Sportsday Live - Monday's news as it happened

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson on BBC Radio 5 live: "I do not think Kenny would walk away. And I do not think they will sack him. Until they get into the Champions League places, they cannot attract Champions League players. They are trying to play catch-up."

Lawrenson continued: "As a manager in the Premier League, if you lose a couple of games it is a crisis. The performance against Newcastle became inept after they went behind. Unfortunately for Kenny, I think Aston Villa is a must-win game. The players he bought, this year they have contributed six goals between the four of them. But you should be looking at 25 to 30."

Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen has been stripped of victory in the Rally of Portugal after his car failed post-event scrutineering. The decision means French team mate and eight times world champion Sebastien Loeb stays top of the standings despite failing to score a point.

Mexico and Honduras became the latest countries to book their place at London Mexico overcame Canada, while Honduras needed extra-time to get the better of El Salvador. It means 15 of the 16 berths have now been claimed, with the final spot due to be decided by a play-off between Senegal and Oman on 23 April.

Preston North End chairman Peter Ridsdale has confirmed manager Graham Westley's accusations that several of his players leaked team tactics to Sheffield Wednesday ahead of Saturday's 2-0 defeat. "What Graham said after the game on Saturday was true," Ridsdale told the Lancashire Evening Post. "It was disappointing that our pre-match preparations were known to the opposition in advance. I am aware categorically where the information came from, although I do not think it was done maliciously."

British sailing's multiple Olympic gold medallists Ben Ainslie and Iain Percyare set to to competitive action for the first time since the Perth World Championships in December at the Palma leg of the World Cup circuit today.

Premier League leaders Manchester United travel to Blackburn tonight hoping to stretch their advantage to five points. Despite Rovers' lowly status, the game should not be as easy as it seems, with United only emerging victorious from two of their last 11 trips to Ewood Park. "The game at Blackburn has always been a difficult match," manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. "It is a local derby and tends to be a bit feisty."

Wales legend and BBC pundit Jonathan Davies is less than impressed with Gavin Henson's latest indiscretion. He told BBC Radio 5 live: "He hasn't been playing well; Cardiff gave him the opportunity; this gives Cardiff the chance to get rid of him. When he does play, there's a lethargy in his attitude, a lack of desire\u2026 he's living off past performances".

Peter Ebdon won his first ranking event since 2009 in last night's China Open but he was not happy with his performance. "To be perfectly honest, I feel a little bit embarrassed because I did not handle the pressure very well," he told the World Snooker website. "I feel that Stephen [Maguire] deserved to win."

Andrew Strauss insists he has given no thought to relinquishing the England captaincy ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka tomorrow. "Not at all. It'd be wrong for me to think about anything other than us winning this game," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

Today is the anniversary of India's World Cup victory and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has taken to Twitter to mark the occasion. He tweeted: "Time flies but memories last forever. What a day it was!!! 02-04-2011"

Team-mate Yuvraj Singh has been speaking about his treatment for cancer that followed the victory on YouTube. "I didn't expect to land up here after the World Cup, but that's life," he said. "Now I'm treated and absolutely fine. I'll be back to normal health soon and look forward to playing for India."

Stiliyan Petrov begins treatment today and former Celtic team-mate John Hartson has spoken about his own battle with the condition. "A lot of it is psychological," he told BBC Scotland's Sportscene. "You have to get your head around what is happening and dealing with it as openly as you can. You do know there is a lot of support of there when you are battling a near death experience like I went through. Stilyan knows he has support from his peers and his family, which will be very important for him."

The head of the Russian Football Union's ethics committee, Vladimir Vasilev, is calling on authorities to take action against the student accused of throwing a banana at Anzhi Makhachkala and ex-Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba. "We have sent the results of our investigation to the law enforcement body," Vasilev said. "I believe he [the perpetrator] should be penalised for it."

Michaela Tabb will referee the final of May's World Championship. "I was absolutely elated when I found out I was doing it again this year," she told World Snooker. "I loved it when I did the final in 2009. It went really well for me without any mistakes so I just hope it will be the same this time.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has taken to Twitter to wish Stiliyan Petrov well. He tweeted: "Very sad to hear about Stiliyan Petrov's illness. Wish him strength in his fight to win this battle. Support shown at Villa Park by both sets of fans another sign of all that is good in football."

Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanovic has been talking about his two-goal haul in Saturday's 4-2 victory against Aston Villa. "It looked like I defended the ball [for the first goal],' he told his club's website. "I expected the corner to be deflected by Fernando [Torres] but I didn't know where, but it finished in the right place and went in off my face. It is always nice to score because it gives confidence but the three points were more important than the goals."

South Africa international Francois Steyn is to leave Racing Metro at the end of the season, the French side have announced.

Australia seamer Mitchell Johnson will become Durham's second overseas player in the Twenty20 competition this summer, after the club announced his capture. "I have heard brilliant things about Durham from Paul Collingwood when he played over in Perth and I am really excited about joining up with the squad," he told the club's website.

Atalanta defender Andrea Masiello has been arrested in the ongoing Italian probe into match-fixing, and eight of his former Bari teammates are under investigation. Bari's last nine matches in Serie A last season are being looked into by authorities.

Wests Tigers have announced Great Britain forward Gareth Ellis could be sidelined for three months with a fractured foot.

Iraqi football official Abdul-Khaliq Massoud says the nation will ask Fifa at a meeting in Zurich later this month if it can recommence playing home internationals.The governing body previously banned Iraq from playing home qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup and 2012 Olympics after a power outage during the World Cup qualifier against Jordan.

British golfer Ian Poulter insists he will trust his instincts rather than seek the help of a Masters mentor at Augusta this week. He told BBC Sport: "If you try to put yourself into the mindset of someone else you could potentially struggle. I'm not Jack, I'm not Nick Faldo, I'm not Seve, I'm me."

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov is "upbeat" as he begins his treatment for acute leukaemia, according to former Celtic team-mate John Hartson "He's the kind of lad who wants to take this head on," Hartson, who beat cancer in 2009, told BBC Scotland.

England captain Andrew Strauss says he is focused on the second Test against Sri Lanka despite questions being raised about his position. "It would be wrong for me to think about anything other than us trying to win this game."

Sir Alex Ferguson says keeper David de Gea has shown "fantastic improvement" since his error against Blackburn in December contributed to a 3-2 defeat. "He didn't let it get to him and is playing with confidence," he said. "It took him time to adapt to the different ways of the English game and he is showing that now."

Rory McIlroy says he split with manager Andrew Chandler last year because he felt his career was being taken in a wrong direction.

McLaren driver Jenson Button finished sixth overall in the Lavaman Olympic-distance triathlon in Hawaii over the weekend - and won his age group, plus more in Monday's F1 gossip.

BBC motorcycling commentator Steve Parrish examines the MotoGP contenders ahead of this weekend's season opener in Losail, Qatar. "I have a huge amount of respect for defending champion Casey Stoner because of his skill at riding a motorcycle - but he won't have it all his own way, there are others out to stop him."

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina will miss Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final with Everton after the club admitted they had no grounds to lodge an appeal over his red card, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Wigan could be without nine front-line players - including England full-back Sam Tomkins and captain Sean O'Loughlin - for their Super League derby at St Helens on Good Friday, reports the Wigan Evening Post.

Stiker Rafael Van Der Vaart has asked Tottenham to persuade Emmanuel Adebayor to stay, saying he is one of the best strikers he has played with, reports London's Evening Standard.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has called on his players to continue preparing for matches in the right manner ahead of the season finale. "People can get a little bit blase about what we're doing," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "If the players believe what they read in the papers then they drop a level."

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent takes a look at the key points on the course of the annual University Boat Race which takes place on Saturday. Coverage starts at 1300 BST on BBC One and 1400 BST on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

A Football League spokesman has said the body had no plans to investigate claims that four Preston players leaked details of their team's tactics to Sheffield Wednesday ahead of their 2-0 defeat on Saturday. "We regard it as a private disciplinary matter for Preston North End to resolve and it's unlikely we will be taking the matter further," he said.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene still rates England as the number one side in the world, despite their recent struggles in the sub-continent. "England have played some really good cricket the last two years," he said. "They beat Australia in Australia, they played well in South Africa and they have been really good in English conditions."

HRT have appointed a new technical director, filling a role at the team that has been vacant for six months. The struggling Spanish team have promoted chief engineer Toni Cuquerella to the role. He said his priority was to "solve the current car's problems" and to "unify and expand the technical department".

