RECORD NUMBERS TURN OUT TO CHEER LUTON

Luton, rock bottom of the Football League, have sold 40,000 tickets for today’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final against Scunthorpe at Wembley, a record number for any one club playing at the new stadium. Luton are clear underdogs, with Scunthorpe 42 league places above them. The docking of 30 points for financial irregularities has assured a miserable season for Hatters fans, who could see their club drop out of the League at the end of the campaign. But if Luton are backed by most of the country’s neutrals, what chance have they with Sir Ian Botham cheering for their opponents? Botham, inset, played for United in 1980 and will be backing his old team. He said: ‘I’m thrilled for the team, the club and most importantly the fans. Whether they win or lose, I’ll be cracking open a bottle of something cold and toasting the team and their big day. After last year’s relegation from the Championship, the club has picked itself up, dusted itself down and got on with it. I had a fantastic time at Scunthorpe and the team will always have a place in my heart. We’re now fighting for honours on two fronts. My advice to the players on a big occasion like this is to enjoy it. Forget about the pressure, forget about the hype. Get on the pitch and enjoy yourselves and what will be will be. Oh, and find somewhere with a late licence for after the game.’

Luton v Scunthorpe, Sky Sports 1, 1pm, kick-off 1.15pm

TOTTENHAM SPONSORSHIP DEAL IN DOUBT

Tottenham’s £34m deal with shirt sponsors Mansion appears to be about to collapse, writes Wayne Veysey. The Gibraltar-based internet gaming firm has told Spurs executives in a series of recent meetings that it wants to pull out of its £8.5m-a-year contract, which ends in July 2010. Insiders say the situation is ‘highly turbulent’ and that there was a proposal to terminate the deal with a one-off compensation fee, believed to be about £2m. Tottenham are undecided whether to accept the offer and risk trying to secure another shirt sponsor or try to persuade Mansion to meet its contractual obligations. Mansion, which replaced holiday company Thomson as Tottenham’s sponsors in 2006, has privately told Spurs that it will not be renewing the deal at the end of next season. It has been rumoured that Tottenham could copy neighbours Arsenal and look to tie in stadium naming rights with shirt sponsorship in one all-inclusive deal. Tottenham and Mansion declined to comment.

UNITED REPLACE REAL MADRID AS TOP BRAND

Manchester United will replace Real Madrid this week as the world’s top football brand. The world champions improved their brand value by 25% on last year to £329m. Consistent sell-outs at Old Trafford, sponsorship and promotional tours in lucrative Asian markets helped United moved ahead of the field, reports BrandFinanceî in its Most Valuable European Football Brands 2009 study in Soccerex Business. England contributes seven of the 20 most lucrative European football brands. Germany and Italy provide four each, Spain and France two each and Turkey one. While Liverpool might be challenging United on the pitch, they are falling behind them off it. The Anfield club’s value has declined by 18% this year.

RED DEVILS GO ARABIC

Continuting their attempt to rule the world, Manchester United are to unveil their new official Arabic-language website, www.arabic.manutd.com. It is the club’s fourth foreign language website, after the launch of Chinese, Japanese and Korean sites.

FROM BECKHAM TO . . . BERHALTER

Former Crystal Palace defender Gregg Berhalter is joining David Beckham’s erstwhile club LA Galaxy. New Jersey-born Berhalter has been playing in the German second division with Munich 1860 but will return home to ‘fulfil his goal’ of playing in Major League Soccer.

GOALKEEPER TO HEAD IRAQI OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Former Iraqi goalkeeper Raad Hamoudi has been elected to head the country’s new National Olympic Committee. The election came after a year of turmoil that almost prevented the country from competing in last summer’s Beijing Games when the Iraqi government disbanded the previous committee amid allegations that it was corrupt and frequently failed to achieve a quorum because most of its 11 members lived abroad. Hamoudi led the Iraqi national football team during the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico.

V IS NOT ALWAYS FOR VICTORY

Scotland’s Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor aren’t the only sportsmen to have made their point with a two-fingered gesture. The pioneer was equestrian star Harvey Smith. He was defending his Hickstead Derby title in 1971 when he fell out with a judge for not bringing the trophy with him. On completion of a winning round, he flicked the V-sign in the direction of the judges on national television, and was disqualified then reinstated.

Tensions were high when Chelsea’s Ashley Cole returned to face former club Arsenal in December 2007. Cole’s appearance brought a chorus of booing and some meaty challenges from former teammates. He signed off at the end by showing two fingers to the crowd. Cole isn't the only offender at Stamford Bridge. Teammate Didier Drogba raised one finger to Burnley fans during a Carling Cup fixture to indicate that he had put Chelsea 1-0 up, though Burnley won on penalties. Two decades before, Robin Friday marked a goal for Cardiff against Luton by giving the V-sign to keeper Milija Aleksic. The photo, left, later adorned the cover of the Super Furry Animals’ single The Man Don’t Give A ****

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