Italy’s Marcello Lippi could return to Chinese top flight side Guangzhou Evergrande on a three-year, 60mn euro ($67.6mn) deal which would make him the world’s highest-paid coach, reports said yesterday.
Former Italy and Juventus coach Lippi steered the Chinese giants to three consecutive Super League titles in 2012 and 2014. According to Corriere dello Sport, he will sign a three-year contract with Guangzhou worth 20mn euros net per season — a salary that, if confirmed, would put Pep Guardiola’s world-beating 17.7mn euro (£15mn) annual salary at Manchester City in the shade.
Having become the first coach in history to win both the UEFA Champions League, with Juventus in 1996, and AFC Champions League, with Guangzhou in 2013, the dapper 68-year-old remains one of the world’s most sought-after coaches.
Lippi admitted recently he almost returned to AC Milan last January to replace Sinisa Mihajlovic at the club’s request, only for the club to backpedal when the Rossoneri’s results started to improve. Mihajlovic has since been replaced by ex-Fiorentina handler Vincenzo Montella.
Earlier this week, Lippi — who quit Guangzhou because he wanted to ‘be closer to Italy’ — said he is considering a return to China. “Yes, it’s true — I am considering returning,” he said. “I enjoyed my time in China... it was an exciting challenge.”

Former Arsenal star Flamini joins Palace
Crystal Palace signed former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer yesterday. Flamini was released by Arsenal when his contract expired at the end of last term and the French star was unable to find a new club in time for the start of the season.
But the 32-year-old has now accepted an offer to join Premier League side Palace until the end of the current campaign. Flamini, who has also had spells at Marseille and AC Milan, made 246 appearances over two spells at Arsenal.
He won the FA Cup three times with the Gunners and also played in their 2006 Champions League final defeat against Barcelona. Having been beaten by Bournemouth in the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere on a season-long loan, Pardew turned his attention to free agent Flamini once the transfer window closed.

FIFA propose fine in 2006 World Cup bid probe
FIFA’s ethics committee has recommended former German FA secretary general Helmut Sandrock be fined 50,000 Swiss francs (45,800euros, $51,700) following an investigation into the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany, world football’s governing body said yesterday.
In a final report submitted by FIFA’s investigatory chamber, the body called for Sandrock to perform “social work to be determined by the adjudicatory chamber” and to be fined for violations of FIFA’s code of ethics.
However, Sandrock may request a hearing before a final decision is made by the adjudicatory chamber, the ethics committee said in a statement. An investigation was launched in March targeting six people — including German football legend Franz Beckenbauer and former German FA president Wolfgang Niersbach — over their roles in the bidding that awarded the 2006 World Cup to Germany.
Sandrock, who resigned from his post last February, served as tournament director for the 2006 World Cup organising committee chaired by Beckenbauer.
Last week Swiss federal prosecutors announced they had opened criminal proceedings against Beckenbauer, 70, along with three other members of the 2006 World Cup organising committee — Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Niersbach. The quartet are being investigated over allegations of fraud, criminal mismanagement, money laundering and misappropriation.

FIFA confirm transfer ban on Real, Atletico Madrid
FIFA yesterday dismissed appeals by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid against a ban on registering new players in the next two transfer windows for irregularities in the signing of foreign players under 18.
Real and Atletico, last season’s Champions League finalists, were also fined 360,000 ($358,000) and 900,000 Swiss Francs respectively.
However, the Spanish giants still have a final right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors,” FIFA said in a statement.
Both clubs were sanctioned in January, but by appealing had temporarily held off the ban during the transfer window which closed last month. They will now not be able to register any new players in either of the next two windows, in January 2017 and July-August 2017.
European champions Real responded by saying they will now go to the CAS in an attempt to have the decision overturned “as quickly as possible”.
“The club regrets the decision on the ground that it is profoundly unfair and contrary to the most elementary principles of penal law,” read a statement posted on their website.