Swiss Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara has had an operation on his broken right collarbone after his fall this weekend in the Tour of Flanders classic, AFP reports.

Scotland and Blackburn striker David Goodwilliehas pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in Glasgow. The 23-year-old forward admitted attacking John Friel in the city's Queen Street on 3 November 2010.

Sauber have added their support to renewed calls for a budget cap in Formula 1, with the team hoping that one can be in place as early as next season, reports Autosport.

Britain's number one snowboarder Zoe Gillings said she is "excited about the future" after finding out she will receive podium funding towards the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes says forward Arjen Robben is close to extending his contract with the four-times European champions, reports Reuters.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar will be given 100 gold coins by Mumbai Cricket Association for accomplishing the feat of compiling 100 international centuries in Dhaka last month, reports Times of India. Each coin is valued in the region of Rs 23-25 lakh (\u00a328,000).

Silverstone is poised for another record-breaking weekend for this year's British Grand Prix after organisers announced the addition of two extra grandstands - which will house 3,500 fans - to cope with demand.

Following a management meeting on Monday Cardiff Blues confirm Gavin Henson has been dismissed with immediate effect. Former Wales international Henson apologised for his "inexcusable", alchohol-fuelled behaviour during a flight on the morning after Cardiff's game against Glasgow on Friday.

Blackburn's David Goodwillie has pleaded guilty to assault. The striker admitted attacking John Friel in Glasgow's Queen Street on 3 November 2010. He admitted the assault when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday. Sentence was deferred until 30 April. Goodwillie moved from Dundee United to Blackburn last summer for a fee of about \u00a32m.

European women's marathon champion Zivile Balciunaiteloses her appeal against a two-year ban for doping, the Lithuania athletics federation said on Monday. The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport endorsed last year's decision by the national federation to ban her until 6 September, meaning she will miss the London Olympics.

Atalanta's Andrea Masiellois arrested in a new probe into match-fixing in Italian football. Bari prosecutors ordered an investigation into match-fixing involving the city's club following new evidence that players were paid bribes to help determine the outcome of various matches.

Masiello spent three years at Bari before joining Atalanta last summer. Prosecutors are looking into five Bari matches from last season and are investigating nine ex-Bari players, including Masiello.

Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara is ruled out of action for four to six weeks after the Olympic time trial champion has surgery on a broken collarbone. Cancellara crashed out of the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, breaking his right collarbone in four places.

Genoa and Sampdoria's next home games are at risk because the company supplying electricity to the Marassi stadium in Genoa have switched it off, Italian news agency Ansa reported on Monday.The public company that runs the Marassi stadium, SportinGenova, is in arrears, which has prompted Exergia to cut the supply of electricity to the ground.

James Youngman: "Guess no surprise that Gavin Henson employment terminated by Cardiff Blues, not left with much choice really."

Eddie Gorman: "Kenny should stand down.Terrible buys, always picking players not up to it, wrong tactics, bad subs, leaving out good players."

Freddie Marks: "Saracens, Toulon and Cardiff Blues. How many more chances does he think he will get? Gavin Henson, you are a waste of a talent."

Diego Maradona's Al Wasl club says he did the "honorable thing" confronting opposition fans who taunted his girlfriend and players' wives. The acting head of the Dubai-based team, Abdullah al-Bishr, said Maradona's anger was "understandable" and apologised to the Argentina great, who took over as coach last year. The statement says Maradona "did the honorable thing."

The first all-female side will compete in horse racing's team event, the Shergar Cup, at Ascot on 11 August. US riders Chantal Sutherland and Emma-Jayne Wilson will join Britain's Hayley Turner in the women's team, which will take on men representing Great Britain and Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World.

The BBC has secured live and exclusive radio rights to the 2014, 2016 and 2018 Ryder Cups, following on from its coverage of this year's matches at Medinah.

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady says the Championship club will slash ticket prices if their bid to become Olympic Stadium tenants is successful. She told BBC Radio 5 live: "The issue is about making football affordable so people all over the country can come and enjoy the facilities.

