English inter¬national defender apologised for his miss in a letter published on the club’s website and took responsibility for the unfortunate defeat (6-5 on pen¬alties) in the final. “I am so sorry for missing the penalty and denying you the fans, my team-mates, family and friends the chance to become European Champions,” wrote Terry. He said he had only slept a few hours in the days after his miss, and woke up every time hoping it had all been a bad dream. The 27-year-old has been given lots of sup¬port by fans, but it has not been easy for him to shake off his disappointment: “That night in Moscow will haunt me forever and I feel I have let everybody down and this hurts me more than any¬thing. I am not ashamed about crying.” Terry, the fifth Chelsea penalty-taker in the shoot-out against Manchester United – the match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes – had only to convert his spot-kick in order to secure the “Blues” their first Champions League title. However, the defender slipped on the wet pitch and hit the post. Shortly af¬ter, in sudden death, team-mate Nicolas Anelka’s effort was saved by United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

A shirt worn by Portuguese footballer Luis Figo was auctioned for 100,000 euros in Romania in May. Gigi Becali, President of Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest, secured himself Figo’s shirt with the number 7 on the back before a charity match between a “Figo and friends” select team and a Romanian all-star XI. Other stars’ shirts were also auctioned. The shirts of former Romanian internationals Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu sold for 60,000 and 50,000 euros respectively, while tops worn by their compatriots Mircea Lucescu and Adrian Illie went for 30,000 and 22,000 euros. A respectable 10,000 and 9,000 euros were also raised through the sale of shirts worn by Portugal’s Rui Costa and Pauleta. The proceeds from the auction of 30 famous footballers’ shirts raised almost 500,000 euros and will be used to help children in need.

France’s former world-class midfielder Alain Giresse quit his post as coach of Gabon in May. The 56-year-old an¬nounced his immediate resignation following the 2-0 defeat to Cameroon, out of fear for his own safety. However, Giresse, coach of Gabon since March 2006, has reversed his decision. “The government persuaded me to stay,” he explained in an interview with a French newspaper. “Their strong sup¬port touched me and showed me that my work in Gabon is appreciated.” Giresse’s team will meet Libya, Ghana and Lesotho in the preliminary com¬petition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.