"It's a great opportunity to bring prices down so people can enjoy the whole atmosphere. We want to use the stadium, we want to create jobs and create a legacy. That stadium cost \u00a3500m and it needs to be used. It should create opportunity and inspire people, which can only happen if someone can fill it and drive it. West Ham can do that."

Brady also insists Hammers boss Sam Allardyce will not be sacked in the summer if the Championship club fail to secure an instant return to the Premier League. She told BBC Radio 5 live: "Yes he will still be in charge next season. Definitely."

James Hunter: "The end of a rugby career that promised so much more. Henson has let himself down more than anyone else."

Alex Lane: "Danny Care should take note of Gavin Henson's fate. Opportunities squandered, expectations not met and a talent wasted."

Antonio Cassano is given the all-clear to resume playing with AC Milan following medical tests on Monday. Cassano has not played since the end of October after suffering a minor stroke that required surgery to repair a heart defect.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announces that the city of Glasgow will host the 2015 IPC Swimming European Championships.

Rafael van der Vaart urges Tottenham to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis. Adebayor, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, scored twice on Sundaytheir first Premier League victory in six attempts.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish expects everyone at the club to stick together to pull through their growing crisis. The Reds crashed to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games at Newcastle on Sunday to remain eighth in the table, a place below neighbours Everton.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska withdraws from the Family Circle Cup because of a back injury. Radwanska, ranked number four in the world, defeated Maria Sharapova on Saturday in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill tells BBC Radio Leicester that Northampton flanker Calum Clark's 32-week ban for breaking Rob Hawkins' elbow draws a line under the incident as far as he is concerned.

Rhian Byron: "Gavin Henson is sacked for being drunk on a flight home, yet Calum Clark can break someone's arm and is just banned?"

Rob Hughes: "Great news about Cassano, would be excellent to see him against Barcelona but probably too soon!"

Crawley defender Kyle McFadzean is banned for three games after losing his appeal against his retrospective red card, issued on the basis of video evidence, following the brawl at Bradford last Tuesday.

Prospective Port Vale buyer Mo Chaudry tells BBC Radio Stoke it is wrong that the club's administrators are allowing potential buyers to remain anonymous.

World number 14 Gael Monfils pulls out of France's Davis Cup quarter-final against United States this week because of a stomach injury.

Freddie Nathan: "Karen Brady wants to slash prices but she ignorantly disregards Leyton Orient who will die as a club if West Ham move in."

Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes will miss the first six to eight weeks of the new county cricket season after damaging ankle ligaments.

Hampshire cricket fans can listen to BBC Radio Solent's Hampshire cricket forum tonight from 1905 BST.

Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey today defiantly stands by the club's decision to appoint Terry Connor as manager. Connor has so far presided over six games following the sacking of Mick McCarthy, and after a draw in the first of those, Wolves have since lost five in a row.

"We were losing games, and we're continuing to lose, but we made our decision and we're sticking to it," said Moxey.

Building work is finished on the London Olympic Park's last remaining major stadium, the water polo arena, a month before a test event, Games organisers said on Monday.

Pasquale Marino is sacked as Genoa coach with his predecessor Alberto Malesani returning to the hotseat.

Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele will start his campaign for a fourth Olympic gold this summer by running the 3,000m at the first Diamond League meeting of the season in Doha on 11 May.

QPR vow to ban for life whoever threw a coin at assistant referee Stuart Burt during their Premier League win over Arsenal, and appealed to fans to help them identify the culprit.

Rangers have been scouring CCTV footage in a bid to punish the spectator who struck Burt on the back of his neck with a missile moments before the end of Saturday's 2-1 victory at Loftus Road.

A police inquiry has begun after Newcastle defender James Perch was racially abused on Twitter. Perch was targeted on Sunday, after a clash with Jose Reina ended with the Liverpool goalkeeper receiving a red card during the side's 2-0 loss. Durham Police said they were looking into the case.

Sauberindicate their support for a budget-cap in Formula 1, saying the sport needs to introduce such a step to enable the smaller teams to "run sustainably, to stay in the sport and to have the ability to use whatever assets they have to compete at more or less a similar level".

Dunfermline confirm they have received international clearance to sign Spanish goalkeeper Bernardo Dominguez Fernandez. The 32-year-old becomes the first signing for Jim Jefferies since he took charge last month.

Widnes Vikings winger Paddy Flynn signs a two-year contract extension which will keep him at the Stobart Stadium until the end of 2014. The 24-year-old has scored 55 tries in 89 appearances for the Vikings, including six in eight Super League matches this year.

England scrum-half Ben Youngs has been banned for one week for striking London Irish's James Gibson in a Premiership match last month. The Leicester Tigers player, who pleaded guilty to the offence, is free to play again on 5 April.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting says Englandare on the decline, less than 12 months after they claimed the number one Test ranking. "It goes to show we're on the right track to turning our cricket around and probably goes to show that England might have been at the start of the end of their cycle," he said.

The citing against Harlequins flanker Maurie Fa'asavalu for a dangerous charge on Bath's Tom Heathcote during his side's 14-6 Premiership win last month has been dismissed by the Rugby Football Union.

Swansea City have expressed their sadness at the death of former strikerGiorgio Chinaglia at the age of 65, in a statement on their official website. Former Italy international Chinaglia was found dead at his Florida home on Sunday morning. He had suffered complications following treatment for a heart problem.

Hundreds of mourners have paid their respects at today's funeral of Scottish darts legend Jocky Wilson in Fife. Wilson, who won the 1982 and 1989 World Championship titles, died on 24 March at the age of 62.

St Mirrenhas called an extraordinary general meeting after its main ownership consortium failed to force the resignation of director and prospective buyer Ken McGeoch. A club statement released this afternoon said it was with "deep regret" McGeoch had not offered to leave the SPL side.

The FIA, the sport's governing body, is to re-assess its position on the legality of a controversial design feature on theMercedes car. The move comes in the wake of continuing complaints from rivals about the system.

The International Cycling Union's request for the withdrawal of the UCI WorldTour licence granted to Team Saxo Bank has been rejected. It made the attempt after the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed a two-year doping ban to Team Saxo Bank rider Alberto Contador. The Licence Commission turned down the request but the Danish team has been warned it must satisfy the commission's criteria to compete again in 2013.

England Golf has announced former Curtis Cup player and captain Pam Benka is to be president next year. She will be the first sole president to take office since England Golf was created earlier this year by the merger of the English Golf Union and the English Women's Golf Association.

Just a quick reminder you can watch a full round-up of all today's sports news here in Sportsday Live and on the BBC News Channel at 1830 BST. Coming up this evening with Olly Foster - is this the end of the rugby road for Gavin Henson after his sacking by Cardiff Blues? We look ahead to Manchester United's chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League at Blackburn tonight. And we hear from Andrew Strauss before England's last chance for a winter Test victory begins tomorrow morning.

Swansea defender Neil Taylor thinks boss Brendan Rodgers deserves to be crowned Manager of the Year after turning the Welsh club "from Blackpool to Barcelona". The left-back added: "I don't think you have ever seen a team come and try to play the way we have done in the Premier League for years."

England selector Ashley Giles has warned skipper Andrew Strauss "is a dangerous man to write off" ahead of tomorrow's second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Great Britain's Louis Smith has been given the all-clear to compete in this weekend's World CupSeries event in China despite suffering a fractured finger. He tweeted: "I'm all good, it's only a fractured finger. I'm off to China on Wednesday to compete."

Former Ospreys coach Lyn Jones claims Gavin Henson has been "hung out to dry" by Cardiff Blues after he was sacked today following his alcohol-fuelled misbehaviour on a flight. Jones, who coached the 30-year-old for five years at Ospreys, said: "They have decided to make an example of him. The way he has been hung out to dry by the Cardiff Blues board is inexcusable."

Glasgow has been chosen to host the 2015 European Championships, the International Paralympic Committee has announced. More than 500 swimmers from over 40 countries are expected to compete at the Scottish city's new Tollcross International Swimming Centre, where the 2014 Commonwealth Games competitions will also be held.

Spanish rider DaniPedrosa has been questioned by police over cheating in an examination for a captain's recreational yachting licence. "After taking bad advice I have committed an error," the Honda rider said in a statement released through his lawyers.

Double Paralympic champion Eleanor Simmonds says she would not support any plan to combine the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "I prefer them being separate," the swimmer told BBC Sport. "The Paralympics is an amazing event, the second biggest event in the sporting field and having everyone in the team makes it really enjoyable."